What is a print and mail service and how does it work?
A print and mail service takes your piece and your list and handles every step to the mailbox. You send a print ready file plus your mailing list. We print, personalize, fold and insert, verify and update the addresses, apply the postal barcode, presort for the lowest postage, and drop the mail at the USPS. You approve one proof and get one invoice.
Can you mail our entire customer or contact list?
Yes. Send us your full list and we mail every name on it in one coordinated drop. We clean and standardize the list first, so you are not paying postage on bad addresses. A list of a few hundred or a few hundred thousand is handled the same way.
Do you handle fundraising and nonprofit mailings?
Yes, they are a large part of what we mail. Annual appeals, year-end campaigns, pledge reminders, and member renewals. If your organization has a USPS nonprofit mailing authorization, we mail on your permit at nonprofit postage rates, the lowest available. Bring your permit number and we handle the rest.
How much does it cost to print and mail a letter campaign?
The per piece cost combines printing, personalization, inserting, address processing, and postage. Postage is usually the largest part and depends on mail class, piece size, and how deeply the mailing presorts. Because we own the presses, you pay print plus postage with no per piece software markup. Send your specs and quantity and we return an itemized estimate within one business day.
Can you personalize each letter with the recipient's name and details?
Yes. Variable data printing lets each piece carry the recipient's name, a tailored message, a specific ask amount, or a unique code, all in a single print run. Personalized mail consistently outperforms generic mail on response. Provide your data as an Excel or CSV file and we merge it into your layout.
Can you send different versions to different parts of our list in one mailing?
Yes, and it is one of the biggest advantages of variable data printing. You segment your list in the data and code each record with the version it should get, and we print all the versions together in a single run. As long as every version is the same size and format, the color scheme, photos, headline, copy, and offer can all change from one segment to the next. Everything mails in one drop at the same postage.
Which mail class should we use?
Most fundraising and communication mail goes USPS Marketing Mail, or Nonprofit Marketing Mail if you qualify, to keep postage low on a large drop. Use First-Class when a letter is time sensitive and needs to arrive within a few days, or when you want undeliverable pieces automatically returned. We recommend the class that fits each campaign and its deadline.
Do you clean and verify our mailing list?
Yes. We run your list through CASS certified address verification to standardize and validate every address, and through NCOA move update to catch people who have moved. Clean data qualifies the mailing for automation postage rates and cuts the money you waste on undeliverable pieces.
Is there a minimum order?
We handle both small mailings and very large campaigns. Digital printing makes short runs practical, and offset plus our production mail equipment handles high volume drops. Our proof point of 26 million pieces produced in a single 60 day run shows the ceiling. There is plenty of room below it.
Can we track the mailing after it ships?
Yes. Every piece carries an Intelligent Mail barcode, which lets the mailing be tracked through the USPS Informed Visibility system as it moves through the mail stream. We report the mailed quantity and drop date, and can provide delivery visibility on request so you know when your appeal or announcement is landing.
What file formats do you accept, and how do you handle our list?
Send the printed piece as a press ready PDF, and the mailing list as an Excel or CSV file. For personalized mail, a structured data file lets us merge each record into your layout. Your list is used only to produce your mailing and is handled in our own facility, not routed to outside print partners.
Can you do both our letters and our postcards?
Yes. Your appeal letters, announcements, newsletters, and marketing postcards can all run from the same shop and the same list. Keeping print and mail together means one team owns the campaign from artwork to delivered.
Can we approve a proof before the mailing goes out?
Yes. Nothing mails without your approval. We provide a proof for review, and because we are local you can walk in to see a physical sample before a large run. Prepress reviews every file before production so problems are caught early.
