Smart mail design = Saved postage costs


Did you know the same 8 sheets folded vertically and inserted into a #14 envelope or folded horizontally and inserted into a 6” x 9” envelope achieve 50% postage savings over unfolded pieces inserted into a 9” x 12” envelope? For print companies, there is a lot of money to be made in the mailing business, as long as you know how to take full advantage of discounts offered by the U.S. Postal Office.
Being a scrap-booker and card-maker, I constantly struggle with how much the shape of my card or the thickness of it (with my added cardstocks, buttons, ribbons, etc) is going to affect the postage. I’ve slowly learned that minor adjustments can save me tons in postage… and I wonder how much our customers are spending on unnecessary postage as well.
Ironically, today I was digging in a large duffle bag of business development tools to see which one I should write about, and I found one called “Xerox Mail Business Made Easy”. This kit explains mailing rules and regulations, how they affect your business, and helps you build a mail services solution to complement your current digital and offset capabilities.
Mail_image2
My favorite part of the kit is a booklet called “Shape Saves Postage”. It details new First Class Postage rates, design do’s and dont’s, and how different dimensions can save you postage costs. Along with the guide is a Mailer Template where you can physically test the thickness and shape of your piece to ensure it is within regulation and avoid postage surcharges. You can save costs, and become an advisor to your own clients to help them create smarter designs as well.
If you are a Xerox customer and would like to get your hands on this kit to help you take advantage of USPS discounts and build a mailing strategy, tell your local sales rep to order you the “Xerox Mail Business Made Easy” Kit #701P49081. Or the first 10 customers who leave me a comment about how this kit can benefit your business can receive one!

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25 Comments

  1. Scott Geary March 9, 2010 -

    We are always playing around with the iGen in terms of a variety of products and trying to service the consumer (high volume, high variation of product). Would love to have a kit to see if it reduces time and though cycles;)

    • Lindsay Lamb March 9, 2010 -

      Hi Scott! Thank you for commenting! I think this kit will be very beneficial to you to get new ideas flowing on smarter design. You’ll be able to act as a consultant to your customers and save costs on your own company’s mailings— both of which add positively to your bottom line 😉 I will contact you directly to arrange shipment of the kit!

  2. Arne Baade March 10, 2010 -

    This kit sounds very ineresting. It would be great if we had a knowledge base for mailing which helps us to save money and time. Print centers often have a fixation on printing and don’t notice that their form of mailing is inefficient.
    But I’m wondering if this product will help a german customer.

    • Lindsay Lamb March 10, 2010 -

      Hi Arne!
      The principles in the kit about adding mail services to your business are applicable globally, but the template and the postal rate discussion is for the US. There is still a lot of value on the idea of adding mail as a way to grow revenue, so I think this kit would still be useful for you. I will send you an e-mail to get your address 🙂

  3. Heine Gerhard Vaagsbø March 10, 2010 -

    This looks very interesting, count me in

  4. Heine Gerhard Vaagsbø March 10, 2010 -

    I will try this out in Norway

  5. Lindsay Lamb March 10, 2010 -

    Hi Heine! Thank you for commenting… can you tell us a little bit more about your business and what it is you find interesting about this kit?

  6. Paul Edwards, CDC March 10, 2010 -

    Good stuff Lindsay

  7. Joyce Owen March 11, 2010 -

    cost savings, environmental savings, great! always looking for ways to do it better!

  8. Joyce Owen March 11, 2010 -

    have thought of my church which has recently tried to do more e-mails rather than USPS for cost savings – it’s a 20,000 member church, so this could have huge savings for them – will pass it on!

  9. Lindsay Lamb March 11, 2010 -

    Joyce– You bring up a great point with environmental savings. Not only can smarter design save postage, but you can have environmental benefits as well by saving paper and space with more effecient packaging and anything associated with shipping/distribution.

  10. nyca March 12, 2010 -

    Thanks for posting. I wish this was in Sydney too

  11. Lindsay Lamb March 12, 2010 -

    Hi there! If you are a Xerox customer we can send you the kit. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are 😉

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