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What’s New in the Domestic Mail Manual? The online DMM is updated monthly on Postal Explorer at http://pe.usps.gov. DMM Revisions New Terminology for Presorted Destination Mail Effective The revised terminology will ensure that both employees and mailers understand that any official references to “packages” and “packaging” refer to parcels prepared as individually addressed pieces, and any references to “bundles” and “bundling” refer to presorted destination letters, flats, and irregular parcels in workshare mailings. The term “bundle” often is used already by both mailers and Postal Service personnel when referring to presort destination mail. We recognize that the use of the term “packages” when referring to bundles will likely continue, just as packages are sometimes called “bundles” today. However, all official Postal Service communication must use the new terminology for clarity. All official publications, such as posters and training materials, will be updated as they are reprinted or revised to incorporate the new terminology. General Mailability — Minimum and Maximum Size, Rectangular Shape Effective Although CMM pieces are exempt from the general mailability standards that require a rectangular shape for pieces 1/4 inch thick or less, CMM pieces 1/4 inch thick or less are not exempt from the minimum height and length requirements of 3-1/2 inches high and 5 inches long. This revision clarifies that the minimum height and length requirements apply to mailpieces 1/4 inch thick or less, except for keys and identification devices. The minimum thickness of 0.007 inch applies to all mailpieces, including CMM pieces and keys and identification devices. Therefore, C010.1.5 is deleted and Exhibit 1.1 is revised to assert that all mailpieces are subject to the minimum thickness. C010.1.4 also is deleted, since restrictions referred to in 1.4 are mentioned previously. C010.1.2 also is clarified to state that the definition of “length” as the longest dimension pertains to parcels. DMM Reminders Administration of the Private Express Statutes The Private Express Statutes (PES) are a group of federal civil and criminal laws that, for the most part, make it unlawful for any entity other than the Postal Service to send or carry letters over post routes for compensation, unless appropriate postage is paid in an amount equaling what would have been paid had the letters been sent through the Postal Service. There are certain suspensions and exceptions under which letters can be privately carried without paying postage. Information on the PES and their applicability is published in Publication 542, Understanding the Private Express Statutes. Publication 542 (6/1998) is available online at www.usps.com. The Chicago Rates and Classification Service Center (RCSC) is responsible for the national administration of the PES, and the district manager of Business Mail Entry is the district coordinator for administration of the PES. If you have questions concerning the administration of the PES, please contact the manager of Business Mail Entry at your district office, or the Chicago RCSC. Contact CHUCK STEINAU RATES AND E-mail: chuck.s.steinau@usps.gov Phone: 630-978-4312 Fax: 630-978-4295 Addressing and Mailpiece Design Information Publication 221, Addressing for Success, is now obsolete. Consumers and retail customers can find addressing § DMM 200-A, A Guide to Mailing for Businesses and Organizations. § Publication 25, Designing Letter and Reply Mail. § Publication 28, Postal Addressing Standards. DMM 100 DMM 100, A Customer’s Guide to Mailing, is a useful and easy-to-understand reference for consumers, retail customers, and Postal Service employees. This guide is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese versions. DMM 200 DMM 200-A, A Guide to Mailing for Businesses and Organizations, presents more comprehensive Publication 25 Publication 25, Designing Letter and Reply Mail, contains Publication 28 Publication 28, Postal Addressing Standards, provides the most comprehensive Availability Customers can obtain printed copies of all four documents at no cost from Post Office facilities or online at www.usps.com. Company Permit Imprints A company permit imprint allows an authorized mailer (or agent) to send mail without affixing postage. Postage is paid through an advance deposit account established with the Postal Service or through the Centralized Account Processing System (CAPS). A company permit imprint provides mailers with an alternative to stamps and postage meters. CAPS provides business mailers with a centralized, convenient, and cost-effective way to make postage payments. The system provides electronic payment alternatives for customers rather than using traditional checks or cash to pay for their mailings and eliminates the need to pay in person at each local post office. In addition, the customer’s national CAPS account can be used to pay for mailings at multiple locations, thereby eliminating the need to maintain trust accounts at numerous local Post Offices. This is a significant convenience for customers with multiple offices nationwide. Mailers and the Postal Service share responsibility for using a company permit imprint. By following the standards below, the Postal Service can quickly identify a mailer should questions arise. See DMM P040.3.4 for complete details. When mailing with a company permit imprint, the mailer (or its agent) must: § Show the exact name of the company or individual holding the permit in the indicia, instead of the city, state, and permit number. § Maintain mailing records for one year from the date of mailing, and make these records available for Postal Service review. Records must include: o A complete sample mailpiece. o The weight of a single piece in a mailing. o The total number of pieces mailed. o The total postage. o The date(s) and Post Office(s) of mailing. o Other records required for the postage rate claimed or the payment method. § Include a complete domestic return address on each mailpiece. However, if the return address is not the address where the mailing records are available for Postal Service review, the mailer (or agent) must do both of the following: o Include in the indicia the 5-digit ZIP Code of the physical location where the records are kept or can be available for review. o Provide the postmaster of that Post Office with a complete sample mailpiece and the name and local address where the records can be reviewed. The Post Office of entry will: § Review the company permit imprint format to ensure the correct elements are present, including a complete domestic return address. § Remind the mailer (or agent) to maintain the required records for one year. § If the return address is not the physical location of the records, make sure that the indicia bears the 5-digit ZIP Code for the Post Office that serves the location where the records are kept, and that the mailer provided a complete mailpiece and contact Tabs in the Barcode Clear Zone Customers are reminded that tabs or wafer seals placed in the barcode clear zone on automation rate letter-size mailpieces must contain a paper face meeting the standards for background reflectance. If the barcode is not preprinted, tabs and seals must also contain a paper face meeting the standards for acceptance of water-based ink, as specified in DMM C810.4.0. Standard Mail Low-Weight Flats: 15-Piece Minimum for 5-Digit and 5-Digit Scheme Packages Customers are reminded that effective August 1, 2004, the DMM is revised to raise the required minimum number of pieces from 10 to 15 at which 5-digit and optional 5-digit scheme presort destination bundles are prepared in a Standard Mail job consisting of flat-size pieces each weighing no more than 5 ounces (0.3125 pound) and measuring no more than 3/4 inch thick. When presenting mailings of such pieces (5 ounces or less and not more than 3/4 inch thick), mailers will be required to prepare 5-digit bundles whenever there are 15 or more pieces to a destination and will not be permitted to prepare bundles containing fewer than 15 pieces to a 5-digit ZIP Code or optional 5-digit scheme destination. For Standard Mail mailings that contain any pieces that weigh more than 5 ounces, and for mailings of upgraded flat sorting machine (UFSM) 1000 automation rate flats measuring more than 3/4 inch thick, regardless of weight, mailers will be required to prepare 5-digit bundles whenever there are 10 or more pieces to a destination. Mailers must also use the 10-piece 5-digit bundle minimum for mailings of nonidentical-weight pieces if any pieces in the mailing weigh more than 5 ounces. Also effective Standard Mail flats entered for verification and acceptance beginning
Complete details can be found in the Federal Agency Cost Codes Each Congressional Member is assigned a specific 5-digit Federal Agency Cost Code to correctly attribute postage costs to their G-300 penalty mail (official mail) account. Vendors and mailing agents, when mailing G-300 penalty mail, please be sure to include the correct 5-digit Federal Agency Cost Code on the postage statement. DMM and IMM Reminder Upcoming Mail Preparation Changes Upcoming mail preparation changes are summarized in the table below. All of these changes will be incorporated into the DMM or the International Mail Manual (IMM), as appropriate. As a reminder, the DMM and IMM are available for customers and employees on the Postal Explorer Web site at http://pe.usps.gov.The DMM is updated monthly; the IMM is updated every two weeks.
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