There is a lot of discussion right now within the postal service as to the future of slim jim size magalogs (actually all booklet type self mailers).

The concern of the USPS is that these pieces (when formatted correctly) qualify as either automated letters or non-automated machinable letters, but in most cases cannot be processed effectively on USPS letter sorting equipment.
 
The objective of the rate change and reclassification of May 14, 2007 was to better align the cost of mail processing with the actual mail category.  Because these pieces do not run well on letter equipment, often times they are run on flats sorters.

Because flats equipment is being used, the cost to process the mail is higher than the postage rates for letters can cover.
 
All that being said, there was an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in the Federal Register on March 14, 2008 outlining testing that the USPS is conducting on booklet style mail pieces with different physical properties. 

The main components being looked at are thickness, tab integrity, cover stocks, finish size, and basic mail piece orientation.

Once the fate of slim jim magalogs is decided, we’ll make sure to update this blog with details.

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This post is an update to our previous post from October 8th, titled “The Intelligent Mail Barcode Explained“. Visit this link if you want to learn more about the Intelligent Mail Barcode.

Right now this new postal technology is available to mailers, but isn’t required to qualify for automation postage rates on letters and flats.

This requirement implementation was slated to become active January 2009. Postmaster General John Potter announced last week, however, that this date will now be pushed back to May 2009 based on public feedback.

Mr. Potter stated, “Many of you told us that January 2009 was too soon. We will propose a May 2009 implementation, concurrent with our next annual price change.”

One thing to note – the previous Postnet Barcode will remain eligible for automation prices until May 2010.

But we recommend you speak to your lettershop vendor about making the necessary changes to utilize this new barcode sooner rather than later.

Here’s additional info about the Intelligent Mail Barcode:

http://ribbs.usps.gov/onecodesolution/

NOTE: Visit here for information on the 2009 postage rate increase.

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The United States Postal Service will be adjusting their postage rates on all mail classes on May 12, 2008. 

The rate increase is in accordance with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which is the regulation of how the USPS adjusts their rate to compete fairly in the marketplace. 

In a nutshell, the adjustment is based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the USPS states that all rate adjustments are at or below the rate of inflation.

Here is a recap of the new postage rates:

• The single-piece First-Class first ounce rate will rise to $0.42 for letters, $0.27 for cards, $0.83 for flats, and $1.17 for parcels. 
• The first ounce auto 5-d rate will be $0.324 for letters, $0.364 for flats, and $0.711 for parcels.
• For Standard Mail, the minimum per-piece rate for letters (auto 5-d, origin entry) will be $0.225 and $0.339 for flats.

If you want a PDF with full details, please visit:

http://pe.usps.com/2008_RateCase/Notice123/Notice123.pdf