Q) What file formats do you accept for mailing lists?
A) We accept the following file formats for mailing lists:
- Comma Separated Values (.csv)
- Delimited Text File (.txt)
- Microsoft Access (.mdb)
- Microsoft Excel (.xls)
Microsoft Excel is our preferred file format. If you don’t know what you have, or you need help, call 1-800-707-9903, or contact us at customerservice@conquestgraphics.com.
Q) What fields do I need to have in my list?
A) At a minimum, your list needs to have fields for Name, Address, City, State, and ZIP. Addresses that are printed on your mailed pieces are limited to 5 lines. Your list may contain other fields, such as Business Name, Title, Address2, Address3, etc., but we will only use the fields that we need for mailing purposes, plus any others you specify within the 5 line limit.
If your mailing data contains Company Name information, please be sure your file lists the Company Name in a separate column titled “Company Name” or similar (see example below). If you list the Company Name in the “Address” column of your file, the CASS certification process will not recognize the Company Name as a legitimate address and will attempt to replace it. Please contact us at customerservice@conquestgraphics.com, or call us at 1-800-707-9903 if you have questions about your data format.
Q) How are postage rates calculated?
A) When you are entering your selections in the Product Options calculator, you can choose your desired service (Standard, First Class Presort, or First Class Non-Presort), and quantity to mail. The resulting price for mailing includes postage and a small handing fee for basic list processing, sorting, and taking your mailing to the Post Office.
Q) What are the minimum quantities for the different USPS postal service levels?
A) For First Class Non-Presort, there is no minimum quantity. For First Class Presort, the minimum quantity is 500 pieces. For Standard, the minimum quantity is 200 pieces.
Q) How will my mailing list be processed?
A) As a general rule, we will CASS certify and sort your mailing lists(s) prior to mailing your project. CASS certification adds ZIP+4 ZIP codes to your mailing data where possible, and ensures that the addresses in your list meet USPS formatting standards. It also allows us to use postal barcodes, which enhances deliverability, and allows your mailing to qualify for postal discounts.
As of November 23rd, 2008, your mailing lists will also need to be NCOA processed. Please see the NCOA information below for details.
Q) Can I get my “processed” mailing list sent back to me?
A) Yes. Just contact us at customerservice@conquestgraphics.com, or call us at 1-800-707-9903 to request that your processed list be returned to you.
Q) How can I design my piece to meet USPS regulations for the service I select?
A) Your mailing pieces need certain clear spaces to allow for bar coding, addressing, and permit information. This helps ensure that the mailing piece meets regulations for your selected mail service and that important information isn't covered up in the addressing process.
Read more about mail design standards.
Q) Do you mail to foreign countries?
A) At this time, we do not mail to foreign countries. However, we do plan to offer this service in the future.
Q) Do you offer inserting services?
A) Yes, we do offer inserting services (inserting items into envelopes). Please call us at 1-800-707-9903 for more information.
Q) Can you mail using my postal permit?
A) Postal permits are specific to certain post office locations. If you have a postal permit that is assigned to a main postal processing location in Richmond, VA or Salt Lake City, UT we may be able to use your permit. Otherwise, all mailing services that we provide will be mailed under our postal permit.
Please feel free to call 1-800-707-9903, or contact us at customerservice@conquestgraphics.com with any questions you may have about postal permits.
Q) Can you mail part of my order, and ship the remainder to me?
A.) Yes, you can select a mailed quantity that is less than the total printed quantity in our RapidPricing calculator. The remaining pieces can be shipped to the shipping address that you specify when placing your print order.
Q) Will aqueous coating cause problems when addressing my pieces? What about UV coating?
A) We use aqueous coatings and ink-jetting equipment that enable address information to be printed on your pieces without any problems. If you are going to have us aqueous coat your pieces, and then ship them to another location to be mailed, we will include information about the correct inks to use so that the mailing pieces can be addressed correctly. However, we cannot guarantee that another mailing service will be able to successfully address your aqueous coated pieces, even when we recommend the inks which we think will work best.
If your piece requires UV (ultra-violet) coating, we cannot inkjet on the UV coating. You must either UV coat on the front side (non-addressed side) only, or your piece must be printed and addressed using an all-digital printing workflow.
Additional Tips:
- The mailing panel needs to be a blank white box with a minimum size of 4x2.25
- The mailing indicia and any endorsements must be properly worded
- For Non-Profit mail, the mailing panel of your piece must have both the name and address that exactly match the address on the paperwork issued from USPS for your original non-profit postal permit. It doesn't have to be in the return address area, but must be somewhere on the mailing panel of the piece.
Q) What’s the deal with NCOA?
A) Starting Monday, November 23rd, 2008, the USPS mandated that all discounted mail (any mail that isn’t first class stamp, or metered with full price postage) comply with the National Change of Address (NCOA) requirements. Each year, millions of individuals and businesses move or relocate. Mailing lists that are not updated with change of address information may contain invalid addresses in excess of 15% or greater.
The bottom line is that the USPS is cracking down on undeliverable mail. In order to comply with the new NCOA postal regulations, all mailing lists that are supplied to Conquest Graphics by our customers must be processed against the updated USPS change of address database.
Customers who use our mailing services will have two choices:
NCOA processed lists are valid for 95 days. Any lists that have not been validated in 95 days will require re-processing. Again, this is a USPS rule, and is not specific to Conquest Graphics. We strongly suggest that customers contact us with their NCOA questions.