Bulk Mail

Presorted Standard Mail is a work-sharing program between Adams State and the Postal Service. When we do some of the preparation, it saves the Postal Service time and money and they pass these savings on to us in the form of discounts. The more work we do, the better the discount. Barcoding your mailing will give you the best savings but requires a lot more preparation time on your part.

Bulk mail usually consists of form letters, invitations or other printed pieces that are identical in content; each piece must weigh less than 1 pound. Each mailing must contain at least 250 addressed pieces of mail.

Important things to know before mailing

  • Production time on any mailing should be at least 12 weeks from start to finish. Because you are sending discounted mail, the post office CAN set it aside and hold it up to 2 weeks before mailing. Therefore, you should send your mailing out 4-6 weeks before you want it to arrive in mailboxes. Any less time could be a potential waste of time and money.
  • Envelopes that are not university approved and printed will not be accepted. All envelopes for bulk mailings need to have the approved university logo, return address including the department name and permit image. The Print Shop knows postal regulations regarding size, shape, etc. and will do excellent work helping design your mail piece.

Sealing Envelopes

  • BEFORE you label your mail, have the envelopes sealed by the mailroom. If you wait until they are labeled, there is a good chance they will get out of zip code order, which will make more work for you. Call x7101 to schedule a time.
  • Anything smaller than a standard business envelope will NOT go through the machine. You must seal them yourself. Glue sticks work great!

Labels

  • Run your labels out of a Word mail merge.
  • Sort data by zip code
  • Make your zip code column a text column so that it keeps the last 4 digits in order.
  • Label format – Times New Roman font in a 12-point size is recommended.
  • There should be no punctuation in the address and all streets, avenues, etc. should be abbreviated.
  • Make sure your labels are in zip code order.

Counting and Sorting

  • It is easiest to count your labels before you put them on the envelopes. Keep a running tally.
  • Sort accordingly, in zip code order
    • Colorado (800-816) and Wyoming
    • Any state or zip code with 150 pieces or more
    • Everything else
  • Put these in separate trays and put a post-it note on each tray marked “Colorado,” “MXD” (Mixed States) or more specific if you have a tray full of more specific zip codes, i.e. 81101 or 801–.
    • Make sure that mail is standing on edge facing the front of the tray (label side) with zip code in ascending order.
  • Count how many pieces are in each tray and write the number on the bottom right-hand corner of the label on the first envelope in that tray.
  • Make sure you have a correct count. Use your database as a check.

Paperwork

Choose either the postal form or the bulk mail form from the mailroom.

Postal form 3602-N

Step 1, Page 1

  • Fill in your department in the 1st box
  • Processing Category: Check Letters box.
  • Total Pieces: accurate counts, please!
  • Sign and print your name and add your extension.

Step 2, Page 2

  • If your mail is not barcoded
    • Enter the number of pieces that go to Colorado/Wyoming in B1.
    • Enter the number of pieces that go to all other states in B2.
  • If your mail is barcoded
    • Enter the number of pieces that go to Colorado/Wyoming in A1.
    • Enter the number of pieces that go to all other states in A2.

Mailing

  • Take your mailing to the mailroom during normal window hours.
  • The Alamosa Post Office only accepts bulk mailings between the hours of 10:30am – 3pm. The mailroom tries to process bulk mailings within 24 hours but this depends on the work load at the time and staff availability.
  • Bulk Mail Form