How the USPS sees your mail (informational)

[CakesThe Baker]

The first thing it looks for is a stamp. If the stamp is out of place, then the letter has to wait until the end of the night to be handsorted/handcancelled. If there is no stamp AT ALL, it is certain to be go back to sender . it has a MUCH better chance of passing with an easter seal on there than if it has no stamp at all.

MAIL1.jpg

Number two is the address. it has to be in the "regular" area for the machine to be able to identify it. like if it is too low where the barcode goes or, worse, if the machine can't find the address because the letter is backwards/had the stamp in the wrong corner.

The machine likes dark writing on light paper but it doesn't like to be able to see dark writing through the envelope. It is better to use a "security" envelope than to have one where the writing shows through (security envelopes are the ones with the squiggly blue lines inside). for plain white envelopes, then wrapping the letter in a blank paper can help. If the letter gets misidentified for whatever reason (not just see-throughs), then it can get into a loop where it gets sent back and forth from the PO it is barcoded to and the PO for the written/actual addressee. it will take someone a while to notice the barcode is the wrong one.

The barcode is also important ff you are forwarding a piece of mail to someone; you have to look for that barcode and scratch it out or the mail will keep coming back to your local PO. Also if forwarding, you should obiliterate the entire written old address; it does not always work if you just write 'please forward' and make a polite line through the old addy; because the PO rules say that it must have an official forward stamp inked on before the old address can be ignored UNLESS the old address cannot be seen anymore. That means you can make it get forwarded instead of waiting for nature to happen..which nature would be it goes to the main facility and then back to your carrier and IF the carrier sees it then he stamps it<<no one but ur carrier can stamp it and he rarely looks at mail when he picks it up from your house.

That barcode is very very seldom wrong. but it has happened. We are now switching over to a zip+4+2, so you never know, there might be a few blips that surface like there was on the last switch. if your mail is slow or marked up it is worth checking. You can check by counting your own barcode.

barcodez.jpg

if the barcode is for zip+4+2 that means 11 numbers. so each number takes 5 barcodes..it means 55 little lines to count. but also there will be five extra because the machine will be checking it's self. so you have to add all the numbers in the zip code up. like if my zip was 96075-9731-38 then it would add up to 58. so the machine will print a two. if it had added to 57 it would have printed a three. if 56 a four. if 66 a four. i hope you get it.

so there will be 60 little lines to count but also there will be that first bracket AND an end bracket. so 62 lines at most.

The zip+4+2 number is usually your zip+4 plus the last two digits of your house number. or the last two digits of your PO BOX number. But you can try to look it up online; right now all the official PO website will give you is the zip+4.
here:
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

The longer zip code pinpoints your exact house so it means that if a letter gets that barcode it doesn't need ANY more sorting..till that happens each PO may have to look at it plus each carrier has to sort each piece for his route by hand every morning and it takes him about 3 hours.

You can print out a mailing label with the barcode or entire zip at some of the online sites but do not bother unless you are going to make sure it is all very exact because the machine at the PO is actually very good at reading but very bad at dealing with any mistakes already coded on. Also it is better not to even write a part of the address at all unless you know it is right. like if you know the zip but not the city, leave the city off. or vice verse. the machine will know it.

last..make sure the address is in the right order. the PO reads from the bottom up.

101 MAIN STREET
#102
SEASIDE CA 92301

^^that letter can go to 102 MAIN STREET. it should be:

#102
101 MAIN STREET

Or if writing to a foreign country, always put the country name at the bottom. never write anything below or to the right of it, especially do not put any numbers there.

[Waitin4BlueEyes]

Interesting and helpful, thank you!

[sidewalker]

grrrrrrrrrrrr
so why does alot of mail end up being dps'ed UPSIDEDOWN?

print clearly,
use a zip code......
and try to use white envelopes.
colored ones mess up the auto system.

used to be better when we had PEOPLE working the mail, instead of machines.
and if you move......file your change of address WITH THE HARD COPY.
otherwise........your carrier has NO IDEA you moved.
not really prison related, but just saying.

(if you do use the computer it will charge you......if you use hard copy, as of this date, there is no charge..........AND we (carriers) will know you have moved. otherwise it takes a while for us to know)
I is a carrier........

[CakesThe Baker]

good advice Brother.

used to be better when we had PEOPLE working the mail, instead of machines.

I can tell you are one of those old school carriers. i respect it but want to stick up and say that the OCR can process 200,000 pieces per hour while I can only do 3600 on an MPLSM. and i bet he gets a LOT less wrong than i do, he he.

The machines are one reason we can get our first class mail carried for less than cost. BBM is the other; which is Bulk Business Mail but at the PO we call it Bread and Butter Mail because that is where the PO makes it's money.

OCR - optical character reader
MPLSM - multi position letter sorting machine (which is about ten people each using a keyboard to sort mail that passes by conveyor style; 50 - 60 per minute depending if it is just the zip or the address).

[spbabie112]

Thank you!

[shygirl25]

thanks for the info.....very helpful

[CakesThe Baker]

so why does alot of mail end up being dps'ed UPSIDEDOWN

ok. I've been thinking about this and finally figured out you mean that when you as a carrier are getting it to sort it is all misfaced. ok. and i can tell you. it happens a few ways.

one, is the little bin at the back of the MPLSM machine gets full and starts spilling everywhere. when sorting to carrier, the MPLSM operators rarely get someone who is there just to clear their mail. yes they get up and take turns but full bins happen and so spills. also at the end of the night is a blitz to finish so every minute you stay up clearing is a minute that no sorting occurs.

two, the slide into the bin is such that LOTS of letters fall not right. they are supposed to land in a little stack but they overshoot the stack and land on end, wedged between the stack and the wall of the bin. so when clearing those, they often end up misfaced from the regular stack.

three, when emptying the bin at all you have to do it handful by handful and then put it in the letter tray that gets shipped to the carrier. but over the course of the night, each handful will land a little different than the last and there is nothing to hold it neatly if you have only one handful in an entire tray; the letters end up sliding all around and future handfuls go on top of the ones that are now lying flat..etc.

four, every extra handful that gets stuffed in means you do not have to replace the tray yet or take the cage to the loading dock and some folks don't really like to do anything but key the mail.

five, if i am sorting, especially by hand, i do not always need to see the letter upright all the time. so u can be getting some that were sent to us misfaced.

[PTO-92958]

Does that also explain why the stamp is not always "cancelled"?

[crissk]

Originally Posted by Karyne

Does that also explain why the stamp is not always "cancelled"?

I love when that happens....I reuse the stamp

[CakesThe Baker]

The letter has already been faced before it reaches the point in the machine where it gets cancelled. sometimes it just goes by without being cancelled<exactly why it happens I cannot tell you due to that is about the only machine I never worked on but it is my feeling that it gets fed through more than one at a time. grabbing and sending one at a time is about the worst failure for all the machines and the machine that faces and cancels is the very first machine the PO made<so it is the crudest.

[MollyBawn]

I have a question:
(or several!)

When putting on stamps for an overweight letters, say a 6 x 9 manilla envelope and we need to put on one stamp plus 3 17 centers, what is the best way to do that? All in one line or in two lines or what? Does it make a difference? Should we try and line the stamps up so that the bottom edges are parallel?

I have lately started using 59 Cent stamps for the first 2 ounces just to save room and that seems to help but sometimes I still have heavier weight envelopes and need to stick the stamps on in 2 rows.

How about the gals who are doing the upside down and sideways stamps to send a secret love message - does that screw up the mail in any way? I would imagine that upside down isn't so much a problem but tipping things diagonally and sideways might be. Am I right?

[CakesThe Baker]

That is a very valid question but fact is i do not think it matters much as long as they are in the general area. Making the edges straight is logical but it appears to not matter much.

as far as straight line verse double line, those buggers seem to get faced too and so no slow down processing wise. like they wouldn't send it through the machine again or pull it to the side for handcancelling due to the double line. So my feeling on it so far has been to utilize the double line because sometimes that second line gets by without cancelling at all and so can be reused.

getting all the stamps on there is like a jigsaw puzzle sometimes! If someone were purchasing postage online, then they can print out their own postage on their computer printer. So then you could have the choice of using large denominations; so no clutter of many smaller value stamps. Printing your own postage can also mean you might choose to make custom pictures on your stamps too. more about that here:

http://www.usps.com/postagesolutions/customizedpostage.htm

how many to put on there..here is a great post of yours from another thread about postage required, MollyB, thanks for setting me straight about the jump that happens at 3.5oz:

The general rule is the 1st ounce is 42 cents and then 17 cents each extra ounce up to 3.5 ounces. if it's 3.6 up to 4.9 then it jumps to $1.34. If it's 5 ounces it's $1.51...

Go here to calculate postage by weight:

http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatep...lculatepostage

and here is a printable table of postage by weight for letters:

http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm

where to get that postage..i had to get set straight by the lady behind the cybercounter..i had thought international people could order online. they can't. but they can do it by phone or mail:

so i guess it's just one dollar handling/shipping. Except if you want a special order of stamps, like if you ask them to tear out a certain number and send then it is an additional $2.

all payments in US dollars of course.

and boo on them for not formating their own address in the appropriate fashion (all capitals, no punctuation).

but yea for their prompt reply.

[barbie113]

This was a really interesting read! Thanks so much!

[jasonzwifey2011]

Cakes, U r awesome! Thank you SO much for the insight in to the Hallowed Halls of Communication to my Baby... LOL I loved hearing all about it and the making of the postage stamps is my favorite thing. I'm addicted to the Zazzle stamps... I'm really sick because who freakin pays 17$ for a book of stamps just so I can have our pics on them.. LOL Anyway, thanks again for such a great thread.... Have a good one,

(~*Meri*~)

[gypsyish]

Originally Posted by jasonzwifey2011

I'm addicted to the Zazzle stamps... I'm really sick because who freakin pays 17$ for a book of stamps just so I can have our pics on them..

I must be sick too then, because I never realized you could do this, and I'm about to jump all over it ^_^

[NikkiKillsHA310]

Originally Posted by gypsyish

i must be sick too then, because i never realized you could do this, and i'm about to jump all over it ^_^

haha yes same here

[sidewalker]

I thought I would add a few things about stuff that might be helpful.

You can put up to 7 pieces of paper in one envelope (business size) and it will get thru with one stamp. (not using amounts here because the cost keeps rising each may)

With the last change some new *rules* about cost/weight etc...went into effect.
If your letter is over 1/4 inch thick.......it will require more postage. (again, not putting how much because that cost changes each may)

If your letter cannot be folded.......(like a large manilla envelope with say photos in it.....) it also has a different rate. Check with the PO as to how much postage to put on.

if your letter is very very small......(for the life of me, I cant remember the dimentions) there will be a surcharge for that too.

About delivery.......
its really not funny about dogs loose.
REALLY talk to your carrier about your situation. Like when you will be out of town and think well.......I'll let the mail stay in the box. dont.
Pick it up at LEAST every three days. If you will be out of town, fill out a vacation card a few days prior to leaving.
If you move TELL YOUR CARRIER. Fill out a hard copy for a change of address.
If you live in an apt. LET YOUR CARRIER know your last name!!!!!!!!! And every last name of everyone receiving mail at that address. (I use little sticky papers and write everyones last name on it....) I could care less how many live in one place.......I just want to make sure the correct people are getting mail there.
If you are moving and dont want to fill out a change of address.......you really should tell your carrier your moving but dont want your mail forwarded.

About rumors.
its currently a rumor that we will not be delivering mail on saturdays. (this weekend being an exception...lol)
So far this is only a rumor. There is talk about ending 6 day delivery and going to 5 days. Not sure if Sat is going to be it. Nobody at usps wants to go to 5 days. There is also talk about tuesday being a day we might consider stopping delievery. AGain, not confirmed but being discussed. Its also only going to be considered as a temporary measure, at this time.

one more thing.....
yeah. We DO have to deliver *junk* mail. No we cant give it to someone else.
Someone pays postage on that stuff and we are expected to deliver it.

[JaydedDragon]

Originally Posted by sidewalker

one more thing.....
yeah. We DO have to deliver *junk* mail. No we cant give it to someone else.
Someone pays postage on that stuff and we are expected to deliver it.

This thread is awesome, but this statement BY FAR is my favorite!!! LOVE IT !!
But my PO has a recycle bin there to throw the 'junk mail' in to. (i live in a small enough town where everyone is REQUIRED to have a PO Box...scary...LOL )

Thank you to Cakes and all the mail carriers for their very useful info here!!

[t'slovingwife]

Thanks for this info--very useful indeed.

[jstlove]

wow interesting

[CakesThe Baker]

You can put up to 7 pieces of paper in one envelope (business size) and it will get thru with one stamp.

i believe that is 7 pieces of typing/printer paper. but, the USPS says only 3 sheets of paper in an envelope will equal an ounce!!

lined notebook paper is very light. i routinely include 15 sheets But trick is to crease it well so it lays flat. i use flat tool like a spoon to crease it.

making a scale can tell you for sure. a scale from a coat hanger works fine. a string with sandwich bag at either end; one bag for the letter and one for the right number of coins to equal your weight.
5 quarters equals one ounce/first class stamp.

measure two stacks of coins against each other to test. slide bag closer to adjust.

for various sized letters, here is what other coins weigh:
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=coin_specifications

The first envelopes were made of cloth, animal skins, or vegetable parts. The Babylonians wrapped their message in thin sheets of clay that were then baked.

If your letter is over 1/4 inch thick...
..it will require more postage.

it is non-machinable so costs more to process.

If your letter cannot be folded.......(like a large manilla envelope with say photos in it.....) it also has a different rate.

no one is allowed to fold mail but it does have to bend/get flexed back and forth as it feeds through the serpentine belts. so, what he means is, if the letter is non-machinable, like, if you write 'do not fold', then it might be charged the non-machinable rate if someone notices (majority of letters do not get seen by people).

large manila envelopes per se are machinable but do have a different rate than envelopes.

might be interested to know that packages are now machined as well. so it is extra important to wrap/tape them seamlessly.

a piece of mail that gets caught in the machine is a terrible thing to behold; usually it just gets terribly mangled but sometimes it ends as a small wad of black grease. such letters are sent to the NIXIE cage for bagging into an apology bag before continuing, if possible, through delivery stream. NIXIE recommends including an address inside mail in case something happens to the outside.

if your letter is very very small...
..it will require more postage.

perhaps he meant Big, because small pieces are unsendable.

size rules but includes current postage rates for all:
http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm

A schoolmaster from England invented the adhesive postage stamp in 1837, an act for which he was knighted.

If you will be out of town, fill out a vacation card a few days prior to leaving.

USPS will hold your mail up to 30 days.

you may be able to request a hold online (online requests limited to certain zip codes at this time)
or
call 1·800·ASK·USPS
or
just fill out the form

ps-most postal forms Are online.

USPS also offers Temporary Forwarding for a fee.

If you move TELL YOUR CARRIER. Fill out a hard copy for a change of address.

since catching a carrier may be difficult for people with day jobs it is good to know that a forwarding order takes 2 weeks until it can be effective. USPS recommends submission one month before the move. Forwarding orders are good for one year.

I use little sticky papers and write everyones last name on it

i don't know if he meant On the box or for his personal use But it has been said that publically available names on a mailbox can be a security risk.

I'll let the mail stay in the box. dont.

unlocked mailboxes can allow identity theft. Postal Inspectors also recommend depositing sensitive mail in locked boxes. more safety recommendations and listings of current known frauds here:
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/

you can also report fraud there.

In 1653, Frenchman, De Valayer established a postal system in Paris. He set up mail boxes and delivered any letters placed in them if they used envelopes that only he sold. An enemy put live mice into the letter boxes and ruined De Valayer's business.

Postal Inspectors not only watch the public, they watch employees; from mirrored windows on elevated walkways over the workfloor. Sometimes the public may get a glimpse of the walkways from the front counter. Carriers also get watched for safety violations/followed as they deliver mail. the pressure to achieve high performance can be intense and the stress has been blamed for postal employees 'going postal'.

There is talk about ending 6 day delivery and going to 5 days.

There was a terrible stink when USPS discontinued twice daily deliveries in 1950 but the change from 6 days to 5 days makes sense to me since 5 day workweeks are standard. and it is unreasonable to expect that a substitute carrier could possibly be as efficient given the details involved. the sub would have to know How many routes? at least five of them If kept in a fixed rotation.

I am not sure exactly How many details it would be for a carrier but to sort a specific zip code in the Main Facility means memorization of 3000 or more items. some sorters Do know multiple zip codes but darn it's a lot and if you don't use it you lose it.

typical things a sorter would be memorizing. a street may have more than one carrier so address numbers below a certain point may go to various carriers. And a street may be divided odd and even address numbers since travelling down one side of a street is more efficient than zigzagging across the street. or some business are large and get their own designation apart from the business' on either side of them. This sorting can be keyed by live operators on an MPLSM at 50 per minute. it happens all night. days are for processing of bulk mail and hardly anyone is in the main facility at that time because first class mail is not yet picked up.

On July 1, 1963 the Post Office Department (which later became known as the United States Postal Service) introduced the ZIP Code, which stands for Zone Improvement Plan. The first digit in the ZIP Code represents a general area of the United States ("0" on the east coast to "9" in the west); following two numbers denote regional areas; last two numbers are specific Post Office locations.

to ease the acceptance of the program, an advertising campaign featuring Mr. ZIP was created.

mrzip.gif

yeah. We DO have to deliver *junk* mail. No we cant give it to someone else.

approximately 90% of junk mail can be eliminated by registering at two free sites:
http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/junkmail.htm

persistant trolls can be stopped with Form 1500. in the 1970s, the Supreme Court ruled that the form can be used for any type of junk mail that the receiver considers to be 'pandering'.

USPS Postal Bulletin 21977:

The prohibitory order. This order aids in protecting customers from receiving pandering advertisements through the mail. An addressee may obtain a prohibitory order against the mailer of an advertisement that the addressee determines, in his or her sole discretion, to be offering matter for sale that is erotically arousing or sexually provocative. Postmasters may not refuse to accept a Form 1500 (just) because the advertisement in question does not appear to be sexually oriented. Only the addressee may make that determination. The order prohibits the mailer from sending any further mail to the applicant effective on the 30th calendar day after the mailer receives the order.

so if junk mail really burns your ***, you can use form 1500.

grrrrrrrrrrrr
so why does alot of mail end up being dps'ed UPSIDEDOWN?

he meant the mail in trays like this:

DPSed upsidedown.jpg

[sidewalker]

No! Cakes........I did mean small.
too small will have a surcharge. I know, Ive seen it.
I dont know the amount of the surcharge, but there is one.

they have templates with the sizes on it. Of course, us carriers are not really privy to that, but I'd love to have one. Would make my life easier!lol

the stickys Im talking about are for APT box delivery only.
no one but me will see the names.
Unless your looking over my shoulder as I deliver.
then I'll ask you ever so politely to move it or lose it..........(kidding)

I deliver in a college town. many changes of addresses. One month is too long of a wait for me, when I have so many apts, with so many changes.
two weeks. better for us. better for you.



and lastly..........sidewalker, (thats me)
is a woman!!!!!!!! a she, not a he.

[CakesThe Baker]

i'm happy to have this thread too. i love the PO. i used to work there with my grandma.

Originally Posted by sidewalker

No! Cakes........I did mean small.
too small will have a surcharge. I know, Ive seen it.
I dont know the amount of the surcharge, but there is one.

they have templates with the sizes on it. Of course, us carriers are not really privy to that, but I'd love to have one. Would make my life easier!lol

that template is a Notice 3A:
Notice 3A.jpg

it Says no small letters are mailable. but it doesn't surprise me that Everything is getting mailed, LOL. funniest thing i ever saw was a coconut with stamps on it.

the USPS website says you can get a plastic version of that template from large post offices or from your closest Business Mail Entry Office. they also have other templates and guidelines here:
http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/mpdfr_addl_all.asp

i called and requested one (plus the template that shows machinable qualities (Notice 67)). we'll see if they send them.

the stickys Im talking about are for APT box delivery only.
no one but me will see the names.
Unless your looking over my shoulder as I deliver.
then I'll ask you ever so politely to move it or lose it..........(kidding)

LOL. i think you Are authorized to use all necessary force to insure the sanctity of the mail. LOL.

deliver in a college town. many changes of addresses. One month is too long of a wait for me, when I have so many apts, with so many changes.
two weeks. better for us. better for you.

what do u mean. i meant the PO says customer is supposed to file it a month before the move.

and lastly..........sidewalker, (thats me)
is a woman!!!!!!!! a she, not a he.

. sorry, it's just that everyone is a he on the internet until they say different.

[CakesThe Baker]

Originally Posted by CakesThe Baker

plastic version of that template from large post offices or from your closest Business Mail Entry Office. they also have other templates and guidelines here:
http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/mpdfr_addl_all.asp

i called and requested one

woo!!! arrived today. it was free and sent after just a phone message on their machine; no explanation on my part, i just said i wanted one

they did lie about the 3A template being plastic. it is only thin cardboard so you might have to laminate it, Ms. Sidewalker.

[PTO-92958]

Originally Posted by sidewalker

and lastly..........sidewalker, (thats me)
is a woman!!!!!!!! a she, not a he.

Originally Posted by CakesThe Baker

. sorry, it's just that everyone is a he on the internet until they say different.

LOL!!!
Those who are new, or not "in the know" always call me a "he" too!
What, chicks can't be prizefighters too?