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Physical standards for proper preparation of ‘flat’ mail like newspapers and magazines

I am sharing relevant content from a recent seminar I attended at the Kentuckiana District Postal Customer Council in Louisville by mailing specialist Ron Burch. I have found him to be a smart guy with in-depth knowledge of the rules in my dealing with that district office. He presented the rules on flat mail design elements, etc.
Although National Newspaper Association members increasingly publish bound magazines as well as newspapers, I thought this review might be helpful to clip and save.

Take note that there is no mention of “insert protrusion” in any of these standards. Because there is some language in the Periodicals “content” section of Domestic Mail Manual 207 that is often misunderstood as prohibiting protrusion beyond the main newspaper edge, the governing language for acceptance of flat mail like newspapers and magazines is contained in DMM section 201.4, Physical Standards for Flats.
The key here is the provision for “uniform thickness,” which means that something thick and narrow, like a coupon book, might not be acceptable. The language often used within the Postal Service is that “we can’t accept a football but can accept something that is essentially flat.”

PHYSICAL STANDARDS FOR FLATS
Flat-sized pieces must be no longer than 15 inches, no higher (wider) than 12 inches, and no more than three-fourths of an inch (.75) thick. Length is simply defined as the longer dimension and the height as perpendicular to the length.
Flats minimum size is 11.5 inches long or 6.125 inches high and one-fourth (.25) inch thick.
Flat-size pieces must be flexible, uniformly thick (within a quarter inch), rectangular, and meet deflection (or droop) standards for automation prices.
Minimum flexibility must first be tested with the longest side parallel to the edge of a flat surface, and droop at least 1 inch under steady pressure when halfway off the edge. This is used to ensure pieces won’t bend too little. (See DMM 201.4.3.)
If the piece can pass this test and does not contain a rigid insert, no further testing is necessary. Note that a permanent bound edge is not considered a rigid item. 
Maximum flexibility for flats 10 inches or longer requires hanging 5 inches of the length off the edge of a flat surface, with 5-pound weight and ruler holding down the edge. The piece can droop no more than 3 inches. For flats less than 10-inches long, the maximum droop is 2 inches.
NOTE: This test does NOT apply to pieces mailed at Carrier-Route, Saturation, High-Density or High-Density Plus prices, which includes both Periodicals and Standard Mail. (NNA ensured this adjustment to the rules was made when enforcement started. Such pieces are not run on machine, nor do they need to be.)
Uniform thickness rule in DMM 201.4.4 requires that flats “must be uniformly thick so that any bumps, protrusions, or other irregularities do not cause more than one-fourth inch variance in thickness.
Polywrap standards for those choosing optional protective covering to keep sections or ad supplements together are in DMM 201.4.5. They specify that wrap direction must be around the longer axis, that the seam be parallel to the longer dimension, but can be across front or back, so long as it doesn’t obscure the address or barcode. Only products from an approved USPS list are acceptable. Vendors should be familiar with those. For more info, send me a request to my email below.

CATALOG STANDARDS
These standards are interesting primarily to help Periodicals mailers distinguish whether items intended for preprinted inserts can be ruled a catalog, as required by these physical standards for what would normally be mailed via Standard Mail. 
Catalogs are defined in DMM 201.4.9 as “a bound flat-sized mailpiece with at least 16 pages” meeting flat physical criteria. “Catalogs provide a listing of products offered for sale arranged systematically and includes images, photographs or illustrations of the products, descriptive details, and prices. Catalogs must contain an order form, a phone number, or a web address to place orders and provides shipping options for the products offered for sale.”
In future columns, I will discuss address placement and other addressing standards. © Max Heath 2018

Max Heath, NNA postal chair, is a postal consultant for Landmark Community Newspapers, LLC, and NNA members. He is sponsored by Interlink Software. Email maxheath@lcni.com.