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PARTNERSHIP LEADS TO INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
When a Postal Service facility reported
that some Bound Printed Matter (BPM)
bundles were breaking apart — Quad/
Graphics and Postal Service officials
were determined to find out why it was happening and
find solutions for their customers.
Joe Schick, Quad/Graphics director of postal
affairs, met with USPS Mailing Standards and these
discussions led to a postal review of packaging
requirements, not only for BPM but for similar
published materials. The result was Customer Support
Ruling (CSR) PS-329, Packaging Books, Bound Printed
Matter, and Similar Printed Matter.
Specifically, CSR PS-329 clarifies USPS rules for
packaging mailpieces that contain books, BPM, heavy
journals or magazines, and similar items. It describes
the required packaging materials that must be used to
qualify for the machinable parcel discount, and states
that pieces must be able to withstand normal transit
and handling without damage or breakage.
With this clarification in hand, Quad/Graphics got
to work. Its research and development team partnered
with vendors and USPS to come up with economical
packaging options that provide business users of BPM
with attractive discount opportunities and protect
package integrity through the processing cycle. The
result: a shrink-film wrapping option for bundles and
a cardboard-based sleeve for single pieces, both of
which meet Postal Service packaging requirements for
BPM machinable parcels.
“Customers on both ends of the transaction benefit
when we can securely process a sturdy product,” says
USPS Mailing Standards Manager Sharon Daniel. “The
Postal Service gains in efficiency and productivity, while
mailers see cost savings and better package integrity.”
Technical Support and Product Development
Customer Support Rulings are an important part
of the mail preparation process. CSR PS-329 clarifies
what constitutes an acceptable mailing container for a
machinable parcel.
Initially, CSR PS-329 seemed to suggest that
the only packaging method suitable for machinable
parcels between 5 pounds and 10 pounds was a
corrugated carton. That’s because there didn’t appear
to be material strong enough to hold firm bundles
together through processing.
For the past year, Quad/Graphics has worked with
several of its vendors to come up with alternative
packaging methods that allow customers to moderate
increased mail preparation costs they might experience.
Quad/Graphics also worked closely with USPS and,
after months of research and testing, the company
developed a new wrapping option to comply with CSR
PS-329. This new method uses a shrink-wrap material
stronger than that typically used for the mailing process.
Quad/Graphics worked with USPS to obtain
approval of a shrink film that will allow BPM machinable
parcels up to 10 pounds to be shrink-wrapped.
This firm bundle wrapping process takes place on
Quad/Graphics’ existing finishing lines. This packaging
allows certain business-to-business clients to attain
attractive multipiece bundle discounts, while following
USPS guidelines without using the more expensive
corrugated boxes.
Single-Copy Mailings
Quad/Graphics also set out to find a less-costly
packaging option for mailers of single-copy, high-bulk
and high-value perfect bound publications. Typically,
these have been individually fully enclosed in a
custom-corrugated carton. Quad/Graphics has developed
the Quad/Sleeve™, approved by USPS.
It starts as a blank sleeve that’s scored to fold
around a book from spine to face. The head and foot
of the book remain “open” yet somewhat protected
by the portion of the sleeve that extends past each
end of the book. The Quad/Sleeve uses lighter corrugate
weight and significantly less material than a
traditional carton, making it economical and, because
no die cutting is involved, there’s less waste, making it
environmentally sound.
Shared Customers Benefit
Quad/Graphics’ new packaging options are two
examples of how partnership with USPS can lead
to innovative solutions for clients. Working together,
shared customers benefit.
Addressing Requirements for Flat-Size Mailpieces
The Postal Service is implementing the Flats
Sequencing System to fully automate the
processing and delivery sequencing of flat-size
mail. FSS can sort flats into delivery sequence,
increasing efficiency by reducing carriers’ time manually
sorting mail and allowing them to begin delivering mail
earlier in the day.
Standardized addressing benefits the overall flats
mailstream – from efficient processing to delivery. The
new requirements, effective March 29, were outlined
in the May/June 2008 MailPro.
More information is at ribbs.usps.gov, Flats Sequencing
Strategy. This includes updated Addressing Fact Sheets
for each class of mail. Click Flats Addressing Requirements
and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Mailers needing guidance on specific mailpiece
designs are encouraged to work with their local
mailpiece design analyst (MDA). To locate the MDA
near you, go to pe.usps.com and click Postal Locator, then
Mailpiece Design Analyst.
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