This past year the United States Postal Service (USPS) delivered 167.6 billion pieces of mail to mailboxes across this country.  We take for granted the complex machine that enables a letter from one area to be personally delivered to another, no matter how remote.  Despite the legacy issues the USPS faces, the fact that this happens day in and day out is actually pretty remarkable; all for a reasonable rate. 

Digital communication is a great tool, which we all use, but when you need to deliver a letter or promotional direct marketing piece in the “real” world, the USPS can get it done.  To help us get it done, we rely on our mailing professionals at CPC Solutions and a handy website managed by the USPS, the Postal Explorer.  The link to the right has more than you ever wanted to understand about mailing, most of which you may not want to know! 

Once on the Postal Explorer website, you will find the Quick Service Guides to be the most useful, which are located under Domestic Mail.  We are here to help you navigate these regulations, so feel free to touch base.  Thank you for thinking of CPC Solutions for your next direct mail campaign. 

In case you did not notice, the United States Postal Service raised their rates on us again. Don’t worry; the USPS will have a difficult time collecting the postage due in this particular post.*

 

In the meantime, as our gift to you, we thought you may like our brand new Postal Rates Quick Guide. The two page PDF below is filled with valuable information distilled from the hundreds of pages of USPS regulations. It is intended to be a quick summary, but it should cover 80% of your needs (that old 80/20 rule is always working). If you have questions regarding the other 20%, feel free to contact us!

*Production Notes: The image above was created using our personalization software employing the Image Character Photoshop technique. A special stamp was created for each capital letter of the alphabet and we used its corresponding ASCII number, and then divided by three, to assign a “postage value” to it. That number was then added to the other letters in your name (using a value of 1¢ for each letter) and then subtracted from the new retail first class postage rate of 45¢, to come up with your postage due. These same techniques can be used in any variable data printed project as well!

                                                                The difference in size between a $100 bill and the largest postcard available

If we had a $100 bill for every time we printed a 9” x 6” or 8.5” x 5.5” postcard, then we would be swimming in cash.  There are many alternatives to what we think as the “standard” postcard size, often with the same postage costs. 

For example, many people do not realize that a postcard can be as large as 11.5” x 6.125” and still mail at the letter rate, meaning that $0.45 is all it would cost, if mailed first class, non-automated.  There are many variables in mail, so postage on that same card could cost as little as $0.142 to as much as $0.424 depending on the level of automation, class, mail stream entry point and zip code saturation (nonprofit is even lower).

Two things to consider when deciding on a postcard size:

1. Aspect ratio:  Simply put, it must be between 1.3 and 2.5 to maximize postal discounts.  Take the length and divide by the height, so 11.5”/6.125” equals 1.878.  A postcard can be any size within an aspect ratio of 1.3 and 2.5.  Anything outside of that ratio will mail as a flat.
2. Printing costs:  The optimal size will depend on your quantity and stock choice.

Click the links below for the official website on this topic. 

 

   Physical Standards for Commercial Letters and Postcards

 

   Designing Letters and Postcards for Automated Processing

 

For most of us, the direct mail process can feel like a mystery and its complete understanding elusive.  Perhaps it is our aversion to the voluminous regulations; or infinite variables that affect postage rates and the deliverability of a printed piece; or the nuances of the mailing panel and how it’s positioned on a postcard or catalog.  Whatever it is, over the next several weeks, we will provide valuable information to help you successfully navigate the world of direct mail. 

Despite the financial woes of the USPS, direct mail is alive and kicking.  According to Nielsen’s report, “The Evolution of Circulars: From Print to Digital, Q4 2011,” shoppers across the board state that direct mail is relied upon 67% of the time for sales and product information.  Permission based emails from retailers have an equivalent reach. 

According to the 11,000 shopper subset of the Nielsen Homescan panel, Millennials, the most tech-savvy generation, responded favorably to print as the most influential channel when deciding where to shop (direct mail – 92%).  Direct mail is still a valuable tool in the tool box.  We’ll help take the mystery out of maximizing its potential. 

Paper is the most recycled product compared to metal, glass, plastic and most other materials.  It is also biodegradable when it has a chance to mix with air, water and sunlight. 

Consider these facts:

• In 2010, 63% of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling – nearly 344 pounds for each man, woman and child in America¹.
• The recovery rate for other materials is much lower²:

                        7% for plastics

                        18% for electronic products

                        22% for glass

                        36% for metal

• The Unites States now dumps between 200 and 300 million electronic items per year.  E-waste represents an estimated 25% of waste in U.S. landfills and 70% of toxic waste found there.²

What does all of this mean?  As we have shown over the last 5 Paper Myth posts, paper is not as inefficient as many people believe.  Some efforts of “going green” are really aimed at “saving green,” which end up utilizing other resources anyway. 

All human activity uses resources and generates waste.  Technological progress and innovation will continue, as it should, so the real challenge is how to become more efficient using all of our communication tools, both print and electronic.

¹U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

²U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2008 Statistics

It has been said, “We will have paperless offices after we have paperless bathrooms.” 

Paper Myth #5 is “Recycled Paper is Always Better than Virgin Paper.”  This is not necessarily true.  Paper can be recycled an average of five times, which is why making all paper from 100% recycled fiber is not sustainable over the long run.  Introducing virgin fiber into the paper stream is essential.  As we have learned in previous Paper Myth emails, much of that new stock is grown in sustainable ways.

No matter what the inputs are, we all have a responsibility to promote the efficient use of our resources.  Recycling and using recycled content is surely part of that, which is why all our house sheets have at least 10% recycled content with some as high as 100%. 

CPC Solutions recycles over 1.5 million pounds of paper a year, which finds its way into paper towels, napkins, tissue and toilet paper¹.  This recycled paper helps supply restaurants, schools and yes, even our papered bathrooms. 

Production notes: The personalized image above was done by creating each letter out of shredded paper destined for recycling, photographed individually and merged with a database using special software for personalization.

¹All waste paper is sent to SCA Tissue in Flagstaff, AZ

Take only pictures and leave only footprints.  Any of us who have wandered into nature have probably heard that mantra.  Carbon footprint is the measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the CO₂ and other greenhouse gases (GHG) released into the atmosphere that have arisen through the manufacture and distribution of a product or service.

Consider these facts regarding paper’s carbon footprint: 

The Pulp and Paper Industry largely utilizes renewable energy sources that are considered carbon neutral to generate steam.¹

Sustainably managed forests are virtually carbon neutral.¹

Paper’s primary raw materials are renewable.

The paper and forest products industry replenishes more than it takes and ensures the sustainability of our forests by planting 1.7 million trees every single day, more than three times what is harvested.²

The U.S. Dept of Energy has stated that the carbon sequestered on forested lands in 2006 was greater than the carbon released from harvesting wood over the same period.

20% less CO₂ is used per year by a person reading a daily printed newspaper versus a person reading web-based news for 30 minutes a day.³

The same amount of CO₂ is used per year by all mail delivered to an average household in a year versus a coffee maker being on for one hour per day for one year.⁴

Knowledge is power.  Our goal is simply to educate, so we can all make the best decisions possible while keeping things in perspective.

¹Presentation from:  Lewis Fix, Vice President Brand Management & Sustainable Product Development, Domtar; Paul England, Environmental and Sustainability Manager, HP Indigo North America; Laura Field, Media Manager, HP Indigo North America

² Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program

³Swedish Royal Institute for Technology; Paper & the Environment, ATS Consulting 2007

⁴Life Cycle Inventory of the Mail; Greening the Mail Taskforce, 2008

Paper, kind of like Buffalo, NY, often gets a bad rap.  It is no secret that paper production consumes energy, but how does it compare to other industries for which we rely on daily?  The chart below illustrates electricity use by industry from 2006.  In 2011, servers and data centers are projected to use 107 billion kWh*  These numbers are not even accounting for the energy it takes to read this email on PCs, MacBooks, smart phones and iPads.        *U.S. Dept of Energy

At CPC Solutions, about 85% of our paper is purchased from Sappi’s mill in Cloquet, MN.  Sappi’s paper is made with 100% Green-e renewable electricity.  To find out more than you probably want to know about carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates (RECs), click the Green-e logo below.

Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products.  Compared to other materials, wood and paper-based goods, produced in a sustainable manner, can be a wise choice because:

• They come from a renewable resource
• They capture carbon
• They store carbon
• They are recyclable

A reputable company will have some level of certification.  At CPC Solutions, we are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and all of our house sheets are FSC certified papers that use recycled content, some as much as 100% recycled fiber (i.e., Reincarnation Matte by New Leaf Paper).  FSC certified forest products are verified from the forest of origin through the supply chain.  Ask to have the FSC logo on your next project.

Click here to learn more about FSC Certification

We learned at a young age to have respect for nature, so carving your name into a tree was never acceptable - even if it was to express one’s undying love.  Over the next several weeks, to help balance the conversation in today’s electronic world, we will address the most common myths about paper and trees.

Today, we discuss forests.  For every tree harvested, several more are planted, or naturally regenerated, in its place.  Consider these facts:

Annual net growth of U.S. forests is 36% higher than the volume of annual   tree removals.

The paper and forest products industry replenishes more than it takes and ensures the sustainability of our forests by planting 1.7 million trees every single day, more than three times what is harvested.

There are nearly 750 million acres of forests in the U.S - about the same as 100 years ago.

600 million seedlings planted annually supplement natural regeneration in Canada.

“Forestry is the most sustainable of all the primary industries that provide us with energy and materials…To address climate change, we must use more wood, not less. Using wood sends a signal to the marketplace to grow more trees…”

Dr. Patrick Moore, Co-founder of Greenpeace Chair/Chief Scientist of Greenspirit Strategies Ltd “An Inconvenient Fact”, The Vancouver Sun August 29, 2007.

Source regarding the facts in this blog: HP, American Printer and Domtar Paper

We all have much to be grateful for this holiday season, so please have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We’ll have limited hours on Friday, November 25th, and back on Monday all fattened up to get us through the winter. 

In the right-hand column, under Weblinks, is a little holiday entertainment brought to you by Sappi Papers.  Click to see Off Register’s Thanksgiving adventure.

When did you first realize your name was important to you?  Was it when you signed your own letter to Santa Claus; if you even believed in that sort of thing?  Or was it when you proudly signed every piece of artwork you produced as a child, even that piece made from uncooked elbow macaroni? 

The last post in our personalization series focuses on what we call the Image Character Live.  Live because we use a live piece of art such as a drawing or object and then convert it, essentially, into a custom font. 

Does using your first name in zany ways seem trite and overused?  Perhaps, but when you step back and consider the end-user, you realize that the use of our names in everyday conversation is important and it breaks down barriers.  Below is a link to a blog that you might find interesting as it relates to first names.

What would be a stocking, hung on the quintessential mantel over the fireplace, if it were not personalized?  Imagine the chaos and confusion that would ensue.  You too can bring clarity and nostalgia to your marketing pieces by utilizing what we call the Image Character Photoshop effect, the fifth trick in our ongoing series.

Personalization using a name is the first step, but true one to one marketing goes even deeper.  In a study conducted in July, 2011, three-quarters (74%) of North American consumers said they "don't feel they're receiving a benefit from sharing personal information with marketers," and just 52% said they somewhat or strongly agree with the statement that companies use their personal data "so they can better serve me," according to a survey designed to test consumer attitudes about personal data collection and use by marketers.  To read the full post, click Print in the Mix below.

The “tiling” technique is the fourth trick in our personalization series.  Tiling is best suited for grid-like images, such as windows in a skyscraper, bricks in a driveway or ink swatches on a color chart.  Your product, service or environment probably has grid-like images associated with it.  When someone sees their name blended with your image, happiness and bonding will result; subconsciously at least.  If you’re not feeling that way now, perhaps it's because your last name isn't Picasso!

Do you remember the slogan; M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand?  M&Ms may not melt in your hand, but they sure do get sticky if held too long. 

Part three in our series about personalization tricks revolves around the “fill randomly” technique.  The sample shown in this post is a good example of how it can be utilized.  The trick is making it look real and legible.  Baseballs, golf balls, popcorn or jelly beans are all objects that would work well.  Imagine a postcard targeting golfers with their name, message or offer written in golf balls.  Send a marketing piece that the recipient will want to keep for awhile (aka sticky) and your chances of a response increase.

Giving your marketing a name badge is easier than you think.  Part two in our series about personalization tricks revolves around the “masking” technique.  The samples shown in this post are variations of that method.  It is a relatively easy way to create an effect to personalize any piece while using variable data printing or email.

Picking up from our last post, we’re going to touch on the first “trick,” which is purchasing one of the hundreds of templates that already exist.  Imagine what your clients will think when they see their name or company name in a festive ornament.  Their first reaction will be, “How did they do that?”

Personalization has come a long way in the last decade, but it is still underutilized.  Let it elevate your response rates and the campaign’s overall effectiveness.  Over the next several weeks, we’ll explain in detail how we can help you with the following personalization tricks.

CPC Solutions is the only company on the western slope of Colorado to achieve Full Service Certification through the United States Postal Service.  To qualify for Full Service Certification, CPC Solutions committed to a thorough validation process analyzing our intelligent mail capabilities and our ability to interface effectively with the USPS. Mail processing performed at CPC Solutions now exceeds the highest standards set by the USPS.

In short, Full Service Certification offers our clients the following:

• Faster mail entry with electronic submission
• Maximum postage discounts
• Maximum mail tracking capabilities within the postal system
• Seasonal and special USPS promotional discounts

Published from printinthemix.rit.edu

Twitter Analysis from the marketing consulting firm Winterberry Group, entitled “Outlook 2011 What to Expect in Direct & Digital Marketing,” shows a positive outlook for direct channels in 2011.

Spending on direct mail is expected to increase 5.8% in 2011, to $47 billion dollars.  This surge is driven by a return to acquisition mail led by financial services, retail, and automotive, according to the report.

The HP Indigo Press, which we use for variable data printing and short run projects, has a special ink called Digital Matte. It's not technically a varnish, but it has the appearance of one.  It adds a nice touch to those special projects.  Please click on the link to access the How-to Guide.  http://www.redline.com.gr/pdf/matte.pdf

HP Indigo Digital Matte ink creates a differential gloss effect to add impact and sophistication to graphics and design.

For the last several years JUCO baseball cards have been a big hit at the tournament. Some cards even selling on e-Bay for hundreds of dollars. In this edition of 11 Cares for Business, Aaron Luna takes us inside the local company that makes them, CPC Solutions.  View entire story by clicking 11 News below.

Since 1971 CPC Solutions has been designing and printing the Junior College (JUCO) World Series Program. In 1998, we took over all aspects of marketing and selling the program as well.

Look for us on Channel 11 (KKCO, Grand Junction, CO) on Sunday, 5/29/11, at 5:30 and 10:00 pm.  We should be on both time slots unless we get bumped for a more tantalizing news story, but I can't imagine that.

The Postal Regulatory Commission has approved a 3% postage discount for First Class and Standard Mail containing QR Codes.  The discount is effective July 1st to August 31st, 2011.  Step into the future with a QR Code on your next direct mail project; everybody's doing it! 

Neal Sceva, a 30-year veteran of the direct marketing industry and an integrated solutions specialist at CPC Solutions, is a QR Code enthusiast. We asked him to contribute a post about the benefits of this innovative technology and he was happy to oblige. Thanks Neal.

Either you’ve seen them or heard about them – those funny looking B&W squares in advertisements, on billboards and, with growing popularity, on business cards. They’re QR (Quick Response) Codes.

CPC Solutions is seeking motivated printing professionals in all departments: Digital, Prepress, Press, Bindery, and Mailing. Responsibilities include operating and maintaining equipment, organizing and prioritizing tasks, and contributing to our team environment. Email your resume to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Domestic Mail Manual of the U.S. Post Office is over 700 pages long, so an understanding of their rules and regulations is daunting. A professional mailing service will pay for itself over time with information about proper mail preparation for maximum postage discounts. Consider us your experts for dealing with the Post Office—just like a good CPA can help you navigate the rocky shoals of tax codes, so can CPC’s mailing service help you achieve maximum discounts with minimal hassle. Some rules apply: design, data, format, and language can make all the difference between a mail piece that goes for the least amount of postage and one that is rejected.

Join us on Tuesday, April 26th, for food and drinks as we host the Grand Junction Chamber Business After Hours networking event.  The much talked about CPC Peeps Museum will be open to all and participants will get to vote on their favorites. 

The categories are:

1. Best Peeps Parody
2. Most Creative
3. Most Edible
4. Most Detailed
5. Funniest
6. Best of Show

The CPC Peeps Museum is a great example of the fun and creativity that weaves through all of us here at CPC Solutions.  More Photos can be found at facebook.com/useCPCsolutions.

Did you know that, according to a Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) survey, almost 58% of all files entering prepress production fail. Most of the errors are quite common and could easily be avoided.

Here are some tips that could help your files get through the proofing process quicker and save you valuable time and resources! If you have any questions about file preparation, please contact your CPC customer service representative or let us test your files ahead of time to ensure your project runs smooth as silk. Read more to find 8 useful tips.