As you may know, postal rates are changing on January 22, 2017. For commercial mailers, some rates go up, some remain the same, and some actually decrease. When looking at all the changes, prices increase by about 1%.
Here is a summary of the postage changes:
Price changes for First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodical, and Package Service take effect on January 22, 2017. For consumers that means that the First-Class Forever Stamp increases from 47 cents to 49 cents (which was the price of a Forever stamp when the exigent surcharge was in place).
For mailers, the amount of increase and in a few cases, decrease, varies by presort level and entry point for First Class and Standard mail.
For direct mailers and mail service providers, it is critical to understand the U.S. Postal Service’s Mailer Scorecard, and how and why fines are assessed for mail that does not meet Full Service requirements and exceeds USPS thresholds. The Mailer Scorecard is basically a report card that assesses the effectiveness of mail preparation. Mail is being assessed as it is processed – after being accepted – so no corrections can be made if there is an issue.
Johnson & Quin was recently featured in a video produced by Screen Americas, the manufacturer of the Truepress Jet520ZZ High-Speed Color Inkjet Printing System. Since the 1980’s we have embraced the use of personalization for direct mail to help our clients market their products and services using this highly responsive medium. High-speed color inkjet printing presses like Screen’s Truepress have provided J&Q and our clients with the ability to truly talk one to one with consumers – with high color quality at a reasonable cost. The ultimate goal is to increase response and ROI of direct mail programs.
By Kay Wilt
Recent technological advancements have made color inkjet printing the best production option for many direct mail packages. The increased quality and speed of color inkjet offers many benefits for direct marketers including increased ROI.
J&Q’s latest white paper compares the three most often used production methods for direct mail. It provides an overview of each method and indicates which is best for different types of direct mail programs. The production types include –
Today direct mailers are welcoming a historic event. For the first time in 97 years, postage rates are going down! The last time postage dropped was in July 1919 when Congress dropped first-class prices from 3 cents to 2 cents after the end of World War I.
Of course, direct marketers are thrilled about the extra money in their budgets. For a one million piece standard class mailing, the reduction results in approximately $10,000 in savings!
2016 is getting off to a great start here at J&Q. We are working with a lot of great companies and people to communicate their messages using direct mail, and many new opportunities are in progress. We also have a new addition to our sales staff. Bob Pullman has joined us as National Sales Director, Key Accounts. Bob has extensive experience in business development with many leading global direct marketing and database marketing corporations.
By Kay Wilt
We are exhibiting at the &Then DMA Conference this weekend in Boston. And Hurricane Joaquin is moving up the East Coast. As I write this on Friday morning the Boston forecast is showing rain for Saturday and Sunday morning, with only a 10% chance of rain on Monday and Tuesday. We may not have to deal with a major storm, thank goodness. J&Q is located in the Chicagoland area. We get tornadoes here, but no hurricanes, so we really don’t want to experience one this weekend. We would love to walk the Freedom Trail and see some of historic Boston, so let’s see if the weather cooperates.
By Kay Wilt
In the past, variable color printing for direct mail and other print was only available on slower, more expensive sheetfed digital presses which were impractical for high volume production. Today the latest generation of high-speed roll-to-roll inkjet presses produce incredible quality, reduce time into the mail, and production costs are comparable to traditional methods. This technology is changing the entire print and direct mail industry.
Take a look at our video on Color Inkjet Frequently Asked Questions for answers and information on why direct marketers should look more closely at this production method for their direct mail programs.
By Kay Wilt
Bob Arkema, J&Q’s Executive Vice President and I provided content for an article on Personalization and Color Inkjet Printing that appeared in a recent issue of Epicomm’s Bottom Line. Epicomm is an association for the print, mail, fulfillment, and marketing services industry focused on business management. The article updated association members on the ever-growing use of high-speed color inkjet presses to create personalized direct mail. The information was targeted at printers and mailing service providers, but it does provide a good overview for marketers as well. Read the complete article here.
Kay Wilt