Outgoing Services

USPS (United States Postal Service) https://www.usps.com/

Stamps

Mail Services sells stamps individually, in books of 20, or in coils of 100.
Payment can be made by cash, check, Faculty/Staff/Student ID or department purchase requisition.
Requests for large quantities of stamps must be made 2-3 days in advance by calling x-1391 or x-1124 (Mail Services).

Metered Mail

Metered mail is any mail imprinted with postage directly on the mail-piece.
Outgoing metered mail should be nested and must have a department account number attached.
Please request trays and/or tubs from Mail Services for large quantities of mail. Include department 'blue slip' in the front of each tray or on the top of each tub.

Package Shipping

USPS Ground Advantage is a lower cost alternative to Priority Mail with advertised delivery in 2-5 days. This service includes tracking and $100 insurance.
Priority Mail is advertised as having a 2 - 3 day delivery time, but is not a guaranteed service. This service includes tracking and $100 insurance.
Express Mail is a guaranteed overnight or 2-day service. This service includeds tracking and $100 insurance.
Express Mail is the only expedited service that can deliver to P.O. (post office) box addresses.
The maximum package weight for USPS is 70lbs, maximum size 108 inches in length and girth combined.
A limited supply of priority boxes and envelopes, including flat rate boxes and envelopes, are available at Mail Services for no charge. Priority postage will need to be purchased for shipping.

Large Mailing?

USPS has lower cost mailing options for larger mailings (200 pieces or more, in zip code order) and presort services, for larger mailings (500 pieces or more, matte finish or envelope.) For more information, please contact Kathi Moyer at x-1391 or moyerkk@etown.edu

Certified Mail

Certified mail provides sender with a mailing receipt and tracking for letters, large envelopes and Priority Mail.
A return receipt may be purchased with certified mail for an additional fee.
Certified mail is not available for international mail, and it does not offer insurance protection.
Certified mail is available at Mail Services plus basic postage and the return receipt charge (if desired).

Return Receipt

The return receipt is a hard copy post card returned by mail to the sender with the recipient's signature and date of delivery.
A return receipt can be purchased for mail sent Certified and can be used on letters, large envelopes and Express Mail.

Registered Mail

For valuables or irreplaceable items, use registered mail available through the US Post Office only.

USPS Tracking

Tracking is provided for all outgoing parcels.

Postage Due

Postage due charges are assessed by USPS on items that have been mailed with insufficient postage and must be paid for at time of receipt.

UPS Ground Service http://www.ups.com/

Prompt, dependable, low cost ground delivery makes UPS Ground an excellent choice for routine shipments.
UPS Ground reaches every address throughout the 48 contiguous states.
The maximum weight for UPS is 150 lbs, maximum length 108 inches.

Outgoing UPS is picked up daily by 2:00 PM. Please note: 'Next Day Service' pieces must be at Mail Services no later than 1:00 in order to process package to be ready for pick-up in a timely manner.

Payment can be made by cash, check, or department purchase requisition.
All packages must be "ship ready" upon arrival at Mail Services.
UPS does not deliver to P.O. (post office) boxes.

International Mail

Postage for international letters and large envelopes can be purchased at Mail Services.
Due to New Postal Regulations: All International packages must be processed by the sender on-line or taken, in person, to the local US Post Office to be processed.
Please visit, for international package processing- https://www.usps.com/

Mail-piece Design

The USPS processes 100 million pieces of mail daily with the use of an OCR (Optical Character Reader). Since the OCR "reads" the address, placement of information on the face of the mail-piece is critical.
Improper placement of a single item could cause a loss of postage discounts, a delay in delivery, or even the return of the mail-piece(s) to the college.
Please call Mail Services for assistance.

Envelope Layout

Mail Services has OCR templates that can be placed over a mail-piece to insure it meets postal guidelines. Before printing a new mail-piece, it is advisable to make sure it meets USPS guidelines.
Please contact Kathi Moyer at x-1391 for assistance.

Addressing Guidelines

After insuring your mail-piece layout meets USPS guidelines, apply the following guidelines for addressing a mail-piece:

Use simple sans serif type with uniform stroke thickness.
Type or machine-print in dark ink on a light background with a uniform left margin.
Use uppercase characters throughout the address.
Left-justify every line in the address block.
Use two-letter state abbreviations.
Use one space between city and state, two spaces between state and ZIP + 4 code.
Use appropriate ZIP + 4 code (if unknown, use 5-digit ZIP code).

JOHN DOE
JONSON MANUFACTURING
500E MAIN ST STE 222
KANSAS CITY MO 64100-1234

Self Mailers

Self-mailers are un-enveloped mail-pieces that must be tabbed (secured) to prevent an open edge from jamming high speed processing equipment.
As an alternative to tabbing, the open edge of the mail-piece may be continuously or spot glued.
Tabs are not required on flats, but may be necessary to meet other preparation standards.
Specifications for tabbing and paperweight of mail-piece follows:
Please note that ALL self-mailers with a top/bottom fold must be parallel to the longest dimension with the folded edge at the bottom of the mail-piece.
Use of less than 2 tabs requires a heavier paper.