We’ve published more videos on our YouTube channel to help you better understand some of the powerful features of our mail-making website.
The latest videos include:
Pre-Addressed PDF Demo – A quick overview of the mail creation process if you have documents that already contain the recipients’ mailing address on them. You might also refer to them as an already merged document.
Document PreFlight Demo – Learn how to use our PreFlight tool, which allows you to see the parts of your document that is visible through our windowed envelope.
Windowed Letter Demo – Learn to create a first-class or certified mailing using an address list and a PDF file.
Inserts – How To Build Your Letter – Learn all the features of our powerful Inserts screen, where you can add additional documents and envelopes to your mailing.
If you are new to LetterStream, I’d recommend watchingall of our videos (we try to keep them short and relevant) so you can see how easy it is to send your mail through LetterStream.
Is TODAY fast enough? If so, we can probably help. If you need your letters mailed yesterday, we can almost do that too! 😉
Our process for creating and sending mail is blazing fast. The LetterStream website allows you to create a mass mailing of thousands of pieces in as little as two minutes. Trust us, we’ve timed it!
And once you get the mailing loaded and approved, we launch our team of experts to properly print, process and mail your critical documents.
We take the extra step of delivering your mail to a USPS distribution center to reduce the number of local post offices that your mail needs to travel to, further reducing the time in transit of your letters.
Ready to do it? You simply need a PDF version of your document and a mailing list or collection of addresses (saved as a CSV file).
Your job will move quickly through our production process. If you must have your mailing out the door today, choose to expedite your mailing so we process it first (extra fees apply).
As for the truespeed of the LetterStreamprocess, I think it is fair to say we can get most mailing projects out in a day. And if by chance it needed to go out yesterday, well, we will certainly try!
Here are some helpful videos from our YouTube channel to make the process even faster:
If you’re not in the towing business, this post might not be for you… unless of course your vehicle has recently been impounded, in which case you might want to know a few things.
Many states require towing companies to notify owners, via USPS Certified Mail with Return Receipt, that their car has been towed within 3 days of towing. Failure to do so may result in the inability to charge the car’s owner for towing fees and/or storage. (Be sure to check your state laws to determine what is required.)
We’ve found that our online certified mail solutions are a tremendous benefit to those in the towing business for two reasons. First, LetterStream helps towing companies send their certified letters on time–each and every time–allowing all fees to be collected. Secondly, we maintain the mailing recordsonline for easy access to comply with document retention rules.
Check out how we help towing companies comply with their specific state statutes:
“If the responsible law enforcement agency does not use an operator to store the motor vehicle, the responsible law enforcement agency must notify the owner(s) and lienholder(s) by certified mail, return receipt requested” and “Tow Operator- Notice to the owner(s) and lienholder(s) must be sent within 3 calendar days after the receipt of the completed record search from the Department. a) The tow operator shall retain proof of notification on file for 3 years. b) Notices sent by a tow operator must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested.”
“Storage charges to begin on the first day if certified return receipt notices to the owners and lien holders are mailed within 5 days of determining their identities. Otherwise no storage charges accrue until the notices are mailed.”
“If vehicle is not claimed within 48 hours, the tower must complete the DMV form “Motor Vehicle Notice of Tow” (form H-114) and shall mail, by certified mail, copies of the completed form to the owner and to all lien holders of record.”
“The impounding agency, within two working days of impoundment, shall send a notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the legal owner of the vehicle, at the address obtained from the department, informing the owner that the vehicle as been impounded. Failure to notify the legal owner within two working days shall prohibit the impounding agency from charging for more than 15 days’ impoundment when the legal owner redeems the impounded vehicle.”
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We haven’t looked at every state’s statutes on towing and impounding, but the above is the result of a quick google search.
If you want to speed up the time to get your certified mail sent, and want to learn how to keep great records of your mailings for years to come, contact us today.
The United States Postal Service(USPS) has announced a price increase effective January 26, 2014. The new pricing structure was announced a few days ago, September 25, 2013, on the USPS website:
The Postal Service calls this a “proposed price increase” but generally their proposed price increases are pretty close to what they know they can get approved. The price increase is expected to generate an additional $2 billion in annual revenues for the USPS, which would still leave them a far distance from being profitable, but it’s certainly astep in the right direction.
Highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 26, 2014 include:
Letters (1 oz.) — 3-cent increase to 49 cents
Letters additional ounces — 1-cent increase to 21 cents
Letters to all international destinations (1 oz.) — $1.15
LetterStream typically passes the actual published USPS postagerates along to customers, but we’re evaluating whether this will be our strategy given the roughly 7% increase on the First-Class postage rate. LetterStream also offers eDocument delivery for many of our mailing products to drastically offset the cost of postage.
Once you start looking into creating a mailing, you’ll discover there are countless different envelope types, sizes, colors, textures, etc. to choose from. So many so, it could get a little confusing.
However, you can simplify things just a bit by choosing a white #10 envelope. This is by far the most common size and color for business mailings and is sometimes called a “business”, “business-sized” or sometimes even “commercial-size” envelope. We recommend you call it a “number ten” (#10) envelope, as this provides a more exact description. A #10 envelope is 4-1/8” tall and 9-1/2” wide. This envelope can easily hold 1 – 10 pieces of 8.5” x 11” paper.
Once you choose your envelope size, there are a few more items to consider. Do you need security tint? This is the special shading or print inside an envelope which reduces the amount of snooping that can occur by someone trying to look through the envelope. We recommend security tint for financial transactions as well as bills, statements, invoices and medical information. (Actually, nearly every #10 window envelope we use has security tint.)
Another question is what sort of flap do you need? If you are going to seal them by hand, get creative and find something you like (and get a glue stick for quick sealing), or choose the peal off, moisture-free seal style. The latter costs a little more, but some people like this cleaner process. If, on the other hand, you are hoping to have someone else (like LetterStream) seal them on a machine, you’ll want to skip the peal-off style, and pass on fancy edges on the envelope flaps. When sealing envelopes on machines, you’ll want to find machinable envelopes. These envelopes have a rounded, v-shaped flap with no points, no square corners and no fuzzy edges that will hang on the machine.
And of course we can’t forget to ask whether you need windows in your envelopes. Most bills/statements/invoices are mailed in window envelopes. This is far more efficient if you have additional information in the document that pertains to the person you are sending the mail to. It helps to have the person’s name on the actual bill, so it goes to the right person.
We recommend window envelopes for most mailings because we know people will think it’s a bill and open it. However, if you want a little more intrigue or simplicity, go with windowless envelopes.
If you really want to get creative, there are countless other options to choose from. You can even create your own custom size and shape envelope by contacting an envelope converter. Just remember that uniqueness adds to the cost.
Here at LetterStream, we primarily use one of the following types of envelopes: #10 window with security tint, #10 windowless plain white, 10 x 13 windowed white flat, or our proprietary USPS-approved Certified Mail envelope. And you can be sure that ALL our envelopes have machinable flaps so we can insert and seal tens of thousands per hour (yes, you read that right).
We have other envelopes too, including #9, #8, 5×8, 6×9, and 6 3/4, to name a few. But most of these are used as return or remittance envelopes that are included in a mailing.
I hope this little envelope training has been helpful, if not inspiring. 😉
If you still have questions, contact us and we’ll point you in the right direction!
We are always fascinated to learn more about how our customers are usingcertified mail. Most of our large volume certified mail users are sending mail for legal reasons, but the spectrum of legal mailings is quite broad (lien letters, collection letters, class action lawsuits, medical device recalls, parking tickets, gym membership cancellations, etc.).
The other day we even created a certified letter mailing for a new bar in Chicago.
Did you know that (according to Chapter 4-60-130 of the Chicago Municipal Code): “If 50 or more legal voters reside within a distance of 500 feet from the licensed premises, the applicant is required to send written notice to all legal registered voters within 500 feet of the licensed premises. The applicant must send notices via certified mail with a return receipt requested.”
So if by chance a similar city ordinance applies to you, keep LetterStream in mind. We mailed 100% of the letters the same day the bar owner gave us the go-ahead!
While we’dlove to take you out for a cup of coffee and get some feedback on how we’re doing, we realize this might get a little impractical.
However, we have devised a way to buy you a cup of coffee for your feedback. It’s not quite the same as a sit down chat, but please know we will value it as much as a face-to-face meeting. Here’s how it works….
1. Go to your favorite business review site (Google+, Insider Pages, or another of your choice).
2. Give us a 5-star rating (if for whatever reason you can’t give us 5-stars, contact us immediately, and we’ll make it right).
3. Add some glowing comments.
4. Send us a message via our Contactpage with a link to your review and your mailing address.
5. We will send you a thank you letter and a $5.00 Starbucks gift card*.
If you ever feel like you aren’t getting stellar service from LetterStream, simply call us and ask to talk to the President. He will always take the time to speak with you and work to improve our service.
*Limited to current customers only, one card per customer. Offer ends Sept. 30, 2013.
If you need to get a mailing out the door quickly, our Express Letter option is about the quickest way to get it done.
Here’s all we need from you:
1. A mailing list saved as a CSV file
Most software allows you to export addresses in CSV format, and MS Excel allows you to save your spreadsheet as a CSV (comma separated values) format.
Check out our YouTube video for assistance:
2. Your document saved as a PDF
There are various ways to create a PDF from an MS Word document. Word 2010 has the option included. You can also use Adobe products or download a free PDF tool at primopdf.com.
See our help video for more information:
When you have these two items, log into (or sign up for) your LetterStream account and choose Express Letter as the job you want to create. You’ll be prompted for your address list and your document (or documents). If you have a logo with your return address built into it, you can even use it for the outside of the envelope.
There are other options as well:
the ability to share a proof with others
notification when mailing is complete
the ability to add newsletters, fliers or other documents to the mailing
the ability to add additional promotional wording to the outside of the envelope
See our YouTube video for help with this:
What do we do next?
We print your document in black and white or color print
We print your document on white or color paper
We address a #10 white envelope with your return address and recipient name
We add USPS First-Class postage
We fold your document(s), put them in the envelope, seal and mail them
We guarantee you’ll be pleased with the speed, quality and service you receive from LetterStream, every step of the way.
Still not convinced? Click here for more information about sending Express Letters via LetterStream.
Some of you know exactly where your favorite blue drop box resides. But I bet most of you drive past these uniquely shaped blue boxes each day and don’t even notice them.
I came across a CNN.com article that claims there are as many as 160,000 of these blue collection boxes in use around America.
If you are having a hard time finding the nearest blue box to drop your outbound mail in, there are a few apps that can help you out. For Android, check out the USPS Mobile or Mail Box Locatorapps. You can also try MailboxMap.com from your computer or smart phone to see where all 160,000 drop boxes are located.
I like Mailbox Locator because it is simply about finding the nearest drop box, and it uses your phone’s GPS to quickly route you to the nearest one. It also shows you the pick-up days and last pick-up times so you know if you’ve still got time to get your letters in the mail that day.
In case you’re wondering, at LetterStream we don’t place our mail in the blue boxes or inour own mail box. We don’t even drop our mail off at the retail counter of the local post office. Instead, our mail gets trucked to the USPS BMEU (Business Mail Entry Unit), for fast, same-day processing of our mail, even after the post office retail window is closed.
Keep an eye out for those little blue boxes and see how many you can count on your way to work this week; you might be surprised.
Of course, when faced with an urgent mailing, skip the box and contact LetterStream instead!
While we’d love to take you out for a cup of coffee and get some feedback on how we’re doing, we realize this might get a little impractical.
