. . . Mail.dat standards require that each Mail.dat file set have a unique Job ID for a period of one year compared to all other Job IDs from the same source. IDEAlliance reports that this is not occurring in many cases. MailStream Plus 6.3.4 now offers the ability of generating a unique Job ID for you if you wish. If you do not specify a RP INF MDMFJI parameter record in your job, MailStream Plus 6.3.4 will generate a Job ID that will be unique for at least 10 years.

. . . Effective June 30, 2002, all domestic postage statements will be revised and new statements will be added to implement the rate and classification changes resulting from R2001-1. All mailers must use the June 2002 editions of the postage statements (or approved facsimiles), which include the new certification language and formats required for new reporting and data collection procedures in the permit system. All previous versions are obsolete as of June 30, 2002, and must not be used.

For more information or a copy of the complete article, please refer to the Special Postal Bulletin, May 9, 2002.

. . . Users of SortStream Canada V2.3.1 : A recent product update (SSC2315d2) was sent to all users to update the software with patch S05. Installation is mandatory and Canada Post Corporation will be checking for "SO5" to be printed on the "Bundle and Container Summary." If "SO5" does not appear on this summary, there is a possibility that your mail will be rejected.

MailStream Plus Version 6.3.4 received its PAVE certification* on May 24, 2002 and shipments began heading out the doors on May 28. Group 1 is very pleased to be the lone "retail" vendor currently certified, and plans to have all platforms ship before close-of-business May 31. When you receive your release, please make sure to take the time to completely review all accompanying documentation, whether it's in the shipping box or on our Web site.

For a copy of Group 1's corporate press release please access: http://www.g1.com/News/disppr.asp?PR_ID=163.

For a complete list of PAVE Cycle F certified vendors, go to www.ribbs.usps.gov. Once there, select PAVE from the section on the left titled "RIBBS Links". Scroll down and select "PAVE Publications." Look at either the .rtf or .pdf version for "PAVE Cycle F Vendors."

* - Click here to see the presort categories for which MailStream Plus has received certification for PAVE Cycle F.

Education classes are currently being offered in Maryland, California, and Illinois for a number of Group 1 products. Don't miss out on this opportunity to bring something new and valuable to your company. For more information regarding our education classes, visit our Education department's Web site at www.g1.com/education or call us at 1-800-859-4133.

Need to improve your knowledge of the Group 1 products you use? Looking to get more out of those same products? Interested in building a stronger network with other Group 1 customers? Join us at the Annual User's Conference in Chicago. As always, there will be an informative keynote speaker and an entertaining humorist along with case studies and new session tracks. These sessions range from beginner to advanced and tried-and-true to new and innovative. The conference will be held from July 10-12, 2002, at the Drake Hotel with Pre-Conference Intensives on July 8-9, 2002.

Visit the Group 1 Web site at www.g1.com/uconf for more information about the Conference, including online registration, additional information about the Drake and Pre-Conference Intensives descriptions. You should have already received the brochure containing the grid and session descriptions for many of the new sessions. Let Group 1 help you "Build Better Relationships."

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has developed a new product that will help mailers validate the accuracy of their address data, right down to the physical delivery point. This new technology is called the Delivery Point Validation (DPV) product and will be made available to mailers through licensed CASS vendors.

Currently, mailers can process their address records using commercial address-matching software products that standardize the address record and assign postal codes, including ZIP Codes, ZIP+4 Codes, and carrier route codes, utilizing data provided by the USPS. However, the current address-matching software products are unable to validate addresses at the specific delivery-point level; they can only confirm whether an address falls within the low-to-high address range encoded for the named street.

By incorporating DPV into the matching process, mailers will be able to determine whether the actual address exists, all the way down to the apartment or suite information. DPV will allow mailers to validate that the address information they have is an address served by the USPS. Using DPV will reduce undeliverable-as-addressed mail volume that results from inaccurate addresses, saving postage and processing costs for mailers while reducing processing and delivery costs for the USPS that result from inaccurate address information.

Although DPV can validate the accuracy of an existing address, it cannot be used to create address lists. The DPV product is a secure dataset of the 147+ million USPS-delivered addresses; it does not contain addresses that are not delivered by the USPS. To use the DPV product, mailers must obtain it from a CASS certified vendor that has successfully integrated the DPV functionality. The DPV product is able to identify addresses that lack necessary apartment or suite numbers where needed, as well as identify addresses or private mail box addresses called Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies (CMRA); however, the DPV product does not correct inaccurate address information.

Group 1 is a non-exclusive licensee of the United States Postal Service for DPV. Pricing of this product and service being offered by Group 1 is not established, controlled, or approved by the USPS or the United States government.

If you are interested in obtaining more information contact your local Group 1 sales representative, visit our Web site at www.g1.com, or e-mail us at info@g1.com.