270 Quick Service Guide

Commercial - Media Mail and Library Mail Presorted Flats

Physical Standards (201)

Maximum weight: 70 pounds.

See 201 for physical standards for Flats and Parcels.

Prices and Fees (273.1.0)

For a complete list of Commercial Media Mail and Library Mail prices, see Notice 123–Price List.

Media Mail prices and Library Mail prices are charged per pound or fraction thereof; any fraction of a pound is considered a whole pound. The minimum postage price per piece is that for a piece weighing 1 pound.

Content (273.3.0 and 273.4.0)

Media Mail:

Generally used for books (at least eight pages), film (16 mm or narrower), printed music, printed test materials, video and sound recordings, playscripts, printed educational charts, loose-leaf pages and binders consisting of medical information, and computer-readable media. Sound recordings may include incidental announcements of recordings and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such recordings. Books may contain no advertising other than incidental announcements of other books.

Library Mail:

Generally used by qualified libraries, schools, nonprofit organizations, universities, and museums to mail specific types of Package Services matter that meet additional eligibility standards. Mailable items are limited generally to books, recordings, educational, and museum materials; advertising restrictions apply. Specific mailable items may be sent to, from, or between a school, college, university, public library, museum, herbarium, or nonprofit organization (religious, educational, scientific, philanthropic, agricultural, labor, veterans, or fraternal); any such institution, organization, or association, and an individual who has no financial interest in the sale, promotion, or distribution of the materials. Also, there are provisions for publishers to mail specified items to qualified customers.

Eligibility Standards (273.5.0)

Each piece must include complete delivery and return addresses with correct ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code.

For Library Mail, each piece must show in the address or return address the name of a school, college, university, public library, museum, herbarium, or a qualified nonprofit organization (703.1.2).

All Media Mail and Library Mail parcels must bear an Intelligent Mail package barcode (IMpb) and an Intelligent Mail matrix barcode (IMmb) as outlined in 204.2.0 and Publication 199, Intelligent Mail Package Barcode (IMpb) Implementation Guide for Confirmation Services and Electronic Payment Systems. For details see PostalPro at https://postalpro.usps.com.

Mailing items with no ancillary service endorsement obligates the mailer to pay any applicable forwarding and return postage charges at the single-piece price (507.1.5.4).

Postage Payment and Documentation (274)

Meter (604.4.0) or permit imprint (604.5.0).

Postage statement: PS Form 3605-R.

Mail Preparation (275)

The applicable basic required marking—“Media Mail” or “Library Mail”—must be printed on each piece in the postage area, or it may be printed on the shipping address label according to the standards in 202.3.9.

Flat-size pieces that do not meet the physical standards in 201.4.3 and 201.4.4 must be prepared as parcels.

Enter and Deposit (276)

Single-piece Media Mail and Library Mail with a permit imprint must be deposited at locations and times specified by the postmaster at the office that verifies and accepts the mailing. Metered mail may be deposited at other than the licensing Post Office only as permitted under 705.19.0.

Preparation

There are no presort, sacking, or labeling standards for single-piece Media Mail or Library Mail.