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***Update May 13, 2013***

The USPS has updated the rules for folded self-mailer tabbing – to learn more, visit this post

We’re a little over a month in with the USPS Folded Self-Mailer (FSM) changes and, as anticipated, mailers are still overlooking an important – and very costly – change to tri-folds. It feels a bit like fine print on a legal document (though it’s plain as day in section 3.14.3b), you don’t really pay attention to it until one day it sneaks up on you and suddenly you are out for double the amount of postage you were anticipating.

The change I’m referring to is that the “final-fold” must be the unaddressed side of a mailpiece.

It’s a big deal (which is why I’m bringing it up again). This image does probably the best job so far of illustrating what the rule says. Essentially, it means that in the case of an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper to be tri-folded, you must put the address panel in the center of the page. This potentially disrupts your messaging and, admittedly, seems a bit more unnatural from a design standpoint (which is why it’s still causing problems). I may  personally be a bit skeptical on whether or not this is a bit too nitpicky, but industry experts will attest that it really does make a difference on the sorting machines if the address is placed on the final fold or not… and the fact is, this is the ruling.

We are still seeing mail arrive in-home that doesn’t comply with the new standards (and unless we mailed it, we can’t say whether or not there was a postage up-charge). Designers, printers, mailers and even USPS employees are still learning of this standard so it is likely getting past one or two check-points that you typically depend on. But the bottom line is, once it gets to the Post Office (assuming the clerk is aware of the ruling), they will ding you for nonautomation, nonmachinable rates. In monetary terms, that means a nationwide letter-size self-mailer that should mail out at $.266/piece will now cost $.537/piece. Ouch.

Once the piece is printed, the only other alternatives to paying the increased postage are to 1) put the piece into an envelope or 2) reprint. My advice? Show us your design before you print and we’ll let you know if you are compliant. We are experts when it comes to mail – use our knowledge to your benefit!