Advance planning is highly recommended to help ensure that your bulk mail piece design and addressing standards are in adherence with postal regulations. Contacting Reprographics and Mail Services in the initial planning stage of your mail project will help reduce postage costs and assist in ensuring that your mail is processed and delivered in a timely manner.

Typically, Mail Services will process and deliver a properly prepared bulk mailing to the USPS within 2-3 days of receipt. Generally, it will take the USPS an additional 3-4 days to complete delivery to the addressee.

These are meant to be general guidelines and do not imply any type of promise or guarantee. Bulk mailings that do not meet USPS standards or are accompanied with incomplete paperwork will be delayed. Bear in mind that first class mail receives top priority both on campus and at the USPS.

Mailing Qualifications

• In order to qualify for bulk rates, a mailing must consist of at least 200 pieces of identical content and weight. Maximum weight per piece is 15.99 oz.
• There are two types of bulk mail: non-profit and regular. Mailings not approved for non-profit rates will be sent as regular bulk mail at a higher rate.
• All bulk mailings sent to Mail Services must have a completed Bulk Mail Request Form (available from Mail Services) and a sample of the mail piece.
• Mail addressed to foreign countries cannot be sent as a bulk mailing and cannot count in the total number of pieces. This includes Canada and Mexico.
• Mail addressed to military addresses (FPO, APO) cannot be sent as a bulk mailing and cannot count in the total number of pieces.

Mail Design

• The Point Loma Nazarene University logo or name must appear on the top line of the return address. A return address is mandatory on all bulk mail.
• The bottom three (3) inches of the address panel should be free of any printing to assure proper placement of addressee information.
• Self-mailers (any mailing that does not use an envelope) must:
• Be on at least 60-lb. stock paper if folded or 80-lb card stock if sent as a postcard.
• Be secured with adhesive tags, wafers, seals or spot glue in at least two places on the open flap side (Mail Services can provide this service at an additional fee). Staples are not permitted.
• Preferably, the university’s bulk mail indicia should be pre-printed in the upper right-hand corner of each piece. Please note that:
• Mail pieces with and without an indicia may not be commingled in a single bulk mailing. All pieces must either have the indicia or have none at all.
• Envelopes that have been imprinted with an indicia should be reserved for bulk mail use (mailing individual pieces without first affixing a stamp over the indicia may result in the university being fined by the Postal Service.)
• Mail sent in envelopes imprinted with an indicia will be returned to sender
• If the mailing does not qualify for bulk mailing rates, it will be the sender's responsibility to completely cover up the indicia (with an Avery label) or to replace the envelopes prior to processing by Mail Services.

• There should be no markings such as "First Class," "Book Rate," etc., on any mail piece that is part of a bulk mailing. It will be the sender's responsibility to completely cover any such markings should they exist.

Addressing

• To insure data consistency and to avoid potential embarrassment to the university caused by multiple databases (i.e. a deceased person being removed from one list but not from another), addresses used for bulk mailings must:
• Be generated from the university’s CARS database.
• Be generated using pre-established CARS queries (Do not use ODBC drivers or other sources to obtain information as they may bypass certain protections built into CARS).

• CASS certification – To maximize savings, departments may take advantage of Mail Services’ CASS certification system. Addresses that meet Postal standards will be sent at a reduced bulk rate; however, those not meeting the standard will be sent at the normal first class rate.

To qualify for this service:

• Mail lists must be sent to Mail Services as an Excel spreadsheet generated from the CARS database and saved as a “comma separated” file.
• Spreadsheet information should not be edited prior to submission to Mail Services unless the exact changes are also made in CARS. If changes need to be made, it is preferred that the changes be made in CARS and then the list be re-exported.
• Each spreadsheet must contain the following minimal information for each record:
• An identification number (this number is essential for providing address corrections and for returning pre-sorted lists for departmental mail merge)
• A complete addressee (salutation) field with a combined salutation, first name and last name (i.e. Mr. John Smith or John Smith)
• Separate fields for each address line.
• Separate field for the city.
• Separate field for the state.
• Separate field for the zip.
• Additional fields may be included in the spreadsheet if the department wishes to create mail merge letters at a later time.
• Mail Services will print the addresses on each mail piece or provide the department with labels printed in pre-sorted order for application.
• If necessary, the mailing will be returned to the sender with:
• The updated spreadsheet for letter merging, envelope labeling (if necessary) and stuffing.
• An address format correction sheet for addresses in CARS that do not meet CASS requirements.
• An address update sheet for individuals who have moved.
• Hand sorting – At a higher cost per piece, departments can address mailers themselves. This is required of all mailings NOT generated from the CARS database. Departments requesting hand sorting must:
• Have the university’s indicia pre-printed on each piece.
• Type the addresses on each piece (no handwritten addresses).
• Format addresses per acceptable Postal standards.
• Stuff and seal all pieces.
• Deliver the mailing to Mail Services in zip code order along with:
• A Bulk Mail Request Form.
• A summary list of how many pieces are going to each zip code.
• Bulk mail sent to Mail Services in envelopes that require machine sealing will be subject to a charge of $10.00 per thousand or fraction thereof. For larger envelopes, such as 9" x 12", the charge is $20.00 per thousand or fraction thereof (note: we are unable to seal larger envelopes with the flap on the short side of the envelope). If the envelope cannot be machine sealed, the mailing will be returned to the submitting department for sealing. Please make sure that all of the envelopes are facing in the same direction with the flaps up.
• The amount of postage applied to mail pieces is determined by the number of pieces that are being sent to certain zip code prefixes as well as the size and weight of each piece.