The Importance of Data Protection in Print and Mail Print and mail compliance violations expose customer information, breach client trust, and can lead to penalties and fines. So how can organizations prevent these costly mistakes? Read on to discover 5 ways that organizations can stop data security failures, delivery delays, and audit issues before they happen.   What Does Print and Mail Compliance Entail? Overarchingly, print and mail compliance involves maintaining controlled, documented processes that generate, assemble, address, and deliver the right documents to the correct recipients and keep sensitive data protected, in accordance with regulatory restrictions. Specific compliance regulations [...]

Your Guide to the National Change of Address (NCOA) Nearly 40 million people change their addresses every year. That's around 12% of the U.S. population. And that's why the NCOA is so important. The National Change of Address (NCOA) is a USPS-maintained database of address change requests that organizations use to update mailing lists, reduce undeliverable mail, and comply with postal move-update standards. By using it, organizations can reach their clients and customers on time, no matter where those clients have moved to. Read on to learn more about the change of address system, to see how it works, and [...]

CASS Software Explained Reducing undeliverable mail, decreasing postage costs, delivering mail faster, and increasing USPS compliance are objectives that any organization involved with document printing and mailing tries to meet. CASS is one of the best programs available to help achieve those goals. This blog breaks down the basics of the program, before moving into how it works and how CASS-certified address standardization software can reduce undeliverable mail at your organization.   CASS: The Basics What Does CASS Stand For? CASS stands for Coding Accuracy Support System, and the name indicates its purpose: to ensure address data is defined and [...]

In-House Printing Vs Outsource Printing: Which Is Better? If you're making the decision on whether to outsource your print and mail or to stay in-house, you're likely balancing concerns about cost, quality, security, and control. This guide can help you make the right choice. We'll discuss the advantages of outsourcing to a print and mail provider, go over the benefits in-house printing offers, and deliver our verdict on which is the superior option. Keep reading to see which of the two solutions is better for you.   Outsource Printing Benefits There are many upsides to outsourced printing and mailing. Here [...]

How Do Print And Mail Providers Use Mail Barcoding? Outsource print and mail providers incorporate mail barcoding into their workflows in 2 key ways: by using IMBs and by using 2D barcodes. Before an envelope leaves the production floor, print vendors attach an Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) to its surface. These barcodes track each mailpiece throughout the mailstream, from facility departure to final delivery. Within printing facilities, 2D barcodes are printed on individual sheets of paper, and are used to ensure documents are placed in the right envelope, every time. They also record who handles which documents, when, and at [...]

Why Should You Outsource Print And Mail Services? The decision to work with a print and mail provider is one made with careful consideration. This guide will help you see if outsource printing and outsource mailing is the right choice for you. Read on to discover the answers to some of the most common questions about the process, and to explore 5 of the strongest reasons you should work with an external vendor.   Reason 1: USPS Expertise Knowing how the postal service works can net you significant price savings, but navigating USPS requirements can be complex without an expert. [...]

Keep Your Document Printing Secure How do you know that your documents are being handled, printed, and mailed safely? This guide makes it easier to find out. Throughout this blog, we'll discover the protocols that print and mail vendors put in place to safeguard client data. These controls include end-to-end encryption, individual mailpiece tracking, and company-wide security training. D4 Solutions' Secure Document Printing Checklist, provided at the beginning of this post, helps you analyze your print processes. If your workflows contain all the elements on this checklist, then they do an effective job of keeping your clients' information protected. We've also [...]

Key Takeaways #10 envelopes are the most commonly used envelopes for business communications. The size of a standard #10 envelope is 4 1/8" x 9 1/8", and it is able to hold trifolded letter-size sheets of paper. These envelopes are extremely versatile and are used to deliver various types of documents across almost every industry. When designing these mailers, you must follow USPS requirements surrounding layout and color contrast. If you need documents delivered to your customers and clients accurately and securely, D4 Solutions is a print and mail vendor with 45 years of experience that can help you handle [...]

Key Takeaways Permit imprint is a USPS-approved way to prepay for mailings without having to manually attach stamps or metered postage, making it ideal for high-volume shipments of letters.   First-Class Mail shipments using this service must contain at least 500 envelopes.   Permit imprint indicia must contain certain pieces of required wording and be placed in the upper right corner of the envelope.   Each mailpiece sent with this program must be the same weight, as this allows the USPS to verify postage by weighing bundles or entire trays.   In order to use permit imprint, you need to [...]

Introduction How do you get your recipients to reply to your mail? If you're collecting employee documents, non-profit donations, or responses to promotional material, you might be able to solve this dilemma by using business reply envelopes, also called BREs. If customers are required to pay postage on a return envelope, they might be disincentivized from sending one. Business reply envelopes solve this problem. The organization pays the postage cost for any BREs that are returned, and, since the customer isn’t charged for sending these mailings, it's easier for them to do so. BREs are conveniently placed inside your original [...]