This is provided for informational purposes only.
You do not need to know or understand any Mailing House or Australia Post terminologies when asking for a quote.
Mailing House Terminologies
A
A4 – 210mm x 297mm. Typically portrait orientation.
A3 – 297mm x 420mm. Typically landscape orientation, folded to A4 for either C4 or folded twice for DLX insertion.
Anchor – A quality control process where a recognisable additional record is added to clients database to ensure data is correct as moves through the automatic or manual processing.
Approval – A quality control process, same as ‘Sign off’ where a physical sample or .pdf document is approved by the client approves prior to production beginning.
B
B11 – 90mm x 145mm. Typically landscape orientation and used for Reply Paid envelopes.
C
C5 – 125mm x 162mm. Always landscape orientation and used for large brochures and flyers.
C4 – 229mm x 324mm. Typically portrait orientation, but landscape is also suitable.
D
Data field layout – Description of fields contained within the database.
De-dupe or De-duping – The process for extracting duplicated or unnecessary records within a database based on various selection criteria, either set by the client or mail house.
DL – 110mm x 220mm. Always landscape orientation and used for Reply Paid envelopes.
DLX – 120mm x 235mm. Always landscape orientation and used for machine inserting DL sized documents, flyers, envelopes etc.
Duplex printing – Printed on both sides of the document. Can also be referred to as double sided or two sided.
E
Enveloping – The process of inserting items into envelopes, typically referred to as ‘Inserting’.
F
Flysheet – The address carrier or a flyer with the recipient delivery details printed on one side. Commonly used as an address carrier for publications mailed to customers.
Friction feed – Concertina folded items (or similar) are placed onto machine for processing to avoid damaging of stock.
Fulfilment – A service where orders from the client are received and then fulfilled using various packaging and delivery services.
I
Inkjet printing – Process where variable and non-variable data is printed using high speed inkjet print heads, from 200 dpi to 1600 dpi.
Insert – Items inserted or nested into another component, which can be a manual or machine processes.
J
Job number – Our internal number given to each job to be processed though our production environment.
L
Laser printing – Overprinting of images, variable and non-variable data onto flat DL, A5, A4 or A3 sheets, from 600 dpi to 1200 dpi
Letter text set-up – Process for automatic or manual formatting and setting up of letter or images of flysheets before printing.
Lick n stick envelope – An envelope with the flap requiring moist to seal it, typically used with machine inserting.
Lodgement – The physical delivery of your mail or parcels to Australia Post or courier company.
M
Mail merge – Process for using your database and merging of variable data and/or images with letter, flysheet or documents.
Multi’s – Typically refers to more than one item packed together and prepared for distribution, can also be referred to as bulk copies.
N
Nest – Same as ‘Insert’.
O
Onsert – Items placed on top of another component e.g. flysheet prior to manual or machine inserting.
P
Parsing – Splitting information in a field within a database i.e. parsing of Title, First name and Surname, or Suburb, State and Postcode
Peal & seal envelope – Typically used for Reply Paid, or manual inserting, an envelope with a peel off sticker on the flap to seal it
Pick and pack – Typically a manual process in the fulfilment service where orders are printed and then it’s ‘picked’ from the warehouse and ‘packed’ ready for delivery
Plastic wrapping – The process for which magazines and such are mechanically or manually wrap using clear or printed film
Press seal envelope – Typically used for Reply Paid, is an envelope with a gummed top and bottom flap, flipped over and press sealed.
Programming – Automated or manual data processing to achieve desired client end result
S
Sealing seam – Refers to plastic wrapping when the two edges are married together for sealing around the magazine.
Sign-off – A quality control process, same as ‘Approval’ where a physical sample or .pdf document is approved by the client approves prior to production beginning.
Simplex printing – Single or one side print only, can also be referred to as single sided or one sided.
T
Tip-on – Automatic or manual spot gluing, typicality a removable semi-permanent glue, of one item to another item i.e. A loyalty plastic card to a flyer or letter.
Australia Post Terminologies
A
Aggregation – The merging or combining of letters from more than one source/sender into a single Barcoded Presort Letters lodgement.
B
BMP – Refers to Bulk Mail Partnership program with Australia Post, of which Markis has been a member since 2013.
BQP – Barcode Quality Process – Part of the BMP certification program where the mail house is required to demonstrate consistent barcode quailty.
Bulk Pre-Sort delivery (BPS) – Pre-sort Service is for customers who post 300 or more barcoded letters weighing up to 500g using Priority or Regular mail delivery service.
C
CBQA – Customer Barcode Quality Assurance, a part of the BMP certification program where a mail house is required to demonstrate barcode dimensions and accuracy specifications are of Australia Post standards.
Charity Mail – A service offered on application by Australia Post for Not-for-Profit businesses to obtain lower postage rates.
Clean Mail – Clean mail refers to machine addressed envelopes that don’t have a DPID barcode.
Consolidation – Grouping of Print Post bundles and trays from different jobs generated by various publishers into a common ULD.
D
DPID – The Delivery Point Identification barcode is an eight digit code, assigned to every delivery points Australia Wide.
E
eLMS – Refers to electronic Lodgement of Mail Statements, an online platform for mail houses to lodged mailing statements for approval by Australia Post.
F
Full rate – Delivery for non-compliance (non-barcoded presort) mail, which is charged by Australia Post at the maximum rate of a small or large letter category.
L
Large letter – A letter up to 500g, no longer than 360mm x 260mm and no thicker than 20mm and rectangular in shape.
Line-haul – Available to Print Post customers who may elect to pay linehaul charges and access Local Sort Division prices for articles within a sort division at an Australia Post letter processing facility (Mail Centre).
LQS – Lodgement Quality System, a part of the BMP certification program and is a web based system for capturing quality issues (non-conformance’s) and opportunities which are then shared electronically between both parties for effective resolution.
M
Manifest – A lodgement document submitted to Australia Post with the clients mail.
Medium letter – An individual letter up to 250grams but no larger than 260mm x 180mm and no thicker than 20mm and rectangular in shape.
MIL – Also refers to ULD Labelling, Mail Identification Label is a label firmly affixed to the outside of the ULD cage to identify the mail presented.
MOR – Refers to a Machine Output Report, typically generated by the inserting machine verifying the volume of mail produced by the equipment.
MRD – A Manual Reconciliation Document is used in the absence of a Computer Generated Machine Output Report (MOR).
P
PAF – Australia Post’s Postage Address File from which client supplied database is checked against 18M address records.
Parcel delivery – Articles that exceeds dimensions of a small to large letter and/or over the weight of 1kg.
PIP – Process Improvement Program, part of the BMP certification program where a mail house has to demonstrate standards set by Australia Post for mail creation and lodgement have improved prior to being accepted at a Bulk Mail Partner with Australia Post.
Priority Mail – Service for critical mail, which is delivered between 1 and 3 working days from lodgement.
Print Post – Delivery service for approved periodical publications to particular addresses throughout Australia.
R
Regular delivery – Service for non-critical mail, which is a less expensive but slower delivery service.
Remake – Also referred to as ‘Spoil’, refers to any mail that has not made to lodgement due to printer or machine jams. Typically small in numbers < 1% of total mail out, this is an accepted practice so as to not delay the bulk of the mail out from lodgement. Spoils or remakes are processed out of hours, or next day and lodged immediately.
Reply Paid – A service offered on application by Australia Post to include a return addresses envelope for a postage free customer response, typically used for donor requests, surveys etc.
S
Small letter – A letter up to 125g, no longer than 130mm x 240mm, no thicker than 5mm and no smaller than 88mm x 138mm and rectangular in shape, with the length at least 1.2 times the width.
Small plus letter – A letter up to 125g, no larger than 240mm x 162mm, no thicker than 5mm and no smaller than 88mm x 138mm and rectangular in shape, with the length at least 1.2 times the width.
Spoil – Also referred to as ‘Remake’, refers to any mail that has not made to lodgement due to printer or machine jams. Typically small in numbers < 1% of total mail out, this is an accepted practice so as to not delay the bulk of the mail out from lodgement. Spoils or remakes are processed out of hours, or next day and lodged immediately.
T
Tray Label – A small label, unique to each tray and mail out, required to be attached to each tray prior to lodgement with Australia Post.
U
Unaddressed Mail delivery Service (UMS) – Delivery service to letterboxes and PO Boxes for unaddressed articles i.e. pamphlets, catalogues, flyers etc.
Unique ID – A number that Australia Post required to identify the mail out, it can be a job number, or customer reference number or similar.
ULD’s – An Australia Post supplied 1.2m x 1.2m steel cage containers known as Unit Loading Devices (ULD’s) used where large mail volumes are to be lodged.
ULD Labelling – Also refers to MIL or Mail Identification Label is a label firmly affixed to the outside of ULD cage to identify the mail presented.
V
Visa Label – A software program from Australia Post to create and print tray labels required for attachment to each tray prior to lodgement with Australia Post.
