The design of the new statement drove our new requirements for a document composition system. The new statement uses graphics as well as one-to-one marketing messages and we found that there were just a couple of companies who could deliver all our requirements and run in a high-volume production environment.
— Barry Elliott
Time Customer Service
Featured White Paper
Getting Smart About Intelligent Mail®
Provides insight into the 2009 USPS® Intelligent Mail Barcode requirements and how you can leverage and optimize the new intelligence across your mailstream.
How MailStream Plus™ Works
MailStream Plus™ prepares mail and mailing summary reports according to USPS® regulations, reducing the time and money it costs to do a mailing.
It starts with the input file, which may contain addresses, ZIP Codes and other information. Users simply define the content and format of the input file to MailStream Plus™, define processing requirements, select which optional reports to print, and define the content and layout of the output records. At the user’s request, MailStream Plus™ can append mail handling (endorsement) data, container and package numbers, or even the presort level, to your output records.
MailStream Plus™ produces the forms that the USPS needs to verify and accept mail, using parameter record definitions to fill in the blanks. MailStream Plus™ also generates the reports that give the breakdown of a mailing, helping the mail shop to group, bundle, and package the mail pieces.
MailStream Plus™ uses our proprietary USPS reference files to calculate:
- Presorts
- Delivery counts
- ZIP Code directory
- USPS® Zone list
- Routing maps
- Destination data
- Sequencing data
Step 1: Generate Presort Statistics–Count Name and Address Records
MailStream Plus™ searches your mail file to create a statistical record that includes the required information for your mailing. To do this, the program looks for, among other things, the ZIP Code, ZIP+4 Code, carrier route code and piece ID.
Step 2: Perform Presort Computations
MailStream Plus™ uses the presort statistics generated in the previous step to presort the mail. The output from this step is a file of detail statistics records that describe the presort of the name/address file.
Step 3: Post Statistics to Name/Address Records
Then, MailStream Plus™ posts the statistical information created by the presort computations function to the name/address records. The name/address records are then sorted into mailing sequence according to the final sequence number.
Step 4: Print Reports
Once MailStream Plus™ processes and updates the input files, the report program produces a data file and report files:
- Mail.dat file
- Bag/tray tags file
- USPS®-required reports
- Internal (mail room) reports
Some of the reports may be optional, depending on your mailing requirements. For example, the USPS® requires a Postage Statement report for every presorted bulk mailing, but a Carrier Walk Sequence report would be required only if you are doing certain enhanced carrier route presorts.