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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
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| ANNUAL FEE | ITEMS RETURNED |
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For more information on payment options, Go to Section B - Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing.
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.
| DELIVERY ZONE | SERVICE STANDARD |
|---|---|
| Local | 3 days |
| within Province | 4 days |
| National | 5 days or more |
For more information on Service Standards, Go to Section F, Service Standards, under Communications Services.
A feature is provided automatically as part of the basic service.
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.
There are no options for Business Reply Mail.
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.
For information on documentation required, Go to Documentation and Online Tools, Section B - Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing.
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
In order to take advantage of the Business Reply Mail prices, the customer must meet all applicable requirements, including specifications outlined in the Agreement.
Figure C.13.1 Machineaable Domestic Business Reply Mail
Figure C.13.2 Other Domestic Business Reply Mail (Oversized)
Legend
| 1 | Business Reply Mail Indicia - The Business Reply Mail indicia is the “postage stamp”. It contains the Customer Number and Customer Sortation Code. Do not alter. |
| 2 | Chevrons - The chevrons shown below the indicia are the Business Reply Mail service identifier. These chevrons are not to be used on any other Canada Post service. Do not alter. |
| 3 | Three Extraction Bars - The three vertical bars to the left of the indicia prompt the mail processing equipment to extract Business Reply Mail items for special handling. Do not alter. |
| 4 & 5 | Business Reply Mail Bar Code and Human-Readable Line - The bar code and the human-readable line directly above it contain customer identification information. These elements must be placed together on the Business Reply Mail item. Do not alter. |
| 6 | Business Reply Mail Address - This area is for the customer‘s company name and the Business Reply Mail address. Customers can request the address block to be provided in a single or bilingual (swiss style) format. Do not alter either the address or postal code provided by Canada Post for Business Reply Mail mailings. Customers may only modify the first line (title). Depending on the size of the envelope or card, a second line (title) may be available for customization. |
| 7 | Business Reply Mail Postal Code - The Business Reply Mail postal code may differ from the customer’s regular postal code. Do not alter the postal code provided to customers for Business Reply Mail mailings. |
| NOTE: | For customers who have a rural address (postal code with a “0” zero as the second character), the postal code will remain the same. |
| 8 | Customer-Controlled Area - The Customer-Controlled Area is available for customers to customize the item by adding their corporate logo or a special message. Fluorescent inks must not be used. |
| 9 | Clear Area - This area must remain blank. |
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
CANADA POST
2701 RIVERSIDE DR SUITE N0550
OTTAWA ON K1A 0B1
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.
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: | If the corner of an item or the bar code touches the boundary lines of its designated areas, the item is still acceptable. |
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: | To obtain the Business Reply Mail Size/Rating Templates, Domestic (Part # CPO31094), call the Commercial Service Network at 1 800 260-7678. |
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™**
| * | when printing from QuarkXpress (PC version) to a non-postscript printer, select Full Resolution Preview Resolution. |
| ** | when opening the eps file using Photoshop, ensure the “Resolution” is set to 600 dpi (dots per inch), the “Mode” is set to Grey Scale, the “Orientation” is set to portrait and the Constrain Proportions box is checked. |
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)
| FONT | FONT SIZE | MAXIMUM ADDRESS LENGTH | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENVELOPE SIZE #8 | ENVELOPE SIZE #8.5 | ||
| Courier New | 12 | 22 characters | 24 characters |
| Courier New Bold | 10 | 26 characters | 29 characters |
| Letter Gothic | 10 | 26 characters | 29 characters |
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.
| Ganho Ink, Ultragloss Dense Black 6420/GS | J. F. Ink and Colour Co. Ltd., TW-9040 Black |
| Ganho Ink, Open Black No 5206/G | Lester Inks & Coating Ltd., Lester System-Litho Web Heatset Process Black HG10-101 |
| Ganho Ink, Ultragloss All Purpose Black No 501/36G | Lester Inks, V1726 |
| Ganho Ink, Ultragloss Process Black No 400/36G | Canada Fine Colour, PMS Black (Flexo) |
| Sun Chemical, Special Translite Black W86-5037 |
Canada Fine Colour, 0543-7010 |
| Sun Chemical, Dense Black (Offset) | Canada Fine Colour, 0844-7018 |
| Sun Chemical, BLA-990785 | Canada Fine Colour, 07032-7005 Black (Water Base) Flexo |
| Bass, Flexo 491 | Flint Ink, AL 191369 |
| Bass, Gemglo Black | Flint Ink, MAL 223989 |
| Schmidt, F-6652 | Rieger, A 3970 |
| Schmidt, Black 16940 | Vanison, Rubber 10850 Black |
| MacKintosh Flexo-Gravure Ltd., Aqua Envelope Black, #2K7399 |
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.
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
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.
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.
| ENVELOPE # | Canadian (WIDTH X LENGTH) |
U.S.A. (WIDTH X LENGTH) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| METRIC | IMPERIAL | METRIC | IMPERIAL | |
| 10 | 105 mm x 241 mm | 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 in | 105 mm x 241 mm | 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 in |
| 9 | 102 mm x 229 mm | 4 x 9 in | 98 mm x 225 mm | 3 7/8 x 8 7/8 in |
| 8 | 92 mm x 165 mm | 3 5/8 x 6 1/2 in | 92 mm x 219 mm | 3 5/8 x 8 5/8 in |
| 8.5 | 95 mm x 171 mm | 3 3/4 x 6 3/4 in | N/A | |
“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.
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: | One Business Reply Mail address is provided per Agreement. For additional Business Reply Mail addresses, please contact a Canada Post Representative. |
For more information, Go to Section B - Chapter 3, Addressing.
There are no mail preparation and presortation requirements for Business Reply Mail.
Go to Graphics and Other Markings, Section B - Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing.
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.
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.
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.
Go to General Terms and Conditions.
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