If your business relies on the postal service to deliver documents containing protected personal information or rely on mailings reaching audiences punctually, here are several reasons why the design, address readability, and bar code formatting on your envelopes matters.
- Streamlined Automation. The USPS establishes dimensional, aspect ratio, and barcode standards for faster and more accurate processing by automated letter sorting machines. Envelopes that fail to comply will be separated out and metered at full-rate.
- Postage Discount Opportunities. Even with postage rates set to rise, you can still find ways to keep mailing costs low by using envelopes that comply with USPS mail promotion and incentive program guidelines. These programs can also increase engagement and response rates so fewer envelopes are discarded or go unopened.
- Timely Delivery. It would be a shame if all the work that went into your mailer goes to waste because mail is delayed. If envelopes fail to comply with standards, bar codes are mislabeled, or addresses can’t be read through envelope windows, you run the risk of having your communications misrouted or held up.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed complying to USPS guidelines. You’ve decided on what you’re going to mail and have a good idea of the type of envelope that best suits your purpose. Now you have to make sure that envelope meets size requirements and the regulations pertaining to clear zones for indicia, address, and barcode placement. If you’re planning on using windows envelopes, it’s also important to know the USPS standards for these type of envelopes.
You can follow these nine guidelines to ensure your business mailing and direct mail adhere to USPS regulations and gets delivered accurately and on time.
- Only use envelopes that adhere to USPS size and weight requirements and that can stand up to normal handling and machine sorting.
- Follow address placement rules so that the delivery address can easily be read by mail processing equipment.
- Correctly place postage and any other necessary postal markings in designated areas only.
- Don’t use closure devices that may damage the mail sorting equipment. These include protruding clasps, strings, buttons, or other devices.
- If you’re sending product samples through the mail, or intend to include swag or promotional items like pens or coins, follow rules for rigid and odd-shaped items. Mark containers with liquid clearly and include orientation arrows per regulations. The USPS provides some flexibility around the items you can mail, but they must be affixed and wrapped to other content in the envelope.
- If you’re including attachments on your envelope, such as labels or stickers, follow guidelines regarding label or sticker thickness, size, and placement.
- Ensure that barcodes are properly placed and formatted.
- Letter-size reply cards and envelopes that include Business Reply Mail, Courtesy Reply Mail, and other meter reply mail must meet physical standards as enclosures to qualify for special rates. Failure to comply will result in surcharges being assessed.
- Stay updated on USPS envelope standards as they change to keep pace with emerging technology and evolve to better serve the mailing needs of businesses.
Dimensional Requirements
Your business envelope must meet the following dimensional requirements for the USPS to classify it as a machineable and automated letter.
| Mailer Type | Min/Max Height | Min/Max Length | Clear Zones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business and Direct Mail Letter Envelopes | Minimum - 3.5” Maximum – 6-1/8” | Minimum - 5” Maximum – 11.5” | Address exhibit area: Left: .5” from edge Right: .5” from edge Top: 2.75” from bottom edge of piece Bottom: 5/8” from bottom edge of piece< |
| Window Envelope Sizes | Standard: 1.125” | Standard: 4.5” | Standard: Clear space 1/8’ between address block and left and right edges; clear space of 1/25” between top and barcode and address information line. |
| Postcard | 3.5” | 5” | On back: 1” blank square for indicia, address, barcode; 3.75” long by 2.25” zone in bottom right-hand corner |
| Brochure | 3.5” but no larger than 6” when folded | 5” long but no larger than 10.5” when folded | On back: 1” blank panel on back middle panel; leave 3.75” long by 2.25” high clear zone in bottom right-hand corner |
| Booklet/Catalog (must be rectangular) | 3.5” but no larger than 6” high | 5” but no more than 10.5” long | On back: 1” blank panel on back middle page; leave 3.75” long by 2.25” high clear zone top half of booklet |
Compliance with Industry Envelope Guidelines
Some industries such as finance or healthcare have specific regulations regarding the handling and mailing of sensitive information. Many of these issues are addressed through proper envelope printing and design. If you operate in an industry with strict private personal data handling regulations, failure to follow security envelope best practices can seriously harm the reputation of your company and expose it to risks of fines for data-handling noncompliance.
Customized security envelopes protect information with cross-hatched patterns printed inside the envelope to shield sensitive contents from being read when held up to a bright light. Tamper-evident envelopes reveal signs of illegal tampering or opening, and print and fulfillment centers can take extra steps by enclosing items like an addition layer of opaque material around credit cards. You should also use a USPS mail tracking service to monitor the status and delivery of secure communications.
Of course, if you handle and send personal consumer data, the envelopes you use for your communications are but one, and one of the last, components of security adherence you need to have in place. You must guarantee that personal data is transferred via encrypted networks and stored in high security areas with access protocols established. Equipment and processes should only be maintained and monitored in secure print and fulfillment centers by personnel trained to meet the security policies and procedures of your industry. That means HITRUST certification and HIPAA compliance, SOC2 Type2, ISO 27001 and other industry certifications and safeguards are followed at all times.
With so much at stake, it makes sense to rely on a professional envelope printing and mailing service that has experience and expertise with USPS regulations and can offer assurances of compliance with industry security frameworks and controls. Marketing.com can help you connect the dots to so your business mailings and envelopes meet USPS guidelines and all of your secure consumer communications are protected and kept industry compliant