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Specifications
The South African Post Office has seen fast growth in the use of one-step mailers in the postal system.
It is therefore bound to draft specifications for manufacturers and users of these standardised products that facilitate efficient mail delivery and sorting. These specifications have been drafted with the input of manufacturers and users of the products to facilitate improved mail handling.
These specifications apply to the manufacture and construction of single-ply sheets, folded and sealed to create an envelope, capable of passing through the Post Office scanning equipment. All Post Office standards apply.
Size
To comply with standard OCR requirements, the -
- one-step mailer must not be -
- larger than 120 mm x 235 mm; or
- smaller than 90 mm x 140 mm;
- address of the one-step mailer, whether printed direct onto the form or appearing in a window, must be in the demarcated area; and·
- address block area must be white with no other markings whatsoever.
Sealing
- The envelope must be sealed and closed along all four edges. No open sides will be allowed as they trap air which causes machine jams.
- Glue lines must be no further than 2 mm from the edge of the envelope for 50 per cent of the depth of the side of the envelope and no further than 7 mm from the edge of the envelope for the remaining 50 per cent of the depth of the envelope
- The seal across the envelope may be an interrupted seal with the interruptions being no further than 40 mm apart.
- The sealed mailer should not have wavy edges or waves which impair the ability to encode the envelope.
- The seal of the envelope must -
- be smooth;· be uniform; and
- not open easily in the post.
- Wherever possible, pressure seal, rewettable glues, aqua seal, heat seal or liquid glues ensuring a good finished product should be used.
Die cut window construction
- Location of the die cut window must conform to all normal window specifications as set out in this document.
- The preferred material is glassine, which must have a transparency of 90 per cent or higher.
- The adhesives used to affix the window must be within 2 mm of the die cut edge.
- Poorly affixed or damaged windows will cause rejection and render the product not OCR readable.
Paper
- Paper thickness for mass and opacity must be at least 80 g/mē for a Z-, C- or V-fold where two, three or more sheets are created. When manufacturing a double-fold envelope, ie a V-fold creating two sheets, 90 g/mē paper may be used.
- Care must be taken when printing on the inside of the front of the envelope to avoid incorrect scanning.
- The envelope must be durable.
- One-step mailers or data mailers may be rejected if they are found to be flimsy in sorting and handling.
Perforations
- Perforations must be flat and of a format that will not be read in the scanner as the figure 1.
- Perforations must be firm so as not to tear in the post after handling.
General
- Any one-step mailer that does not comply with the specifications will have to be sorted manually and will not qualify for the relevant discounts.
- The front of the envelope should be designed to be OCR readable.
- Advertising must be placed at the top left on the front of envelopes, but is preferred at the top left on the back of the envelope/mailer.
- The return postal address must preferably appear on the back of the envelope, but may appear in the front top left-hand corner.
- Any unusual envelope design or construction must be submitted to the mail manager for prior approval if it in any way differs from the specifications listed in the document.
- The wording postage paid must appear in the top right-hand corner and must be above the scanning area.
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