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Postal Guide Last updated: 2006-09-18 Business Reply Mail™ - Domestic Table of Contents
What is it? to top of page Business Reply Mail is a direct response vehicle that is used by businesses, publishers, government departments, fundraisers and other organizations to seek responses from recipients within Canada. To seek responses from recipients around the world, Go to Section D - Chapter 12, International Business Reply Mail. It is available in two pre-addressed and postage-paid formats: envelope and card. Customers only pay for the items that are returned to them. Applications include:
To use Business Reply Mail, customers must have an active Business Reply Mail Agreement and access to the Business Reply Mail Artwork Online tool located within Canada Post‘s Online Business Centre. To register for and use the Business Reply Mail Artwork Online tool, which is available to customers at no charge, visit www.canadapost.ca/obc or contact a Canada Post Representative. A list of support documents detailing Business Reply Mail requirements are available at: www.canadapost.ca/brmsupportdocuments Enclosures to top of page If customers are preparing a Business Reply Mail item that will include content other than paper documents as part of the response from the recipient, the customer must submit physical samples for testing. Coin If the recipient of a Domestic Business Reply Mail is expected to include a coin as part of the response, the Business Reply Mail item, including the coin enclosed by the recipient, must meet the following requirements:
Film Domestic Business Reply Mail may be used as a vehicle to accept films, negatives, and pictures by film processors, providing the envelope meets the requirements and specifications. Items will be charged the “Other Business Reply Mail” price depending on the size and weight of the envelope. Size and Weight to top of page
NOTE: To be considered domestic Business Reply Mail, the item must be rectangular with the length being greater than the width. The maximum length-to-width ratio must be 2.6:1 and the minimum length-to-width ratio must be 1.3:1. Payment Options to top of page The following methods of payment are acceptable for Business Reply Mail service. Some restrictions or conditions may apply.
For more information on payment options, Go to Section B - Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing. Service Standards to top of page Standards for the delivery of the Business Reply Mail service are based on delivery from the time the item is placed into the mail stream by the recipient. These service standards are not guaranteed.
For more information on Service Standards, Go to Section F, Service Standards, under Communications Services. Features to top of page A feature is provided automatically as part of the basic service. Redirection If the customer moves and files for a Change of Address Notification (COAN) with Canada Post, there is no extra charge for redirecting Business Reply Mail items sent back by the recipient as long as the Change of Address Notification (COAN) is in effect. Customers must provide a copy of their Change of Address Notification (COAN) to their Canada Post Representative. Options to top of page There are no options for Business Reply Mail. Undeliverable Mail to top of page A Business Reply Mail item will not be provided to the customer and will be treated as undeliverable if:
Undeliverable items will be disposed of or recycled as determined by Canada Post. Documentation Required to top of page For information on documentation required, Go to Documentation and Online Tools, Section B - Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing. Format to top of page Canada Post provides artwork for Business Reply Mail items (envelope or card) in the desired format, bearing the appropriate design, physical characteristics and service type through the Business Reply Mail Artwork Online available online at: www.canadapost.ca/obc Essential Elements In order to take advantage of the Business Reply Mail prices, the customer must meet all applicable requirements, including specifications outlined in the Agreement. Legend
Confirmation of Artwork Placement and Certification of Machineability Canada Post provides two processes to help ensure Business Reply Mail items qualify for the lowest applicable published Business Reply Mail price. Prior to printing Business Reply Mail items:
Canada Post’s Mail Standards and Testing group handles these processes. Send samples to: MAIL STANDARDS AND TESTING Send electronic artwork to: mailstandardsandtesting@canadapost.ca Confirmation of Artwork Placement Customers should submit an electronic sample of their Business Reply Mail artwork to the Mail Standards and Testing group or alternatively to a Business Reply Mail Coordinator. Customers must send the electronic sample in PDF format at 1:1, capable of being read in Adobe Acrobat® version 5 or as otherwise required by Canada Post. Customers are to include the size of the envelope or card as well as the customer’s crop marks in the electronic file. The artwork will be reviewed (using the Size/Rating Template) to determine if the Business Reply Mail elements are positioned correctly on the item. The results are provided to the customer. If issues with placement are identified, the customer should correct the artwork and re-submit another electronic sample. Customers remain responsible for any errors or omissions. Certification of Machineability Customers should submit a minimum of 50 physical samples of the items to Canada Post’s Mail Standards and Testing group. The samples will be tested and customers will be provided with the results. A result of “Pass” certifies the items, as submitted, are machineable and should qualify for the lowest applicable published Machineable Business Reply Mail price. A result of “Fail” indicates the items, as submitted, cannot be certified as machineable. If this occurs, a list of deficiencies will be provided to the customer. The customer should correct the deficiencies and re-submit the items for testing. Size/Rating Templates The Domestic and International Size/Rating Templates can be used to verify whether an envelope or card is an acceptable size (length and width) for the Business Reply Mail service. To use the template follow these steps:
NOTE:
Customers must ensure all the Business Reply Mail elements are positioned in the appropriate locations. Otherwise, higher prices for Machineable and Other Business Reply Mail may apply or the item(s) may not qualify as Business Reply Mail and/or the Customer’s Agreement may be cancelled. NOTE: Printing Guidelines to top of page The Business Reply Mail Artwork Online tool provides artwork in encapsulated postscript file (eps, vector outline format) and portable document format (pdf). The artwork is designed to work with Adobe Creative Suite™ and QuarkXpress™ version 4.1 (and upward). To enquire about using alternate software, contact Canada Post’s Mail Standards and Testing group. Using QuarkXpress™*, Adobe Indesign™ and Adobe Photoshop™**
Fonts The address in the Business Reply Mail artwork is created with a fixed pitch font. This font provides the best results with Canada Post’s sortation equipment’s address recognition. Do not alter. The Business Reply Mail Artwork Online tool provides customers with the option to create artwork in three fonts: Courier New, Courier New Bold, and Letter Gothic. For Machineable Business Reply Mail envelopes, the Courier New Bold font is not recommended. Using this font, the address may encroach upon the left and right-hand edges of the Clear Zone. As well, this font is difficult to read by Canada Post’s address scanning equipment. Acceptable Fonts and Maximum Address Lengths (Canadian Standards)
Inks The inks identified below, when applied properly, are acceptable for use with Business Reply Mail items. Fluorescent inks may not be used on Business Reply Mail. Tested Inks
Other black inks, in addition to those listed above, can meet requirements. To enquire about using alternative inks, contact Canada Post’s Mail Standards and Testing group. Crop Marks The Business Reply Mail artwork contains several crop marks. The crops marks identified by TL, BL, TR and BR represent the corners of the artwork. TL = Top Left BL = Bottom Left TR = Top Right BR = Bottom Right Bar Code The Business Reply Mail artwork contains a 4-state bar code with the human readable line located above the bar code. There should be 52 bars in the bar code, consistent in width and spacing. The bars on the bar code should be crisp (no ghost images or blurring). Do not alter. Paper Stock Customers must choose a paper stock that is optically “dead” or has very low minimum levels of luminescence (is not excessively bright). It must be uncoated (non-glossy), and have a weight that is at least 75 g/m 2 for envelopes and 120 g/m 2 for cards. Cards must be at least 0.18 mm (0.007 in.) thick. Canadian and U.S. Envelope Standards The Business Reply Mail Artwork Online tool produces artwork in Canadian Addressing standards. Standards vary between countries. For convenience, this table provides a comparison of the Canadian and U.S.A. envelope standards in both metric and imperial dimensions. All Canada Post transactions are in metric units.
Sealing
Flexural Strength and Flexibility “Machineable” Business Reply Mail items must have sufficient flexural strength and flexibility so they sag no more than 10 mm when freely supported between two level supports that are located 10 mm from their left and right edges and can bend around 140 mm radius without being damaged. “Other Business Reply Mail” items (i.e., Oversize) must have sufficient flexural strength so they remain horizontal when the edge of the item is held in one hand. Items that do not have to bend may be packaged in either flexible or rigid materials, such as paperboard or corrugated cardboard. Addressing to top of page The Business Reply Mail address and postal code must adhere to the Canadian Addressing Standards. Customers may only modify the first line (title) and, depending on the size of the envelope or card, a second line (title) may be available for customization. NOTE: For more information, Go to Section B - Chapter 3, Addressing. Mail Preparation and Presortation to top of page There are no mail preparation and presortation requirements for Business Reply Mail. Markings to top of page Go to Graphics and Other Markings, Section B - Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing. At the Time of Deposit to top of page Various Methods to Distribute Business Reply Mail Items Customers may distribute Business Reply Mail envelopes and cards through free standing handouts or may use Canada Post’s services. For example, in Canada, customers may send Business Reply Mail items as part of a Publications Mail™, Addressed Admail™, Unaddressed Admail™, AdCard™, Lettermail™, Priority Courier™ and Xpresspost™. When Business Reply Mail cards are included as part of another type of mailing (e.g., either loose or as an attached piece of an AdCard item), the card must be folded inside or inserted in the mail piece in order to cover the Business Reply Mail design elements and specific Business Reply Mail address. This will avoid confusion for the recipient and Canada Post at the time of processing. Mailings That Do Not Meet Business Reply Mail Requirements If the customer or the customer’s representative (e.g., graphics department, printing agency) alters any of the Business Reply Mail artwork (indicia, extraction bars, bar code, address, font, “By Airmail” designation, etc.) or alters the physical characteristics, rendering the item out of specification, or places content or graphics (e.g., logos) outside of the designated Customer Controlled Area, then higher prices for Machineable and Other Business Reply Mail may apply or the item(s) may not qualify as Business Reply Mail and/or the Customer’s Agreement may be cancelled. If an item is tendered as Business Reply Mail and does not qualify for Canada Post’s Business Reply Mail service, then the process outlined in the General Terms and Conditions applies. Go to General Terms and Conditions. Delivery of Business Reply Mail to top of page Business Reply Mail is delivered as per the applicable service. Payment, pickup, delivery, and invoicing vary depending on whether the customer’s delivery address, specified on the Business Reply Mail envelope or card, is handled by an automated or non-automated Canada Post site. General Terms and Conditions to top of page Go to General Terms and Conditions. |
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