What Is Presorting Mail?

Key Takeaways

• Presorting mail is when a mailer organizes their mail pieces by destination before they are entered into the USPS mail stream.
• Properly prepared bulk mail could qualify for lower postage prices, as some of the processing that the USPS would have needed to perform themselves has already been completed.

Introduction

Now that you’ve prepared your mailing list and your mail pieces are all printed and addressed, you’re almost ready to hand off your campaign to the USPS. But, if you’re mailing thousands of pieces of mail with your campaign, does the USPS just receive them as one giant, unsorted pile? This is where presorting your mail comes in. Presorting your mail involves organizing the mail pieces according to requirements that the USPS has posted. Presorting your mail can make the mailing easier for the USPS, and could potentially even reduce the postage cost, if your mail qualifies.

What is Presorting Mail?

Presorting mail is the process of organizing pieces of mail by groups according to destination levels that are defined by the USPS. There are various different levels of presorting based on how specifically the mail can be grouped by destination. Some pieces of mail may be grouped with other mail that is traveling to a broader geographic area, whereas others might qualify for more specific destination groupings. Learn more about the destination levels on the USPS official website here.

How Does Presorting Direct Mail Work?

As a simplified direct mail workflow might look like this:

• Choosing a mailing list
• Addressed mail pieces
• Presorting
• Placing the mail in various postal containers and documenting it
• Being turned over to the USPS

Again, while this is an oversimplification of the process, this timeline shows where the mail goes. Mailing data can be processed using postal software to determine how the pieces of mail need to be grouped up and prepared.

Why Does the USPS Offer Discounts for Presorted Mail?

As per the official USPS website, “Because you’re doing some of the work, it costs the Postal Service less money to process and deliver those pieces of mail. We pass that savings on to you in the form of commercial postage prices”. By performing some of the required preparation work before the USPS receives the mailing, qualifying commercial mail could receive a lower postage price. What the actual price is depends on the mailing, and the level of preparation that is required.

Is Presorting Direct Mail Required for Bulk Mailing?

If you’re attempting to qualify for commercial mailing prices, then your pieces of mail must meet the applicable USPS preparation and eligibility requirements. What these requirements are depends on variables such as the mail class, quantity, mail piece, and level of preparation required.

What Information is Used In Presorting Direct Mail?

There are various amounts of information that are used in presorting direct mail, including:

• The recipient’s address
• City
• State
• ZIP Code
• Nine-digit ZIP Code, if applicable
• Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb)

Before the presorting process happens, the addresses and other information will probably need to be cleaned and updated. This process is known as data hygiene and can be performed by running the information through address verification software, such as processing the addresses using Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) Certified software and National Change of Address (NCOA) processing, as well as Delivery Point Validation (DPV), address verification, address standardization, and merge/purge.

What Happens to Mail During the Presorting Direct Mail Process?

During the presorting direct mail process, the pieces of mail are grouped according to their destinations and placed into appropriate postal containers. Those containers are then labeled and prepared according to the various requirements for their mailing class. Some mail can be sorted and prepared more specifically by destination than other mail. The level at which a mailing can be prepared and sorted can impact the postage price that it qualifies for. What the exact savings are dependent on the characteristics and variables of the mailing and the applicable USPS requirements.

Who Presorts My Direct Mail?

While you’re able to presort the mail yourself if you would like to, you’re also able to hand off the mail to a service provider, such as a lettershop. Lettershops are mail-service providers that can assist with several steps of the mail preparation process, such as data processing, addressing, presorting, postal documentation, and USPS entry. For more information on lettershops, read Geon’s article on those here.

Does Presorting Direct Mail Make It Arrive Faster?

While presorting direct mail can help the USPS process and mail in a more efficient manner, there isn’t any guarantee that presorting your mail will make the mailing process go any quicker. There are still several variables that can go into how long it takes a mail piece to arrive somewhere, such as the time of year the campaign is taking place, the mail class, entry point, destination, USPS operations, and more.

FAQ

• Q: Is presorting direct mail just simply putting mail in ZIP Code order?
  • A: No, presorting direct mail is a bit more complex than that. While ordering by ZIP Code is important, commercial presorting involves preparing and grouping mail according to applicable requirements that the USPS has published.
• Q: Does presorted direct mail arrive faster versus unsorted mail?
  • A: Not necessarily. While presorting direct mail does help the USPS process your mail in a more efficient manner, delivery time also depends on the mail class, destination, entry point, and many other factors.
• Q: Can a lettershop help to presort my mail?
  • A: Yes, lettershops and other mail-service providers often are employed to help with postal preparation and presorting direct mail services.
• Q: Does presorting mail save me money?
  • A: Qualifying commercial mailings can receive lower postage prices based on various factors, including how the mail has been sorted and prepared. Simply sorting a small stack of mail yourself won’t automatically qualify for a lower postage price.

Conclusion

Presorting your mail before it arrives to the post office is an important step in preparing many commercial direct mail campaigns. By organizing your mail according to postal requirements before it enters the mail stream, qualifying mailings may be able to take advantage of commercial postage prices while making the mail easier for the USPS to process. For businesses that don’t want to handle all the postal preparation themselves, contracting a lettershop can help process, address, presort, and prepare the finished mailing before it gets dropped off at the post office.

New to Direct Mail?

Are you running your first direct mail campaign?

Read Geon’s beginner’s guide for to direct mail here.

Return to Preparing Your Mail, or browse Geon’s Learning Center.