| Preparing
Mail for Metering
Mail Services does not charge a
fee to Central Campus units for metering outgoing
letter mail; units are charged for actual postage.
Shortcode/Barcodes
Mail Services has developed a barcoding system
to track postage expenses accurately and Service
Unit Bill (SUB) to your department's shortcode
as a postage charge. Barcodes are obtained on our barcode request page.
A shortcode/barcode must accompany each request
for service.
A
barcoded bundle of mail may contain numerous
classes of mail, but they all must be charged
to the same shortcode account (see information
below for sorting and separating mail). If
your mail needs to be charged to more than
one shortcode, each grouping of mail will
require a separate shortcode/barcode. For
your convenience, shortcode/barcodes are
available in a number of ways: reusable mylar
cards, two sizes of self-adhesive labels,
and paper barcode sheets.
Packaging
and Separating Mail
Items
sent to Mail Services for metering should be
packaged carefully to avoid damage in transit.
Please do not place mail in cardboard boxes
or send loose. Proper mailing containers are
available through Mail Services
by calling (734) 764-9227 or by asking your
route driver. Smaller mailings (for example,
those you could hold in one hand) should be
held together by rubber bands with their shortcode/barcode
placed on top. Larger mailings (for example,
those requiring a box or bag in order to carry)
should be placed in approved containers with
the shortcode/barcode securely attached. Multi-container
mailings should have copies of the shortcode/barcode
attached to each container.
Separating
mail by service class is also important.
Outgoing U.S. Mail should be separated
from internal campus mail. International
mail should be separated from domestic mail.
International mail for Canada
should be separated from all other international
mail. Within each class, please separate
mail by weight.
Sealing
| |
 |
| |
An example of how to submit
your envelopes to Mail Services for sealing. |
| |
|
Mail
metering equipment seals all domestic open-side
envelopes, such as standard #10 business envelopes
and flat-size booklet envelopes. These envelopes
should be submitted to Mail Services with flaps
closed. Open-ended envelopes, such as
coin envelopes or flat-size catalog envelopes,
cannot be sealed automatically on metering
equipment and should be sealed prior to giving
them to Mail Services.
All international mail should be sealed
by the sender. Self-mailers or booklets should
not be sent to an international address unless
placed in a sealed envelope. When
sealing is required for either international
mail or mail that cannot be sealed automatically,
an additional charge will be applied.
All envelopes with metal clasps should be
sealed prior to sending to Mail Services.
All
domestic self-mailers should be tabbed (no
staples, please), with the fold at the bottom
below the address. This will allow the mail
piece to meet automation standards. Mail Services now offers tabbing as a fee-based
service.
USPS Quick Service Guide 201b: Tabs and Wafer
Seals
Facing Direction
All mail sent to Mail Services for metering
should face in the same direction and be
sorted by size and weight. This will reduce
handling time and allow for efficient metering.
|
