February 13, 2009

Reminder — New Address Standards for Commercial Flat-Size Mail

New address standards for commercial flat-size mail are effective on March 29, 2009, and require mailers to place delivery addresses in the top half of all Periodicals, Standard Mail, and Package Services flats mailed at automation, presorted, or carrier route prices. Additional standards relate to address characteristics and apply to all commercial flat-size pieces, including First-Class Mail.

We encourage mailers to review the latest standards in the February 12 Postal Bulletin and use the tools on RIBBS to ensure you are ready for the change. We posted fact sheets summarizing the requirements for each class of mail, a new poster, and a scripted presentation that walks you through the changes and provides examples of addresses that do and do not meet the new standards. All of these materials are illustrated with realistic magazines, catalogs, and business envelopes.

Please contact your Business Mail Entry manager with any questions about the new standards.