Mailing & Fulfillment — Maximizing Postal Discounts

The IWCO Direct exec cautions against focusing too heavily on the printing aspect at the expense of mailing. The main thrust is to produce pieces that can take advantage of discounts for destination entry, automation compatibility and commingling to ensure optimal presort penetration.

Lisa Wurman, manager of postal affairs and strategies for Vertis Communications in Baltimore, agrees that automation compatibility is a key variable often overlooked by printers. For many printers and customers, however, gaffes can be as elementary as miscalculating the weight and thickness of the piece. This happens when variables such as components and materials (number of panels, folds, diecuts and glue) are not taken into account.