Group 1 recently sent the documents listed below to the primary user contacts on a maintenance plan via mass fax, mail, or with your product shipment. You may find these and other documents at www.g1.com/support. (Please have your user ID and password handy.) For List Services, visit the Technical Support - List Services area of our Web site to subscribe at www.g1.com/support.

The following documents have recently been posted to the Pending Product Updates area of the Group 1 Support site. Once a Product Update becomes available, Group 1 will notify the primary user contact for that product via mass fax. You may find these and other documents at www.g1.com/support/. (Please have your user ID and password handy.)

. . . Beginning in 2005 Group 1 Software will be closed for two additional holidays, Martin Luther King's Birthday on January 17, 2005, and President's Day on February 21, 2005. The revised Holiday Schedule can be found in the current version of the Service Source, available by going to our Web site at www.g1.com, and logging into the Technical Services area.

. . . As of January 17, 2005, Canada Post Corporation is altering the rates to be applied to Incentive Lettermail, Addressed Admail, Publications Mail and Dimensional Addressed Admail. The January 2005 CPC Reference File will reflect the appropriate rates. In order to produce the correct rates, SortStream Canada 2.4.1 must be used with the January 2005 CPC Reference File; using a prior database will not produce the correct rates.

. . . The Publications Mail Customer Guide has been clarified. "Effective immediately, the maximum width for Machineable S/L Publications has increased from 150 mm to 156 mm, allowing for greater flexibility in Publications layout design."

~ For more information on any of the upcoming rate changes, please visit the Canada Post Web site at http://www.canadapost.ca/rates/2005/coming-e.asp.

. . . The United States Postal Service recently launched their new MERLIN™ (Mail Evaluation Readability Lookup INstrument) Web page on the USPS^® Web site, http://www.usps.com. According to Pritha Mehra, USPS Manager, Marketing Technology and Channel Management, "The updated MERLIN site is easy to use and contains more information to help our customers properly prepare their mailings. Mailings that are properly prepared prior to acceptance benefit both customers and the Postal Service."

. . . We would like to remind all customers that Group 1 plans to cease support of our FASTforward interface, MOVEforward, as of December 31, 2004. Prior notification was distributed. If you are interested in joining other Group 1 customers in taking advantage of an incredible migration offer to switch from MOVEforward to MOVEfast, please contact your Group 1 Sales Executive for more information.

Group 1 Software's "Fundamentals of Mail" class as an interactive CBT (Computer-based Training) is all the rage! Learn from the convenience of your desktop.

The new CD version of Group 1's popular "Fundamentals of Mail/Preparing Mail for Automation Discounts" class is still available from the Group 1 Education Department and there are still a few free copies available. This CD contains the same content as the one-day instructor-led class by the same name. There are even quizzes and tests to measure what you've learned.

Learn the basics of preparing mail for delivery by the USPS® at the most favorable rate at your own pace. This CBT program helps you train new employees without having to send them away from the office.

This course covers:

• Direct mail and the USPS® Delivery System
• Mail classes and business mail preparation
• Postal discounts
• Automation requirements
• Trays, bags, and pallets
• Postal terminology
• Setting up your first mailing.

A few of this $500 value are available - FREE - from Group 1's Education Department. To request your copy, email your name, company name, address and phone number to education@g1.com. Type the words "Free Fun of Mail CD" in the subject line. Allow 3 weeks for delivery. One per company please.

Local User Groups are an integral part of Group 1 Software. With groups located throughout the United States, many opportunities are available where users can meet and discuss important topics concerning their company and Group 1 Software. Meetings provide a method for addressing concerns and sharing ideas. It is a great way to bring new and useful information back to your company. Take a look at the list below and attend the meeting that is most convenient for you.

Local User Group chapters are open to ALL Group 1 customers. Membership and registration are handled on a local level. Group 1 clients are invited and encouraged to join the group of their choice.

PHILADELPHIA AREA

Location:	UGI Utilities, Inc., 225 Morgantown Rd, Reading, PA
Date:	February 2005/March 2005
Time:	A more specific date and time will be provided in a future issue.
Topic:	Possible site visit.
Contact:	Susan Miller - smmiller@ugi.com

Please click here for a summary of the November 17, 2004 meeting.

Free One-Day Class - What's New in MailStream Plus 7.5.0

The Education Department is providing a FREE one-day "What's New in MailStream Plus 7.5.0" class for all MailStream Plus customers. This class can be taken via eLearning training or as a public seminar.

eLearning is LIVE online instructor-led training. No travel means reduced expenses and no time away from the office. The class is delivered real-time, so you receive instant feedback to your questions and comments for a truly interactive learning experience.

Public seminars will be conducted at the following Group 1 Regional Training Facilities:

Lanham, Maryland
Irvine, California
Downers Grove, Illinois

If you prefer, on-site training is available and delivered at your facility. Our highly skilled instructors customize the course to address your unique business needs and issues. Training dates will be announced to all MailStream Plus customers once they become available.

Free One-Day Class - Introduction to MailStream Plus 7.5.0 for Mailer's Choice Customers

The Education Department is providing a FREE one-day "Introduction to MailStream Plus 7.5 for Mailer's Choice Customers" class. This class can be taken via eLearning training or as a public seminar.

eLearning is LIVE online instructor-led training. No travel means reduced expenses and no time away from the office. The class is delivered real-time, so you receive instant feedback to your questions and comments for a truly interactive learning experience.

Public seminars will be conducted at the following Group 1 Regional Training Facilities:

Lanham, Maryland
Irvine, California
Downers Grove, Illinois

If you prefer, on-site training is available and delivered at your facility. Our highly skilled instructors customize the course to address your unique business needs and issues. Training dates will be announced to all Mailer's Choice customers once they become available.

Back issues of Newscast are being archived. Click previous issues to go the Newscast homepage to review any prior issues.

Below are some links that may be of interest to our customers:

Group 1's Web Page - http://www.g1.com. The Group 1 Software Web site provides customers with valuable information concerning different areas of the company. From this Web site, you can access education information, recent press releases, support, and much more useful information.

USPS® Web Site Business Section - http://www.usps.com/smallbiz

The USPS® Web Site - http://www.usps.gov. This Web site allows customers to check out the latest information regarding postage rates and fees, news and events in the postal community, locations of local post offices, and provides various other links. There is also a place where postal service customers can track the status of a package or access other online mailing forms.

Canada Post - http://www.canadapost.ca/splash.asp. This is the direct link to the Canada Post Web site. Follow this link to view a quick and free course in Canadian NDG sorting (http://www.canadapost.ca/business/ndg/default-e.asp).

USPS Rapid Information Bulletin Board System - http://ribbs.usps.gov. This is the National Customer Support Center for the United States Postal Service. It provides you mail-service updates, current weather conditions, and other interesting facts pertaining to the Postal Service.

Postal Rate Commission - http://www.prc.gov. The Postal Rate Commission Web site provides information about the organization, its function and procedures, along with postal rates and fees. It also provides a location where you can voice your opinion to the Consumer Advocate.

Nonprofit Mailers - http://www.nonprofitmailers.org. The Alliance is the primary representative of nonprofit mailers before the Postal Rate Commission, at the United States Postal Service's (USPS®) Headquarters, and on Capitol Hill.

Postcom - http://www.postcom.org. Postcom is the Association for Postal Commerce. Its Web site provides you with up-to-date information regarding what is going on in the "postal world." It includes links to other helpful sites, as well as a place to contact your US Senators or Representatives.

We welcome comments and suggestions regarding Newscast. Please send them to cc@g1.com. Please be sure to include "NEWSCAST" in your subject line. Please look for your next issue to arrive in your e-mail box on or near January 14, 2005.

Newscast - Volume 7, Issue 10
Date: December 30, 2004
Editor: Becki Dustin (cc@g1.com) Asst. Editor: Denny Derr
Phone: 1-800-367-6950

Copyright © Group 1 Software, Inc. 2004. All Rights Reserved.

CASS, CASS Certified, DPV™, eLOT, FASTforward, NCOA^Link, Postal Service, Post Office, RDI™, United States Post Office, USPS®, United States Postal Service, ZIP Code™, and ZIP+4 are registered trademarks of United States Postal Service (USPS®). This list is not exhaustive of the trademarks belonging to the Postal Service.

Group 1 Software is a non-exclusive licensee of USPS® for FASTforward processing.

Prices for Group 1's products, options and services are not established, controlled or approved by USPS® or United States Government. When utilizing RDI™ data to determine parcel-shipping costs, the business decision on which parcel delivery company to use is not made by the USPS® or United States Government.

NOTE: You are already subscribed to Newscast if you received this message. If you would no longer like to receive emails from the NEWSCAST list, please visit List Services at http://www.g1.com/support, Log in to Support. Under the Technical Support heading, click List Services and unsubscribe using the web interface. Replies to this email will not be read.