Mailing/Fulfillment - Postal Trends

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

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

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

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

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. However, 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

MONTRÉAL—2/13/2008—Quebecor World Logistics (TSX: IQW) is the first in the industry to offer its customers mixed-class co-mail that combines Periodical and Standard class mail pieces into a single offline co-mail offering. This gives our customers improved flexibility of a pool but also the industry’s quickest turn-around time, unattainable in a single class co-mail run. The mixed-class, short-run pool conducted at Quebecor World Logistics’ Bolingbrook, IL co-mail facility will now become part of QWL’s superior co-mail process, creating enhanced value to Quebecor World’s quality print product. Customers using Quebecor World Logistics’ mixed class co-mail solutions in combination with additional mailing optimization programs are able to

RIDICULOUS AS it may seem, database management has been making national news in 2008. Unfortunately, and more precisely, data mismanagement has grabbed some headlines. For the second time in a little more than a year, the good citizens of Wisconsin have seen their personal information—in the form of social security numbers—left flapping in the breeze of a government mailing. Printers in both cases found themselves sharing in the blame, and the expense, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars for credit monitoring services out of recipient fears concerning identity theft. The threat, real albeit extremely remote, underscores the importance of the role

Few industries engage in the kind of symbiotic relation-ship shared by the graphic arts industry and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Consider that, at some point, the majority of printed products are mailed. At the same time, the postal system relies on the printing industry to supply much of its mail volume. The fate of each player depends in large part on the well-being of the other. In this context, the signing of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) in December 2006 was beneficial for the graphic arts industry. It was a move that spelled reform for the postal system that industry

WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors announced that any new postal rate increase will be consistent with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. In using the Postal Regulatory Commission’s new regulations for setting future rates, price increases will be capped at the rate of inflation. The Board of Governors had the option of filing one more rate case under the regulations that had been in place since 1971, but voted to proceed with the new pricing regulations. “Mailers around the country should be elated that the antiquated, costly and adversarial rate case proceedings are now nothing more than a part of