Postalsoft DeskTop Release Notes

Transcription

1 Postalsoft DeskTop Release Notes Because of the USPS rate case, you must install DeskTop 7.80c and use it for any mailings that you ll deposit on or after May 14, You may need to install 7.80c in a separate location on your computer. For details, see Installation on page 6. DeskTop 7.80c April 2007

2 Contact information Contact us on the Web at If you find any problem with this documentation, please report it to Business Objects in writing at Copyright Copyright 2007 Business Objects. All rights reserved. Patents Business Objects owns the following U.S. patents, which may cover products that are offered and sold by Business Objects: 5,555,403, 6,247,008 B1, 6,578,027 B2, 6,490,593 and 6,289,352. Trademarks Business Objects, the Business Objects logo, Crystal Reports, and Crystal Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA or its affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Third-party contributors Business Objects products in this release may contain redistributions of software licensed from third-party contributors. Some of these individual components may also be available under alternative licenses. A partial listing of third-party contributors that have requested or permitted acknowledgments, as well as required notices, can be found at: 2 DeskTop Release Notes

3 Introduction What s new in this release DeskTop Mailer 7.80c includes the following changes: Redesigned presort wizard. This release of DeskTop Mailer includes many presorting changes because of mail direction, the USPS rate case, and Business Objects ongoing effort to make DeskTop Mailer easy for you to use. See Changes to the overall flow of presort setup on page 9. Mail direction.the USPS released a new component of FAST (Facility Access and Shipment Tracking) called DEPS (Drop Entry Point System) in May DEPS replaces the USPS application called Drop Ship Web. DeskTop now accesses the FAST DEPS data to determine mailing facilities. See Mail direction on page 12. USPS rate case (R2006-1). The latest USPS rate case goes into effect May 14, With this rate case, the USPS is adjusting pricing, mail classes, and mail preparation, to achieve its goal of more efficient mail processing and making postage rates more accurately reflect the true costs of processing various types of mail. See Introduction to the USPS rate case on page 16. Additional mail types supported. DeskTop Mailer now supports First Class parcels and Standard Mail irregular carrier-route parcels. What s in your package Your shipment includes the following: Postalsoft DeskTop 7.80c program CD Postalsoft Diversified Directories April 2007 CD Enhanced Line of Travel (elot) Directory April 2007 CD Delivery Point Validation (DPV) Directories April 2007 CD (included only if you purchased the DPV option) LACS Link Directories April 2007 CD (included only if you purchased the LACS Link option) These release notes Documentation The complete documentation set for DeskTop includes the following: Postalsoft DeskTop Release Notes Postalsoft DeskTop User s Guide Postalsoft DeskTop Quick Tour Postalsoft DeskTop Checklist Postalsoft DeskTop Text-Based Printing Guide Online help, available within the software You can access documentation in the following places: Your computer. Choose Start > Programs > DeskTop. Customer Portal. Go to and click Documentation. You can view PDFs online or save them to your computer. Introduction 3

4 USPS news Rate case USPS rate case R goes into effect May 14, This rate case includes postage rate increases and significant mail preparation changes. For more information, see Introduction to the USPS rate case on page 16. (If you use DeskTop PostalCoder, the rate case does not affect you.) CASS Cycle L CASS Cycle L goes into effect August 1, With CASS Cycle L, Delivery Point Validation (DPV) and LACS Link will be required. For details about CASS and CASS Cycle L, see CASS 3553 report. Starting with CASS Cycle L, which goes into effect August 1, 2007, the CASS report will be produced only when you perform DPV and LACS Link processing. DPV and LACS Link are available in DeskTop Mailer with the purchase of the DPV and LACS Link options. For more information or to purchase these options, contact your dealer or sales representative, or contact Business Objects at 4 DeskTop Release Notes

5 Tips & tricks 24-hour access to Knowledge Base You can access the Knowledge Base anytime. Log in to with your ID and password. Then click Support Center on the left. In the Support Center, you can: Find answers to your questions in the product Knowledge Base. Log an incident to ask Customer Support a question and view prior incidents. Check an order or shipment status. Download software and directories. Access online seminars, such as Getting Started with DeskTop. Access online documentation. Chat with other DeskTop users in the Customer Forum. Downloading updated software and directories When updated software and directories are available, you can download the files from the Customer Portal and begin using them right away. You don t have to wait for the package to arrive in the mail. 1. Open the message from Business Objects telling you about the updated software or directories. 2. In the message, click the To begin downloading link. 3. Enter your user name and password to log into the Customer Portal. 4. Click the download - zip link to proceed with downloading. Each product and directory is listed as a separate zip file to be downloaded. 5. At the File Download window, click Save to save the zip file to the computer. 6. At the Save As window, browse for a location to save this file to, and click Save. The download process begins. 7. At the Download Complete window, click Open Folder if you want to unzip the file now (or repeat steps 4-6 to download more files). If the Download Complete window is closed, open Windows Explorer to browse for the downloaded zip file. Next, you ll unzip the downloaded file. Unzipping the downloaded file File type Software Postalsoft Diversified directory files and elot DPV or LACS Link directory files To unzip the file: 1. Browse for the location where the zipped file is stored. 2. Double-click the.zip file to open the unzip utility (for example, WinZip). 3. Follow the unzip utility instructions to place the file(s) as follows: Unzip the files to this location Unzip the files into a new folder on the computer desktop (for example, make a new folder called Software). After you unzip the file, open the folder that you unzipped it to and double-click the Setup.exe file to begin installation. Installation proceeds like it would from CD. Highlight all.dir files and unzip them to the location where the directories are installed. When you unzip directory files into the correct folder, you do not need to choose File > Load Directories. Unzip these files to your DPV or LACS Link directories folder. When you unzip directory files into the correct folder, you do not need to choose File > Load Directories. Tips & tricks 5

6 Installation Required installation for DeskTop Mailer If you prepare presorted mailings with DeskTop Mailer, you must install this update and use it for any mailings that you will drop on or after May 14, 2007, because of the USPS rate case, which goes into effect May 14, Installation for DeskTop PostalCoder If you use DeskTop PostalCoder: Installation of this software update is required anytime before the next software update. You are not required to install before May 14. Installation of the updated directories is required. You can skip reading page 9 through the end of these release notes. Operating systems DeskTop runs on the following Windows operating systems: Windows 2000 Windows XP Professional Windows 2003 Server Install over 7.72c or install to separate location DeskTop Mailer 7.80c includes the rate-case changes. Therefore, you must not use 7.80c to prepare mailings that you ll deposit before the rate-case implementation date (May 14, 2007) and you must use it to prepare mailings that you ll deposit on or after May 14, It s important to time installation of DeskTop Mailer appropriately for your business. Two choices are available to you: install over your 7.72c installation or install 7.80c to a separate location. When you open a job in version 7.80c, you cannot access that job again in version 7.72c. Installing over 7.72c You can install DeskTop Mailer 7.80c in your usual location, overwriting software version 7.72c (this does not overwrite your data files). If you overwrite version 7.72c with version 7.80c, any mailings that you prepare must not be submitted until on or after May 14, If you do not need to prepare mailings far in advance, consider delaying installing 7.80c until you need to prepare the mailings that you ll deposit on or after May 14. When you install 7.80c over 7.72c, your saved settings and preferences from 7.72c are transferred to 7.80c. Installing to a separate location You can install DeskTop Mailer 7.80c in a separate location. This allows you to keep using version 7.72c to prepare mailings through May 13, 2007, and use version 7.80c to prepare mailings that you ll deposit on or after May 14. One option to consider is installing 7.80c to a separate location so that you can familiarize yourself with the new presort setup, even if you don t need to prepare mailings in advance. Then on May 14, uninstall 7.80 and re-install it in your 7.72c location (overwriting version 7.72c) to transfer your saved settings and preferences from 7.72c to 7.80c. 6 DeskTop Release Notes

7 Install DeskTop Close any open programs, especially antivirus programs, before you begin installing DeskTop. Antivirus software can interfere with installation. To install the software, you need full administrator rights. When you insert the DeskTop program CD in your CD-ROM drive, the installation program should start automatically. If it doesn t, follow these steps: 1. Access your Windows Start menu and choose Run. 2. In the Run window, type x:\setup (where x is the letter of your CD-ROM drive) and click OK.! Consider your upcoming mailing dates when choosing the installation path. See Install over 7.72c or install to separate location on page 6 for details. During software installation, a delay may occur while the Microsoft.NET Framework is installed. Please be patient and allow installation to finish. When installation is complete, the installation program restarts your computer. Install the directories To load directories, you need full administrator rights. Follow the instructions below to install the directories. To load directories: 1. Open DeskTop and choose File > Load Directories. 2. In the Diversified Directories group, type the path or browse to the location where you want the ZIP4US directory installed. You will choose the zipped ZIP4US directory later. 3. In the elot Directory group, choose an option. elot is used to assign Lineof-Travel codes for carrier-route discounts. To copy the elot directory from the elot CD to a local drive, choose the Load elot To option and enter or browse to the desired location. To use the elot directory from the elot CD, choose the Use elot From CD-ROM option. If you do not use elot, choose the Do Not Use elot Directory option. 4. If you own the Delivery Point Validation (DPV) option, select the Load DPV Directories To option and enter or browse to the location that you want to copy the directories to. The DPV and LACS Link directory files can be installed to any location. However, they must be stored in the same location as the DPV and LACS Link files that are installed with the software. 5. If you own the LACS Link option, select the Load LACSLink Directories To option, and enter or browse to the location that you want to copy the directories to. 6. When you finish defining your settings, click OK. 7. Insert the Diversified Directories CD, choose the zipped directories file, and click OK. Installation 7

8 DeskTop unzips the ZIP4US directory to the location you specified. Other smaller directories zipped with ZIP4US are automatically installed to your default directory installation folder. 8. If you are loading the elot, DPV, and/or LACS Link directories, when prompted, insert the corresponding CD, specify the location of your drive, and click OK. If you use DeskTop PostalCoder, you can skip the rest of these release notes. 8 DeskTop Release Notes

9 Changes to the overall flow of presort setup This release of DeskTop Mailer includes many presorting changes because of mail direction, the USPS rate case, and Business Objects ongoing effort to make DeskTop Mailer easy for you to use. Updated presort setup The following changes to the presorting area of DeskTop Mailer reflect Business Objects ongoing commitment to making DeskTop Mailer easier for you to use. Some presort-related windows and options have new names. Some options in presort-related windows are in a different location. Some presort-related windows appear earlier or later in the presort-setup sequence. Some new presorting options are related to mail direction. See Mail direction on page 12. Some new presorting options are related to rate case. See Introduction to the USPS rate case on page 16. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the presort setup windows and every option available. Check the online help if you don t recognize or understand an option. To set up presorting, choose Tools > Presort > Sort Settings. New flow When you choose Tools > Presort > Sort Settings to access the presort setup wizard, you ll encounter the following windows, in this order: 1. Sort for Mailing - Piece Information. Enter information about your mail piece and then click Next to advance. The circled options are new with this rate case. Select the Piece Is Barcoded option to indicate that you are barcoding this mail piece. Barcoding affects availability of processing categories, schemes and discounts. Select the Piece Is Rigid option if your mail piece does not meet USPS flexibility requirements (see page 17). 2. Sort for Mailing - Sorting Information. Enter details about the mail sortation. DeskTop Mailer helps you by narrowing down your choices based Changes to the overall flow of presort setup 9

10 on the information you entered in the Sort for Mailing - Piece Information window. For example, if you indicated in the Sort for Mailing - Piece Information window that the mail piece is barcoded, then automation options are available in the Sort for Mailing - Sorting Information window. Click Next to advance. With rate case, the USPS changed most processing categories. See page 19 for a list of new processing categories. Choose a processing category from one of the drop-down lists. 3. Sort for Mailing - Periodical Information (shown if you selected Periodicals in the Sort for Mailing - Sorting Information window). Enter details about your periodicals mailing. Click Next to advance. 4. Sort for Mailing - Mailing Information. Enter details about the mailing, including the estimated mailing date. The mailing date helps to determine which postal facilities are valid for your mailing, and so you must enter the mailing date before you can select a mailing facility. See Entering the estimated mailing date on page 14 for details. Click Next to advance. 5. Presort - Entry Point. Set up your entry point(s). Click Next. 6. Presort - Schemes. The software chooses appropriate sortation schemes for you. Click Details for each selected scheme to fine-tune your preparation 10 DeskTop Release Notes

11 details, as needed. Click Next and then click Begin Presorting to perform the presort. Online help Use the online help to learn more about any features that you re not familiar with. You can access DeskTop Mailer s online help in the following ways: Press F1. Choose Help > Postalsoft Help Topics. Click the? button and then click the option you d like to learn about. See also For more information about significant presorting changes included in this release of DeskTop Mailer, see Mail direction on page 12. Introduction to the USPS rate case on page 16. Changes to the overall flow of presort setup 11

12 Mail direction FAST (Facility Access and Shipment Tracking) Starting with this release, when you claim destination discounts, DeskTop Mailer uses USPS FAST data to determine valid Bulk Mail Centers (BMCs), Area Distribution Centers (ADCs), and Sectional Center Facilities (SCFs) for your mailings based on the mailing date and the mail piece s shape and class. Some postal facilities accept only certain mail classes and shapes, because of their sorting equipment. USPS FAST data is updated regularly, when facilities change what mail they accept and process. For instance, if a postal facility is closed because of a natural disaster, the FAST data is updated to divert mail from that facility to another facility. The concept of postal facilities changing what they accept and diverting mail to other facilities is known as mail redirection or mail direction. The FAST data that DeskTop Mailer uses to determine valid facilities for your mailings is part of the FAST drop-date scheduling program. Your participation in the FAST drop-date scheduling program is optional and in no way affects your use of FAST data within DeskTop Mailer. If you re interested in this program, see the FAST web site for more information (see Resources on page 13). New FAST directories FAST data is stored in two new directories, which replace the SCF (Sectional Center Facilities) directory: Facility.dir contains information about USPS drop-ship facilities, such as drop-site keys, drop-site names, and drop-site delivery addresses. Maildirect.dir contains information about where and when mail pieces should be dropped in order to receive discounts based on class and shape. Business Objects updates these directories regularly and provides these updates to you. Directory updates The facility.dir and maildirect.dir directories are included in your bi-monthly or monthly directory shipments and are loaded appropriately during the directory installation process. However, the USPS updates FAST data continually, and you may want access to this updated data more frequently. Therefore, updated FAST directories are posted on the customer portal on the second Thursday of each month. If the second Thursday falls on a holiday, then the directories are available the day before. To download the directories: 1. Go to 2. Enter your user name and password to log in. 3. Click Download Center. 4. Click Mail Direction. 5. Select the maildirection.zip file to download. 6. When prompted, save the.zip file to a temporary area (for example, c:\temp\ dirs). 12 DeskTop Release Notes

13 7. When the file is downloaded, double-click the.zip file and unzip the facility.dir and maildirect.dir files into the location where the Postalsoft directories are currently installed (by default, c:\postalsoft\natldirs). The.zip file contains both facility.dir and maildirect.dir. The.zip file also includes.upd files, which you can ignore. Resources To learn more about FAST, see the following online resources: RIBBS site. Go to click FAST/Surface Visibility and then Click Here For Additional Information in the Document Repository. Much of the FAST information posted on RIBBS is about the FAST program for scheduling drop dates. FAST site. Go to (or click Go to FAST on the DeskTop Mailer Start Here pane). Some information on the FAST web site is for people who use FAST for scheduling drop dates. If you are not enrolled in that program, you can still view the latest FAST data on their web site. See Verifying entry points on page 13 for instructions. Verifying entry points When planning mailings, you can use the FAST web site to learn about the postal facilities where you d like to submit your mailing. You can also use the FAST web site if you suspect an error in the data. For example, if you previously entered this same exact mailing at a certain postal facility, and now that facility is not available as a choice in DeskTop Mailer. You can verify that the facility information is correct on the FAST web site.! You must verify your entry points. It is your responsibility to ensure that the facility where you want to drop your mail is indeed valid for your mailing. Communicate with the acceptance clerk at the postal facility and check the FAST site to learn if an entry point is new, has been deleted, or has been split.! Palletization exception. Some facilities accept only pallets or do not accept pallets at all. You must contact the facility or check the FAST site to learn about that site s acceptance of pallets and whether you can or must not drop mail there. DeskTop Mailer does not verify the facility s acceptance of pallets for you you must confirm this yourself. To view the latest FAST data online: 1. Click the Go to FAST link on the Start Here task pane in DeskTop Mailer. (Or type in your internet browser.) 2. Click the Facilities link. 3. Follow the instructions on screen to search for a facility. 4. When information for the specific facility that you re interested in is displayed on screen, review the information carefully to ensure that it is a valid facility for your mailing. Mail direction 13

14 5. Click the Additional Info link to see more about the selected facility. On this screen, you can see what types of mail the facility accepts, whether they accept pallets or not, what discount applies at that facility, what ZIP Code ranges they accept for discounts, the dates that this information is valid, and so on. Drop site key A drop site key is a unique identification code assigned to each entry point. You can use this information when verifying your entry points. The drop site key is listed in several places: FAST web site ( DeskTop Mailer s entry point setup windows. DeskTop Mailer s Job Summary report. Entering the paths for the new directories The paths to the FAST directories are set automatically when you install them. If you need to change these paths, follow the instructions below. 1. Choose Tools > Options. 2. In the Presorting section, click the File Locations button. 3. In the Presort File Locations window, type the path to facility.dir and maildirect.dir, or browse for their locations. 4. Click OK to save your settings and close the window. SCF directory. DeskTop Mailer no longer uses the SCF directory. Therefore, the path for the SCF directory no longer appears in the Presort File Locations window. Entering the estimated mailing date Previously you entered the mailing date after setting up many other presort settings. Now, because FAST data takes into account the dates that facilities are available, the mailing date is needed before you can select a mailing facility. When you set up a mailing and you reach the Sort for Mailing - Mailing Information window, enter the date that you expect to submit your mailing at the postal facility. Specify mailing date during presort setup, not after Because the mailing date affects the availability of postal facilities, you can no longer change the mailing date after presorting (Tools > Presort > Mailing Info). Blank mailing date If you re mailing First Class or you re dropping at a small facility (one that is not a BMC, ASF, SCF, or ADC), your mailing is not eligible for destination discounts. Therefore, you can leave the estimated mailing date blank. Postage statement The estimated mailing date is printed on the postage statement. If you do not enter an estimated mailing date in the software, then the date will not be printed on your postage statement, and you will need to fill it in by hand. Choosing the entry point To select an entry point, you choose it from a drop-down list, as you ve done in previous versions of DeskTop Mailer. The list of available BMC/ASF, ADC, or SCF entry points is limited to those that are valid for your mailing based on the 14 DeskTop Release Notes

15 information you provided about the mailing and mail piece. (You can also choose Other entry points smaller post offices that do not offer destination discounts.)! Upgrading old jobs. When you open DeskTop Mailer files from older versions in 7.80c, you must re-select any entry points that aren t Other entry points. Re-selecting the entry points for upgraded jobs is necessary because of the switch from scf.dir to the FAST directories and will not be necessary with future upgrades. Likewise, if you previously set a default entry point, you must re-select it now. Choose Tools > Options, and then click Default Entry Point. If you use the Entry Point Settings Library to store your entry points, you will need to update them. Mail direction 15

16 Introduction to the USPS rate case The latest USPS rate case (R2006-1) goes into effect May 14, With this rate case, the USPS is adjusting pricing, mail classes, and mail preparation to achieve its goal of more efficient mail processing and making postage rates more accurately reflect the true costs of processing various types of mail. Periodicals. Rate-case changes for Periodical mail go into effect July 15, 2007, and are not included in this release of DeskTop Mailer. However, this release does include changes to Periodical processing categories to help you transition to the next rate case implementation. See Mapping old processing categories to new on page 19. Shape-based pricing One of the most significant changes with this rate case is the introduction of shape-based pricing. Until now, the USPS used a weight-based method to determine postage costs. With this rate case, postage is based on the mail piece s shape, size, thickness, rigidity, weight, and barcoding. Resources For more information about the rate case, visit the following USPS sites: contains information about this rate case. contains the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), which lists all mailing rules for all classes and types of mail. The DMM will be updated with the latest rate case information on May 14, includes a Rate Case Readiness section. Definition of terms Please note the following definitions of postal terms as they apply to your mailings. Some of these definitions are revised from previous usage, and some of the terms are completely new with this rate case. Specific requirements regarding the number of pieces required and the characteristics of the mail piece vary by mail class and shape. See the DMM for specific requirements for each mail class and shape. Automated letter Letter-sized mail piece that is both: Automation-compatible, meaning that the mail piece meets USPS requirements for machinable mail. The USPS will process this mail on their equipment. Barcoded, meaning that you will apply the barcode before submitting the mailing to the USPS. Flats dimensions The length of a flat-sized mail piece is now the longest dimension. (Previously, length was perpendicular to the address label.) Height is the dimension perpendicular to the length. Note: The dimension that the USPS calls length is called width in DeskTop Mailer. Height Length (the longest dimension) 16 DeskTop Release Notes

17 Machinable letter or flat Letter- or flat-sized mail that meets USPS requirements for processing on their equipment. The term machinable also applies to parcels and the new NFMs. See Not flatmachinable (NFM) on page 17 for details. Nonautomation letter Periodical letter-sized mail that you are not barcoding. Nonmachinable letter or flat Letter- or flat-sized mail that does not meet USPS requirements for processing on their equipment. It may be too flimsy or too rigid, for example. Nonmachinable rates are higher; therefore, do not choose this category if your mail piece is machinable. The term machinable also applies to parcels and the new NFMs. See Not flatmachinable (NFM) on page 17 for details. Not flat-machinable (NFM) NFM is a new processing category for Standard Mail pieces of a certain size (overlapping the flats and parcels dimensions) that are too rigid to be processed on USPS flats-sorting equipment. Also, pieces that were formerly processed as UFSM 1000 flats are now considered NFMs. Two processing categories are available for NFMs: Machinable NFMs weigh more than 6 ounces. Irregular NFMs weigh less than 6 ounces. The USPS offers a decision tree to help you determine if your piece is an NFM. Visit and look for a Quick Service Guide for NFMs. Testing the flexibility and droop of your flatsized mail piece For a piece to be considered a flat, it must meet the flexibility requirements as stated in DMM If your mail piece is not flexible according to the following test, select the Piece Is Rigid option in the Sort for Mailing - Piece Information window. a. All flats: 1. Place the piece with the length parallel to the edge of a flat surface and extend the piece halfway off the surface. 2. Press down on the piece at a point 1 inch from the outer edge, in the center of the piece s length, exerting steady pressure. 3. The piece is not flexible if it cannot bend at least 1 inch vertically without being damaged. 4. The piece is flexible if it can bend at least 1 inch vertically without being damaged and it does not contain a rigid insert. No further testing is necessary. 5. Test the piece according to 1.4b or 1.4c below if it can bend at least 1 inch vertically without being damaged and it contains a rigid insert. b. Flats 10 inches or longer that pass the test in 1.4a and contain a rigid insert: 1. Place the piece with the length perpendicular to the edge of a flat surface and extend the piece 5 inches off the surface. Introduction to the USPS rate case 17

18 2. Press down on the piece at a point 1 inch from the outer edge, in the center of the piece s width, exerting steady pressure. 3. Turn the piece around and repeat steps 1 and 2. The piece is flexible if both ends can bend at least 2 inches vertically without being damaged. c. Flats less than 10 inches long that pass the test in 1.4a and contain a rigid insert: 1. Place the piece with the length perpendicular to the edge of a flat surface and extend the piece one-half of its length off the surface. 2. Press down on the piece at a point 1 inch from the outer edge, in the center of the piece s width, exerting steady pressure. 3. Turn the piece around and repeat steps 1 and 2. The piece is flexible if both ends can bend at least 1 inch vertically without being damaged. DMM Automation flat Furthermore, for a flat to qualify as an automation flat, it must pass the USPS deflection test (see DMM ), which tests how much the piece droops when held over the edge of a hard surface. The USPS rules state that a mail piece is automation-compatible if it meets the other automation requirements and passes the following deflection test: a. For pieces 10 inches or longer: 1. Place the piece with the length perpendicular to the edge of a flat surface and extend the piece 5 inches off the surface. Turn the piece around and repeat the process. 2. The piece is automation-compatible if it does not droop more than 4 inches vertically. b. For pieces less than 10 inches long: 1. Place the piece with the length perpendicular to the edge of a flat surface and extend the piece one-half of its length off the surface. Turn the piece around and repeat the process. 2. The piece is automation-compatible if it does not droop more than 1 inch less than the extended length. For example, a piece 8 inches long would extend 4 inches off a flat surface. It must not droop more than 3 inches vertically. c. For pieces with bound or folded edges, perform the test in 3.2.4a or 3.2.4b above by placing the bound or final folded edge perpendicular to the edge of the flat surface. DMM DeskTop Release Notes

19 Mapping old processing categories to new Mail type This rate case introduced many changes to processing categories for almost every class and shape of mail. Processing categories Pre-rate case Rate case R First Class letters Automated letter Automated letter Letter Postcard Double postcard Machinable letter Nonmachinable letter Postcard Double postcard First Class flats AFSM 100 flat Automated flat Flat UFSM 1000 flat Machinable flat Nonmachinable flat First Class parcels n/a First Class parcel Standard Mail letters Automated letter Automated letter Letter n/a Machinable letter Nonmachinable letter Standard Mail flats AFSM 100 flat Automated flat Flat UFSM 1000 Machinable flat Nonmachinable flat Standard Mail parcels n/a Machinable not flat-machinable (NFM) Irregular NFM Irregular parcel Machinable parcel Barcoded machinable parcel n/a Irregular parcel Machinable parcel Machinable parcel Periodicals letters Automated letter Automated letter Letter Nonautomation letter Periodicals flats Flat Machinable flat Nonmachinable flat AFSM 100 UFSM 1000 Automated flat Alternative auto. flat Introduction to the USPS rate case 19

20 Processing categories for each mail class The following table shows valid processing categories for each mail class. Mail shape Processing category First Class (1C) Periodicals (PER) Letter Automated X X X Machinable X X Nonmachinable X X Nonautomation Flat Automated X X X Machinable X X X Nonmachinable X X X Alternative Auto. Postcard Single postcard X Double postcard Parcel Machinable X X X Irregular X X Machinable NFM Irregular NFM X X Standard (STD) X X Updating your jobs When you open DeskTop Mailer 7.72c files in version 7.80c, DeskTop Mailer tries to translate your old settings appropriately for the new rate case. It s important that you go through the presorting wizard (Tools > Presort > Sort Settings) and examine every option and whether it is appropriate for your mailing. Summary of changes For more information about rate-case changes in DeskTop Mailer, see: Rate-case changes: First Class letters on page 21 Rate-case changes: First Class flats on page 22 Rate-case changes: First Class parcels on page 23 Rate-case changes: Standard Mail letters on page 24 Rate-case changes: Standard Mail flats on page 27 Rate-case changes: Standard Mail parcels on page 28 Rate-case changes: Standard Mail NFM parcels on page 30 Rate-case changes: Reports on page DeskTop Release Notes

21 Rate-case changes: First Class letters For First Class letters, rate-case changes include: Removal of the automated carrier route automation preparation level. New minimum tray volume and maximum piece weight restrictions. Changes to machinable letter preparation. Surcharge for nonmachinable letters that weigh 1 ounce or less. Removal of enhanced carrier-route discount The USPS no longer offers discounts for automation carrier-route letter-sized mail. Therefore the following options are no longer available in DeskTop Mailer s 1C Automation Letters scheme: Make Carrier Route Trays. Make 3-Digit Carrier Route Trays. Minimum Car. Route 5 Digit Tray. The Car.Route choice in the Sort Until Have Completed drop-down option. Maximum Number of Pieces to Drop: Automation to Regular New tray minimum The USPS s new minimum requirement for a full tray is 85% of the tray length. DeskTop Mailer displays a warning message if the minimum tray length is set to less than 85%. Processing categories Processing categories for First Class letters are: Automated letters, for barcoded mail up to 3.5 ounces. Machinable letters (new with this release). Nonmachinable letters (new with this release). Postcards. Double postcards. The new machinable letters and nonmachinable letters processing categories replace the old letters processing category. Processing category Machinable letters Description If you select the automated letter or machinable letter processing category, DeskTop Mailer performs machinable preparation sortation for the pieces that do not qualify for automation sortation. Machinable letters cannot exceed 3.3 ounces in weight (see DMM ). The 5-digit and 3-digit tray preparation levels were removed. However, the origin 3-digit trays, AADC trays, and MAADC trays are retained. All nonautomation mail will receive the presorted rate, regardless of tray level. Because machinable letters are now their own processing category, the following options are no longer available in DeskTop Mailer: Use Machinable Preparation Make Machinable 5-Digit Trays Nonmachinable letters Letter-sized mail with one or more nonmachinable characteristics or that weighs more than 3.3 ounces must be prepared as nonmachinable letters. Any letter-sized pieces that weigh 1 ounce or less and have any of the nonmachinable characteristics in DMM are subject to a $0.17 nonmachinable surcharge. Nonmachinable letters over 1 ounce are charged the First Class letter rates based on weight. Rate-case changes: First Class letters 21

22 Rate-case changes: First Class flats For First Class flats, rate-case changes include: UFSM 1000 flats must now be processed as parcels. Rigid flats must now be processed as parcels. AFSM 100 flats are now automated flats. Some former flats now parcels Other than the rate increase, the only significant change to First Class flats in this rate case is that some mail pieces that previously were mailed as First Class flats must now be mailed as First Class parcels. The following types of mail are affected by this change: UFSM 1000 pieces. Rigid, flat-sized pieces, such as DVDs. See Rate-case changes: First Class parcels on page 23 for details. Change to processing categories The processing category formerly called AFSM 100 is now called automated flats. Also, the processing category formerly called flats is now split into machinable flats and nonmachinable flats. 22 DeskTop Release Notes

23 Rate-case changes: First Class parcels First Class parcels are new with this rate case. Rigid mail pieces, such as DVDs, that you may have previously mailed as First Class flats must now be mailed as First Class parcels instead. Pieces that were previously processed as First Class UFSM flats are now First Class machinable parcels. Preparation Some criteria for First Class parcels are listed below. See DMM for details. Packaging is not required for parcels that are.5 inch thick or greater and placed in a sack to the same destination to which they would otherwise be packaged. Packaging is not required if the parcels are so large that 10 pieces or fewer fill a sack. Required levels for both packaging and sacking are 5-digit, 3-digit, ADC, and mixed ADC. A 10-piece minimum applies to all package levels except mixed ADC, which has no minimum. A 10-pound minimum applies to all sack levels except mixed ADC, which has no minimum. The USPS allows you to balance or level sacks. For example, given the sack minimum of 10 pieces and a maximum of 14 pieces, if you had 15 pieces, you could build two sacks (one with 8 pieces and one with 7). A minimum of 500 pieces is required for a First Class parcels mailing. New processing categories and scheme Two new First Class parcels processing categories (irregular and machinable) and the new First Class parcels mailing scheme are now available. Processing category Machinable Irregular Description Use the machinable processing category if your mail piece is barcoded, weighs more than 2 ounces, and is rectangular. Use the irregular parcels processing category if your mail piece is not barcoded, weighs less than 2 ounces, or is irregularly shaped (a tube, triangle, or ball shape, for example). A surcharge applies to all pieces that meet one or more of the following criteria: Piece is not barcoded. Piece weighs less than 2 ounces. Piece is irregularly shaped (tube, triangle, ball.) Rate-case changes: First Class parcels 23

24 Rate-case changes: Standard Mail letters For Standard Mail letters, rate-case changes include: Removal of the automation carrier-route preparation. Changes to enhanced carrier-route (ECR) preparation. New minimum tray volumes and maximum weight restrictions. Split of nonautomation 3/5 and basic rates. Automation 5-digit scheme required for 5-digit rate eligibility. Changes to machinable letter preparation. Removal of the nonmachinable surcharge. Removal of automation carrierroute rates The USPS no longer offers automation carrier-route rates for Standard Mail letters. Therefore the STD Enhanced Carrier Route Automation Letters scheme is no longer available in DeskTop Mailer. Changes to enhanced carrier-route preparation Carrier-route preparation has changed for automation-compatible, enhanced carrier-route letters that weigh up to 3.5 ounces. DeskTop Mailer must now make full trays out of automation-compatible, barcoded, enhanced carrier-route letters weighing up to 3 ounces. If your mail piece weighs 3 ounces or less, the following options will appear grayed out in the Standard Mail enhanced carrier route letters scheme: Make 3-Digit Carrier Route Trays. Minimum Carrier-Route 5-Digit (Full or At Least Pcs.). DeskTop Mailer forms packages only if the pieces are card sized. See DMM and for details. Letter vs. flat rates The following must occur for your pieces to get the letter rate: Pieces weigh no more than 3.5 ounces. Pieces are automation letter compatible and have a full barcode on them. If one or more of the following conditions are met, your enhanced carrier-route letters will receive the ECR flat rate: Nonmachinable ECR letter-size piece weighs more than 3.3 ounces. Processing category is not set to Automation Letter Pieces are not automation-compatible or do not have a full barcode on them (select the Use ECR Reg Flat Rates option). New tray sequence There is a new tray sequence for automation-compatible pieces that weigh up to 3 ounces (see DMM ): 1. Carrier Route Direct Trays are required. The minimum amount for a full tray is 85%. No packaging or overflow trays digit Carrier Routes Trays are required. The minimum amount for a full tray is 85%. Pieces are grouped by carrier route using separator cards. No packaging or overflow trays digit Carrier Route Trays are required. Packaging is required for less than a full tray; otherwise it is not allowed. Pieces are grouped by carrier route using separator cards. 24 DeskTop Release Notes

25 The following pieces follow the current rules for enhanced carrier route letter trays. See the DMM for more information. Pieces weighing greater than 3 ounces, pieces that are not automation compatible, or pieces that are not delivery point barcoded follow the current rules for enhanced carrier route letter trays. A mix of pieces that are over and under the 3 ounce limit. DeskTop Mailer follows the current rules when preparing walk-sequenced carrier-route mail. The processing category Automated Letter is considered automationcompatible. Card size pieces are not affected. Destination rate changes The Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) discount is no longer available for Standard Mail carrier-route letters. You can deposit letter-size pieces at a DDU facility, but you must prepare them in carrier-route trays, and they must be addressed for delivery within that facility s service area (enhanced carrier-route only). DDU entry for Standard Mail letters is intended for local mailers of small quantities and for letters with simplified addresses. Pieces eligible for DDU entry are eligible for Destination Sectional Center Facility (DSCF) rates under either of the following conditions: Pieces are prepared as simplified walk sequence. Pieces are contained within a single mailing of fewer than 2500 pieces. DeskTop Mailer assigns the DSCF discount for simplified walk-sequence pieces (DMM ). For other carrier-route preparation, DeskTop Mailer applies DSCF rates at the DDU if the total number of pieces qualified at the entry point is less than In addition, the DSCF discount applies to carrier-route letters that you deposit at entry points of type other when the DDU option is selected. New tray minimum The new minimum requirement for a full tray is 85% of the tray length. Rate changes The following rate changes were made for Standard Mail Letters. Old rate Nonautomation 3/5 rate Nonautomation basic rate New rate Split into separate 5-digit and 3-digit rates for mail in 5-digit and 3- digit trays. Split into separate Area Distribution Center (ADC) and Mixed Area Distribution Center (MADC) rates for mail in ADC and MADC trays. New machinable and nonmachinable processing categories Processing categories for Standard Mail letters are: Automated letters, for barcoded mail. Machinable letters. See below. Nonmachinable letters. See below. The new machinable letters and nonmachinable letters processing categories replace the old letters processing category. Rate-case changes: Standard Mail letters 25

26 Because a machinable letters processing category is now available, the following options are no longer available in the regular letters scheme: Use Machinable Preparation. Make Machinable 5-Digit Trays. New processing category Machinable letters Nonmachinable letters Description If you select the automated letter or machinable letter processing category, DeskTop Mailer performs machinable preparation. Changes to machinable letter preparation: The 5- and 3-digit tray preparation levels are removed. Machinable letters can weigh up to 3.3 ounces. If you select the nonmachinable letter processing category, DeskTop Mailer performs nonmachinable preparation. Changes to the nonmachinable letter preparation: Letter-size pieces weighing more than 3.3 ounces and prepared as nonmachinable letters are mailed at not flat-machinable (NFM) rates, unless they qualify for automated letter or enhanced carrier-route rates. The nonmachinable surcharge is eliminated. See also Rate-case changes: Standard Mail NFM parcels on page 30. Nonmachinable letters weighing 3.3 ounces or less will pay the new nonmachinable letter rates. 5-digit scheme required for automated letters To qualify for the automation 5-digit rate, you must prepare both the 5-digit scheme and the 5-digit tray levels. To prepare both 5-digit and 5-digit scheme trays, select the new Make 5-Digit/Scheme Trays option in the STD automated letters scheme. 26 DeskTop Release Notes

27 Rate-case changes: Standard Mail flats For Standard Mail flats, rate-case changes include: AFSM 100 flats are now called automated flats. UFSM 1000 flats are now Standard Mail not flat-machinable (NFM) parcels. See Rate-case changes: Standard Mail parcels on page 28 and Rate-case changes: Standard Mail NFM parcels on page 30. The maximum size of carrier route flats has increased. Enhanced carrier route flats Previously enhanced carrier-route flats were limited in size to no more than 14 inches high, inches long, and 0.75 inches thick. Now enhanced carrier-route flats share the same size limits as all Standard Mail nonautomation flats. See DMM Processing categories Processing categories for Standard Mail flats are: Automated flats, for automation-compatible, barcoded flats that meet the flexibility requirements. See Testing the flexibility and droop of your flatsized mail piece on page 17.) Machinable flats, for automation-compatible, unbarcoded flats. Nonmachinable flats, for flats that are neither barcoded nor automationcompatible. Preparation of automated flats Scheme preparation for both 5-digit/scheme and 3-digit/scheme is required. DeskTop now automatically prepares L007 and L008 schemes. Therefore, the Make 5DG Scheme (L007) Packages option and the Make 3DG Scheme (L008) Packages option are no longer available in DeskTop. Rate-case changes: Standard Mail flats 27

28 Rate-case changes: Standard Mail parcels For Standard Mail parcels, rate-case changes include: New preparation for all parcels. Split of 3/5 and basic rates. Removal of the barcoded machinable parcels discount. The introduction of the new not flat-machinable (NFM) parcels. See Ratecase changes: Standard Mail NFM parcels on page 30 for details. Preparation changes for machinable parcels in sacks If you prepare parcels at the 5-digit level, you must also prepare them at the 5- digit scheme level, and vice-versa. Because of this change, the Prepare 5-Digit Sacks option was renamed to Prepare 5-Digit/Scheme Containers. The preparation sequence for machinable parcels is: Level 5-digit/5-digit scheme (L606) Optional or required Optional Minimum ASF Optional 10 pound minimum. BMC Required 10 pound minimum. Mixed BMC Required No minimum. 10 pound minimum except when entered at DDU. Preparation changes for irregular parcels in sacks Packaging is no longer permitted, except for carrier-route irregular parcels. If you prepare the 5-digit level, then you must also prepare the 5-digit scheme level, and vice-versa. Because of this change, the Prepare 5-Digit Sacks option was renamed to Prepare 5-Digit/Scheme Containers. See DMM for details. The preparation sequence for irregular parcels is: Level 5-digit/5-digit scheme (L606) Optional or required Optional Minimum 3-digit Required 10 pound minimum. Origin/entry 3-digit Optional No minimum. ADC Required 10 pound minimum. Mixed ADC Required No minimum. 10 pound minimum except when entered at DDU. The STD Irregular Parcels scheme has been split into two schemes: STD Carrier Route Irregular Parcels, for carrier-route preparation (packaged) new with this release. STD Irregular Parcels and NFMs, for regular preparation (not packaged). All irregular parcels that you prepare at the carrier-route rate must be of uniform thickness so that they can be packaged securely. 28 DeskTop Release Notes