USPS

Whether your sending one envelope or a thousand, there are certain things you'll need to remember to make sure your mail piece gets to where it needs to go. These are instructions for Facutly, Staff, or neighborhood businesses and organizations to prepare large mailings.

Address

Verify your address and make sure it has the correct format

• The more computer-generated or -friendly your address is, the faster it will go through the mail
• If you hand write your address, be sure to use all caps and the Zip code + 4
• Leave space at the bottom of your envelope or postcard to allow for the USPS to print their routing bar code
• To verify your address, go to the USPS website and click the "Look up a Zip Code" button on the left side.

Pre-Printed mailing/return labels

MICA Postal & Print accepts UPS, USPS, and FedEx packages for pick-up. Just drop them off during our hours of operation. Keep a record or picture of your tracking number. Full pre-printed labels work best. You can email us a pdf of your label and pay for the print when you drop off the package.

Mailings for pick-up on campus (best practice suggestion)

Department employees who leave letters in their outgoing mailboxes, please observe the following suggestions to help us process your mail quickly and correctly:

• Write or print your department name above the MICA return address.  This will help us charge the correct department, or find you if the address information is incomplete.  If the letter is returned because the recipient has moved, we will be able to return the letter to you so that you may correct and update your database.
  
• Envelope flaps down and unsealed: Our postal meter can seal your envelopes, large and small, but they need to go through with the flaps down.  If you have a large mailing it will be delayed if we don't receive the envelopes in the correct position and have to send them back to your department.
• Separate sealed and unsealed envelopes: If you prefer to seal your envelopes for any reason, we can adjust the setting on our machine to turn off the automatic sealer.  However, our machine cannot process mixed sealed and unsealed envelopes. In groups of envelopes more than 10, please separate and rubber band your sealed envelopes to ensure that no unsealed envelopes go to the USPS unsealed, and that no sealed envelopes are damaged when the machine tries to seal them again.
• Separate domestic and international destinations:  It is helpful to separate and indicate groups of international letters, to avoid sending mail with insufficient postage.  For larger pieces (parcels and flat over 1 oz), we separate pieces by country to be sure to include the correct amount of postage and avoid returned packages.
• Advance notice of large mailings is always appreciated: Please give us a heads up if you are planning on sending out mailings over 500 pieces so that we can plan enough time and have enough personnel on hand to process them quickly and efficiently.  We can also help you order MICA stationery or other mailing supplies you may need, pre-print meter tapes with advanced dates (for larger, non-machineable pieces), and arrange to pick up the stuffed, flaps-down envelopes mailing from your office.

Mailing a large number of parcels

The USPS requires tracking numbers on First-Class Parcels, Priority Mail Pieces, and certain other package services. If you are preparing a Priority mailing for your department over 20 pieces, please contact us at x2202 or postalandprint@mica.edu to discuss the details. We can convert a spreadsheet of address information into labels with address, tracking and postage in a relatively speedy rate with a discount on postage with the following format:

CustomerReference  | AttentionTo | Organization |  Address1 | Address2 | Address3 | City | Region | PostalCode | Country | Phone | Alternation Phone | Email | Notes | Residential | UserName | DUNS | LocationIdentifier | AddressValidated |

Tips For Batch Mailing

• For PostalCode: try to get the Zip+4
• You can leave blank the info you don’t have, like Phone and Email
• For Residential: Type TRUE if it’s a residence and FALSE if it’s a business
• Include column headings in the spreadsheet
• US addresses only, including Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands and American Samoa
• -Save as a csv
• All mail pieces must be the same dimensions and weight
• USPS Classes: Media Mail, 1st Class Parcel, Priority

We cannot provide a list of tracking numbers, but can look up individual missing parcels on request.

Other Discount Mailing

To take advantage of larger discounted bulk mail prices (Non-Profit or Standard Mail), you will need to contact one of our affiliated mail houses, Pridemaster or Schmidt.  They can help you with address verification, mail piece design and printing, and other ways to contact large groups of people for lower costs.

Shipping

Bring in your package to get the best delivery time, rate and handling options.  We sell packing supplies, have packing tape for you to seal up your package, and can put the correct postage on your package.

We also sell stamps of various denominations.  Postage is currently $0.50 per letter.

You may leave your prepaid packages for UPS, FedEx (Express or Ground), and DHL, and we will be sure that our carriers pick up the packages.

Whats the fastest cheapest rate?

For an idea of the fastest or cheapest rates, please visit the following websites with your package weight, dimensions, and destination zip code:

USPS

UPS

Fed Ex

DHL (for International shipping only)

You can prepare your own shipping label and drop it off with us for pick-up (daily for USPS, UPS, and FedEx drop box) or come in to have us help you find the best rate.

Pick up times

US Mail: 3:15 PM

UPS: 3:15 PM

Fed Ex: 2:00 PM for larger Express and Ground packages OR 6:00 PM Express Drop box at Mosher and Malster.

DHL: (International Only) We will call DHL to schedule a pick-up within 2 hours, or if after 2 PM, the following day.