Last week we focused on the new USPS postage rate increases, along with the newly implemented guidelines for folded self mailers. This week we discuss how to get around those postage rate increases.

Much like a great accountant will help you reduce your tax liability; a great mail house will help you reduce your postage liability. At CPC Solutions, we do more than just blindly process your data. We analyze it, run it through our software many times, and do a postage comparison in order to maximize the available postage discounts. Typically, this process is done on mailings with 30,000 records or more and is somewhat dependent on the levels of concentration in your data. This takes some extra time and work, but the savings can literally be in the tens of thousands of dollars, especially for larger direct mail projects. And better yet, it often speeds up the delivery of the mail itself.

Let us help you save postage on your next direct mail campaign. Give me a call and we can discuss the details.

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video:
Source - foldfactory.com

Featured: #182 Accordion with Layered Die Cuts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LexsBYBti-8&list=PL227C113FF159890D

Awesome App:

Do you like the adventure of visiting a new city without knowing where you’re going to stay that night? Then Hotel Tonight is the app for you. Find last minute deals with ease in most major cities.

Tips from the Trenches:

Crossovers: When designing catalogs, books, or booklets, be mindful of the crossovers from page to page. Avoid very thin lines, as they do not always match up well when folded, and avoid crossing over mid-word since letters usually get lost in the gutter.

Interesting Integers:
Source: Print in the Mix

123.3 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones (53% mobile market penetration) during the three months ending in November, up 6% since August.

Almost Famous Quote:

It seems rather incongruous that in a society of super sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners. – Erma Bombeck

The USPS postage rates increase starting 1/27/13. The image below will take you to our digital version of the 2013 Direct Mail Quick Guide, which includes the latest postage rates, and other useful information.

To receive your very own full color printed piece, click here to verify your address, and we will send one to you.

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video:
Source - foldfactory.com

Featured: USPS 2013 FSM Guidelines: A Crash Course

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Tips from the Trenches: Addressing: To receive the most cost effective postage rates, the address label needs to follow a certain order to maintain the automation used when the USPS processes the mail. The top has to have the closest thing to a name and below it the company. The address has to be directly above the city, state and zip. Their scanners read from the bottom up, and the address line has to have a completely valid address.
	CPC Solutions Clyde Stone 2800 Printers Way Human Resource Department Grand Junction, CO 81506		CPC Solutions Clyde Stone 2800 Printers Way - Human Resource Department Grand Junction, CO 81506
			Clyde Stone CPC Solutions Human Resource Department 2800 Printers Way Grand Junction, CO 81506
Awesome App: Yes, the USPS has its own app and it has many handy tools such as the ZIP Code Look Up, delivery information with Track and Confirm, and a scanner for labels and QR Codes, to name a few. Interesting Integers: App Store Tops 40 Billion Downloads with Almost Half in 2012. Almost Famous Quote: We are mothers and fathers. And sons and daughters. Who every day go about our lives with duty, honor and pride. And neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a nation challenged, will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds. Ever. – USPS 2001 TV Commercial, which aired after 9/11.

BMW turns the M6 Coupe into a Press:

Checkout how BMW turned the M6 Coupe into a printing press for their own direct mail marketing piece.

The BMW Printing Press  

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video: Source - foldfactory.com

Featured: #134 (CLICK TITLE FOR VIDEO) Tri-fold with Surprise Lift-up Panels 

Tips from the Trenches: 

If we receive a job in CS6 and there is a spot color specified, we will contact the client and ask if they want it converted to the old Pantone library or the new Pantone Plus library. See our blog post from mid-October on the new Pantone Plus Series.

App-licious App:

Skitch is a great productivity tool that allows you to capture a screen shot and include arrows, text or drawings. This takes the guesswork out of what you are trying to communicate and it’s available as an app or a program for Mac, Windows or Windows 8.

Interesting Integers:

Nearly six out of 10 (57%) respondents deemed Facebook sponsored stories misleading. Source: Print in the Mix

Almost Famous Quote:

In a hurry to be generous

We're often in a hurry to finish. Or in a hurry to close a sale. What happens when we adopt the posture of being in a hurry to be generous? With resources or insight or access or kindness... It's an interesting sort of impatience. - Seth Godin

Direct Mail Gets Noticed

Did you receive any political mail this election cycle? As you may have heard, around $6 Billion was spent on elections and not all of it went to television ads. One of the most effective ways of reaching the entire population is through direct mail. Anybody with a roof over their head has a mailing address, and you get more than a subject line to get their attention. This political season, CPC Solutions printed and mailed over 24.5 million pieces in a three month period. We have seen a continued resurgence in direct mail as businesses try to acquire new customers with mail that gets noticed.

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video: Source - foldfactory.com 

Featured: Jumbo-sized Case Statement with Foldable Letters.

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Tips from the Trenches:  

For black solids, print them in CMYK. The recommended black build is C:50 M:30 Y:20 K:100. When you build a black solid, you get a much richer black. The exception to this rule is your everyday black type; type should always be just black ink.

App-licious App: 

Flipboard is a great app that consolidates your online news and social networks into a pleasant personal magazine.

Interesting Integers:

149 million - Number of businesses, P.O. boxes, and residences that received direct mail in the US.

Almost Famous Quote:

The soul is grounded, the energy changes with the times. -Dan Thurlow

USPS Rate Increase Set for January

Other highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 27, 2013, include:

• Letters (1oz.) – 1-cent increase to 46 cents
• Letters additional ounces – unchanged at 20 cents
• Postcards – 1-cent increase to 33 cents
• Letters to all international destinations (1oz.) - $1.10 (this is a new forever stamp being introduced)

The new postage DRAFT Pricing Files for all mailing and shipping services are available on the Postal Explorer (see the yellow text in the image for easy reference). We will update our Direct Mail Quick Guide in January and release it in one of our weekly email communiqués.

The Super-cool Fold Factory Video: Source - foldfactory.com

Featured: Bidirectional Accordion Fold with Glueless Pocket

Tips from the Trenches: Build Colors Out of CMYK

Working in CMYK can take much of the guess work out of color, especially with the changes in CS6. When building your documents in Illustrator and InDesign, it is imperative to be working in CMYK instead of RGB.  Use your CPC color chart or a Pantone Solid to Process color book and focus on the process CMYK colors. Your work will stay more consistent and you will avoid many of the surprises that arise from inaccurate color on your final piece.

App-licious App:

Dropbox is a great way to be everywhere at once. It allows you to easily share files with anyone. This tool may also be used on your laptop or desktop, whether you have a smart phone or not.

Interesting Integers: Source – Print in the Mix

55% of digital magazine readers “noted,” or read, a digital ad on their tablet or e-reader.

Almost Famous Quote:

You will suffer one of two pains, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. Jim Rohn