


			ProNews March 2007 PRC Returns Rate Recommendation! ...message to mailers...We don't like flats! Before riding off into the sunset, the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) took one final swing at the mailing community by raising rates on flat size mail by record amounts. In most classes of mail it will cost nearly twice as much to mail a flat as it does a letter. For example, it will cost 25.2 cents to mail a basic automation standard letter under the PRC recommended rates, while it will be 47.7 cents for a comparable flat. This represents about a 9% increase for letters, and a 51% increase for flats. 40% to 50% increases are typical across all rates for flat size mail. And don't even think about the dreaded NFM, or "Non-Flat Flat" rate...that could cost you up to $1.02 each...that strikes us as more of a "sucker" rate for the poor hapless mailer who allows some mailpiece dimension to stray into that territory - the postal equivalent of a speed trap in a small Alabama town. Nonprofits didn't fare much better than for-profits in terms of percentage increases. A basic nonprofit flat today costs about 19.5 cents to mail. The equivalent piece will be 30.1 cents. Letters only go up a bit more than 5%. If you mail letter size mail, this is not a bad rate case. Rates typically rose less than 9%. If you mail First-Class letters, this case is a gift - only a 5% increase on the first ounce, and a 7 cent reduction on additional ounces. A two-ounce First-Class letter will cost a nickel less under the new rates than it does today! Man-o-man, no one lobbies like the bankers! There are also some bizarre idiosyncrasies like a reduction in standard mail letter rates for non-automated mail. We thought the Postal Service liked barcodes...they're not pricing like it. A few key points: These are only recommendations, not yet the real deal. The USPS Board of Governors still needs to accept them. They have been known to reject the recommendations when they are really bizarre. They don't come any weirder than this one, so stay tuned. No matter how it all finally shakes out, you can be sure that it's going to cost a LOT more to mail flats. If a letter will do the trick don't mail a flat. Remember, a letter can be up to 6-1/8" tall by 11-1/2" long and weigh up to 3.3 ounces. If you have any unusual ideas for mail pieces, let us check them first. Do not become an accidental Non-Flat Flat!! We're having a seminar on May 2nd. DO NOT MISS IT. This will provide essential information on the new rates, plus the usual snappy patter. We'll have all (well, most) of the recommended rates on the ProList web site, www.prolist.com later this week. This...ummm...unusual rate recommendation will be the last hurrah for the Postal Rate Commission (PRC). After Postal Reform they are being replaced by the Postal Regulatory Commission (umm...PRC). Same address, same basic duty, but more syllables - surely an improvement. At least they can still wear the same monogrammed cuff links. ProList Converts to 4-State Barcode! ...Postal Service immediately renames it! Beginning in March, ProList will begin to use the new Intelligent Mail Barcode™ on all eligible mail. This barcode has been called the 4-state barcode, the 4-CB, the OneCode™, and "That New Barcode Thing." Now it is finally Official - it shall be the Intelligent Mail Barcode™, or, as we like to call it, the IMB. OK? Forget all those other names - it's the IMB. ProList has been a leader in this new technology, which combines the capabilities of the postnet barcode and the PLANET™ code in that it can route and track mail, as well as allowing us to uniquely identify every piece of mail and to see if and when it has been delivered, forwarded, or returned. We will also have the ability to get address changes while your mail is in the mail stream from the Postal Service ACS program. We can currently use the IMB on all letter size mail, and expect the Postal Service to allow it on flats later in the spring. The change will be largely transparent to our customers, except for the additional information we'll be able to provide. Questions? Call your customer service representative - they'll be happy to assist you. ProList is proud to be one of the first mailers in the country to offer this exciting new technology. Our legacy has been in innovation and continues with the new Intelligent Mail Barcode™. In Ad Box: Carve it in Stone: The ProList Mega-Seminar is coming May 2nd to the Marriott Metro Center: Uber Postal Madness 2007 To learn more about Prolist on our website visit: http://wwwprolist.com. Trackmymail.com™ is a trademark of trackmymail.com, LLC. To stop receiving this email newsletter contact Prolist to unsubscribe. ProList © 2004 \| All Rights Reserved 8341 Beechcraft Ave Gaithersburg, MD 20879