     
Users Guide to Mail Preparation at the University of Minnesota
INTRODUCTION
This guide has been prepared by Addressing & Mailing Services to provide general information and rates for the various mail services commonly used at the University. If your department is planning a mailing whether it is only a few pieces or thousands this guide can help you carry it through successfully.
Addressing & Mailing Services
The University of Minnesota's Addressing & Mailing Services is in business to help you handle small or large on-campus, off-campus, or coordinate campus mailings. We prepare all classes of mailings for the post office. Services include mailing-list maintenance, label generation, hand labeling, hand inserting, insert matching, machine labeling and inserting, ink jet addressing, tabbing, folding, weighing and metering, USPS sortation, and delivery to the Post Office.
Mail Decision Tree
The Postal Service provids this“decision tree”as an aid in the evaluation of whether matter containing “personal information” may be eligible as Standard Mail or is required to be sent as First-Class Mail.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
Before you start a mailing, you should consider all the work and time factors involved. Here are some questions you should ask:
Do envelopes need to be ordered? Addressing & Mailing keeps a stock of standard envelopes. They are also available through University Stores. For business envelopes with your University return address, call Printing Services at 625-9500.
Are any materials to be printed or duplicated? Printing Services (625-9500) can provide advice, cost estimates, graphic design, and printing when needed. When choosing the size and materials for a piece, keep its weight and dimensions in mind this will affect your mailing costs.
Do addresses need to be placed on material? Addressing & Mailing can import data from your computer via disks or via the network or e-mail. On most mailings where data is provided, the address is applied directly to the piece. This frees up your time and allows us to run your list through a presort program to obtain more economical postage rates.
Do you need to send Business Reply Mail envelopes or postcards? If so, call Addressing & Mailing at 625-6560 to get permission to use the University's Business Reply permit number in your mailings and to request requirements for proper format. (See Business Reply for more information about Business Reply Mail.)
Is the mailing going out First Class (faster and more expensive) or Standard (cheaper and slower, with a minimum of 200 pieces)? Or should you take advantage of a more specialized mail service such as Periodicals? If you have any questions about the most efficient and cost-effective way to complete a mailing, check this guide or call Addressing & Mailing Services at 626-0222. Allow three to five working days for us to process a large bulk mailing before we bring it to the Minneapolis post office. We turn around First Class Mail within 48 hours.
USING ADDRESSING & MAILING SERVICES
When you are ready to do a mailing you can place an order over the phone by calling us at 626-0222 or by sending a message electronically via E-mail to addrmail@umn.edu
We will need the following information:
Department name.
CUFS account string for billing.
A job title for clarification and identification.
The name and phone number of a contact person.
Your campus address and campus delivery code for delivery of extras.
An approximate date the materials will arrive in our department.
An approximate count of the number being mailed.
A job description of what we will be doing for you.
- prepare data - search for duplicates
- direct imprint addresses
- inserting (who will provide envelopes)
- what class of mail is this mailing (is the permit preprinted)
*Addressing & Mailing Services has the ability to receive your mailing list for processing on CD's as well as through the network via ftp or through E-mail with your data as an enclosure or attachments. Please call Faye at 626-1504 for details or send her an e-mail at: addrmail@umn.edu
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