In mid-May, the USPS raised postage rates, and changed some mailing rules. Some specific changes:

• Notepads now go at flat rates.


• Foldovers (including letter-sized newsletters and flyers) can no longer be carrier routed. They go at basic presorted standard rates.


• Flats (greater than 6 1/8 inches high x 11 1/2 inches wide) no longer adhere to letter-sized rules and regulations:

   - Newsletters can be carrier routed.

   - Flats no longer go at the same carrier route rate as letter-sized pieces. They go at 20.7 cents carrier routed with zip codes in 926 and 927. They go at 24.9 cents carrier routed for zip codes not in 926 or 927.

Letter-sized automation pieces receive the deepest discounted postage. In order for your piece to qualify, it must obey the following guidelines:

Paper Thickness:
 - Greater than or equal to .009 on a micrometer (ask your printer)

Aspect Ratio:
 - (Length divided by height) Greater than 1.3 and less than 2.5

Paper Color:
 - Pale pastel or white.

Address Block:
Leave enough room for an 11-digit bar code and room to spare for the USPS OCR (Optical Character Reader) to read the address:
 - The address block should be a rectangle 4" wide by a minimum of 2" tall.

Postage rates have gone up across the board:

Basic Presorted Standard (bulk): Letters 25.5 cents; flats 51.5 cents
Presorted Standard-AADC discount: Letters 24.6 cents; flats 46.1 cents
Presorted Standard Carrier Routes: Basic letters 22.6 cents; flats 24.9 cents
Presorted Standard Carrier Routes: ZIP 926/927 letters 18.4 cents; flats 20.7 cents

First Class Mail - Letter size: up to 1 ounce 41 cents
Oversized letters begin at 80 cents (even if they weigh less than an ounce)
First Class Postcards: 26 cents

There are many other postage rates than those shown above. As always, we will strive to get your direct mail pieces mailed at the lowest rates that work for both your mailing pieces and mailing lists.

For more rates, visit the USPS site at usps.com/ratecase

The federal government has mandated that people who do not want to receive third class mail be purged from mailing lists. Title companies have something called privacy flags which appear, usually at the end of the data string, for each address. There are three codes which could appear in this field: B, M, P. "B" means that the property owner neither wants mail nor phone calls. "M" means that the property owner does not want mail. "P" means that the property owner does not want phone calls. A blank in the field means that the homeowner has not made a request one way or another concerning mail or phone calls.

We are obligated by the government mandate to delete the "b" and "m" codes from all mailing lists which we receive from title. We have begun doing this with lists received after March of this year. If you send new data, make certain to tell your title agent to have the privacy flag part of the data string.

Mailing to homeowners who do not want mail and have made a request not to receive any can open you up to either a federal or personal lawsuit, or both.