CLASSES OF MAIL

First Class Mail: Anything mailable; invoices, bills, personal correspondence, or merchandise. Maximum weight for First Class Mail is 13 ounces. The minimum quantity to mail at First Class presorted rates is 500 pieces.

Standard Mail: A class of mail that includes circulars, printed matter, pamphlets, catalogs, newsletters, direct mail, and merchandise. Typically, a mailing consists of identical or similar pieces going to each address. Maximum weight for Standard Mail is 16 ounces. The minimum quantity to mail at Standard presorted rates is 200 pieces.

Ancillary Endorsement: A marking printed on the face of mail piece that gives the USPS instructions on how to handle undeliverable mail.

Automation Discount: A discount offered to mailers who apply delivery point bar codes to their mail pieces and meet addressing readability, and other requirements for processing the high-speed automated equipment used by the postal service.

Carrier Route: The addresses to which a carrier delivers the mail. Additional discounts are sometimes available for mailings sorted to this level.

CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System): A service and process that matches addresses to delivery points, zip+4 codes. It verifies that all necessary components are present in an address and attaches the correct +4 and delivery point information to the zip codes for bar code generation.

NCOA (National Change of Address): An address correction service that matches mailing lists submitted against the USPS change of address information files. If a match is made, NCOA can make a correction to the mailing list before it is used on a piece of mail.

PAVE (Presort Accuracy Validation & Evaluation): A program in which the USPS tests vendors’ presort software and certifies the accuracy in sorting address information and documentation according to USPS rules & regulations.

SCF (Sectional Center Facility): A postal facility that serves as the processing and distribution center for post offices in a designated geographic area. Additional discounts are available for Standard mail pieces that are dropped at the SCF that is also sorting the mail pieces for delivery.

Merge-Purge: The process by which duplicates are found within a single or multiple lists and then deleted to avoid additional postage and printing expenses.