Mailing/Fulfillment - Postal Trends

STAMFORD, CT—September 9, 2008—Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), the world’s leading mailstream technology firm, today announced the introduction of the new Mailstream Productivity Series, a new generation of ultra high-speed production mail systems. This new family of intelligent ultra high speed mail finishing systems takes virtually non-stop performance to a new level, running up to 26,000 mail pieces per hour with greater flexibility, and fewer stoppages and outsorts. The systems are driven by the newly designed mailstream engine featuring interchangeable friction and rotary feeders, high productivity inputs and enhanced envelope sealing. The Mailstream Productivity Series redefines performance by leveraging an 18% increase in

RESTON, VA—September 4, 2008—Augmenting its reputation as the most comprehensive graphic communications exhibition and conference in the Americas, GRAPH EXPO® 2008 will feature the largest mailing and fulfillment exhibition of its kind anywhere when it opens its doors October 26 - 29 in Chicago’s McCormick Place South. This year’s Mailing & Fulfillment Center will occupy a record 38,900 sq. ft. of the GRAPH EXPO show floor and feature 73 exhibitors showcasing all the latest mailing and fulfillment systems, products and technologies. As the largest-ever Mailing & Fulfillment Center since its inception, this year’s showcase will cover all the facets of mailing and

HAYWARD, CA—09/03/08—Neopost, the worldwide provider of mailing and shipping solutions, is exhibiting at Graph Expo 2008, October 26-29, in Chicago, IL. Neopost will feature a variety of innovative high-performance mailing solutions that will help businesses of all sizes reduce mailing costs and maximize mailroom efficiency and productivity. One of the many new products Neopost will showcase at Graph Expo will include the high-volume DS-100, DS-140, and DS-1000 folder inserters. Ideal for organizations with high postal volumes, the DS-100, DS-140, and DS-1000 maintains an extremely high practical input, throughput, and output speed, while simultaneously switching from one job application to another.

HAUPPAUGE, NY—9/2/08—Muller Martini has announced that sales and marketing functions for Muller Martini Mailroom Systems, Inc., previously handled in Allentown, PA, are now being handled at Muller’s U.S. headquarters in Hauppauge, NY. Muller Martini Mailroom Systems provides equipment and services to customers throughout the newspaper marketplace. As part of its shift of Mailroom Systems sales and marketing, Muller Martini has put together a new management team, including a new Vice President of Sales. Mr. Gary Owen formerly with KBA joined Muller Martini in September and will be responsible to direct all sales activities to the newspaper industry. With the newspaper business undergoing

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Postal Service registered a net loss of $1.1 billion for the third quarter, its financials reflecting reduced mail volume and increasing transportation costs. Operating revenue dropped $437 million to $17.9 billion for the quarter compared to the same period last year. Volume fell to 48.5 billion pieces, a 5.5 percent decline.

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—June 23, 2008—Atlantic Zeiser, supplier of variable data printing and encoding solutions, reports that the company registered successes throughout its entire product solutions and that drupa 2008 far exceeded all business forecasts. At the end of the show, twice as many orders had been registered compared to the entire duration of drupa four years ago. And this time round, the higher quality of global visitors and decision makers that attended the show confirmed an increased level of interest and knowledge in the field of modern and total inkjet printing solutions over the last few years. ”With the anticipated inkjet-drupa theme as one

IN RECENT months, many have seen articles and announcements that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is implementing new strategies to control operational costs. Most of us have heard a great deal about the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) and the struggles over its implementation. Additionally, we have been distracted by the postage rate increase of May 2007 and the impending increase of May 2008. Unnoticed by most is an approaching issue that will have a much greater impact on the direct mail industry than either rate increase or the IMB. USPS requirements for Move Updating of address lists for First Class Mail claiming presort

BABY BOOMERS may remember the poster (also used in IBM ads) that preached “plan ahead,” but illustrated the result of doing the opposite. As 2008 moves along, looking at the changes ahead facing the mailing industry, the advice again may be to “plan ahead,” but do better than shown in the poster. Mailers can expect several significant events over the next year, stretching into early 2009: • A rate case, or “price adjustment” as they’re now called, this month; • Implementation of tighter “Move Update” standards in November; • Phase-out of more postage meter models by the end of 2008; and • Implementation of

EMMINGEN, GERMANY—19 March , 2008—Atlantic Zeiser, supplier of dedicated personalization and encoding systems for the label market, announces the introduction of the OMEGA 36 HD and OMEGA 210, two new high resolution ink-jet printing systems, and the launch of the SMARTCURE Series, a new eco-friendly LED UV curing solution, at drupa 2008. During the world’s largest printing show, to be held from 29.5.08 – 11.6.08 in Düsseldorf, the company will also reveal the newest developments in its in-house ink. Live demonstrations will highlight the precision and versatility of the OMEGA 36/36i and the new enhanced OMEGA 210, as well as CARDLINE VERSA, Atlantic Zeiser’s

WASHINGTON, DC—The latest U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rate increase is confronting mailers, and this time there are no unpleasant surprises. For the post office, however, the news was not so comforting. As promised by the postal reform legislation passed in late 2006, the first increase under the new rules did not exceed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation. The increases fall in the 2.9 percent range and will take effect May 12. The USPS has been struggling. It reported that mail volume was down 3 percent in the first quarter of fiscal 2008. First Class volume was down 3.9 percent, while Standard