USPS Pushes Flats

As a result, mailers are being asked to begin the process of moving from 9- to 11-digit bar coding. "We also need customers to consider standardizing physical characteristics, the address placement, and the make-up and presentation requirements," notes Rapp.

The long-term goal is to move to Delivery Point Packaging (DPP), an R&D initiative that uses automation to sort letters and flats simultaneously into delivery order and then bundle the mail into one package for each delivery stop.