1. IMb™ Services Initial Steps for Mailers

2. Agenda Vision Direction Make It Happen Resources Questions 2

3. Identifiable & Verifiable Traceable & Accountable Efficient & Predictable Valuable & Responsive Mail - a Key Communication Medium IMb™ Vision 3

4. IMb™ Options Basic –IMb on mailpieces Full-Service –Unique Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) on mailpieces –Unique Intelligent Mail barcode (IMtb) on trays, sacks –Unique Intelligent Mail barcode (IMcb) on containers –Electronic mailing documentation (PostalOne! ® ) –Scheduled appointments (FAST ® ) –Services/benefits included with Full-Service: Full-Service ACS™ Start-the-Clock 4

5. Automated Payment Advance Notification Business Customer Gateway Electronic Documentation (PostalOne! ® ) and Transportation Management System (TMS) Advance Notification (FAST ® ) Start-The-Clock (PostalOne!) Verification and Postage Payment (PostalOne!) Tracking (Confirm ® & PostalOne!) IMb™- Business Customer Gateway 5

6. Intelligent Mail barcode Tray Pallet Pieces Intelligent Mail tray barcode Intelligent Mail container barcode Nesting of Data IMb™- Nesting 6 Example Data for eDoc

7. IMb™ Timeline Ongoing –Intelligent Mail barcode, OneCode ACS ® & OneCode Confirm ® –Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) Testing submission of electronic documentation (Mail.dat ® 8-2 & 9-1) –Migrate to Full-Service in production Enable Mail.dat and Postal Wizard tools for electronic documentation Receive Start-the-Clock and Full-Service ACS™ November 2009 Onward –Discounts for Full-Service –Enable Mail.XML ® tool for electronic documentation –USPS ® ended support of Mail.dat 8-1 7

8. Getting Started Acquire knowledge Determine mail presentation practices Interact with the Postal Service ® Interact with software and/or service providers Construct implementation plan Acquire software, fonts and aids Initiate implementation plan Test and validate 8

9. Acquire Knowledge Postal Service ®, Service Providers & Vendors –What is this Intelligent Mail ® ? –What’s its value to me? –What existing & new services can each support and when? Customers & Internal Departments & Resources –Document current practices and equipment –Document future vision, expectations & constraints Training –Review Postal Service™ & industry Intelligent Mail information opportunities 9

10. Determine Mail Presentation Practices Do I the “mail owner” present all, some or none of my mail to the Postal Service ® ? If a service provider presents some or all of my mail, determine Mailer ID, mailpiece uniqueness and extra service options. If a service provider acquires some or all of my tracking and/or address data from the USPS ®, determine data acquisition options. How will your current practices change with IMb™? 10

11. Interact with the Postal Service ® Familiarize yourself with the Business Customer Gateway –Establish logon for interaction –Use the Gateway to: Set up your MID Determine services needed Determine electronic data exchange needs Highly recommended: Have your mailpiece, tray, and container barcodes tested by your local Mailpiece Design Analyst (MDA) 11

12. Business Customer Gateway The Business Customer Gateway gives you a single, unified landing point to access certain online business offerings from the Postal Service ®. These channels include the services that support the IMb™ Full-Service option. These include PostalOne! ®, FAST ®, CLDS (Customer Label Distribution System), and Mailer IDs (MIDs). https://gateway.usps.com/bcg/login.htm 12

13. Interact with Software and/or Service Providers Base discussions on data from acquired knowledge activities –Current state of functions, features, interfaces, and services –Available new functions, features, interfaces and services –Desired state factoring expectations and constraints Determine custom software requirements 13

14. Construct a Plan Incorporate findings, expectations & constraints Target timeline Internal and external resource and funding allocation Procedural, operations, hardware and technical changes and opportunities Test criteria to ensure content and print quality Implementation sequence through applications and customers Testing and validation 14

15. Intelligent Mail ® Data Font software Converts printing instructions into barcode Encoder software Converts Intelligent Mail data into printing instructions Software, Fonts & Aids 15

16. Software, Fonts & Aids 16 To download software and font files visit the RIBBS ® website at https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=intellmailmailpieces

17. Fonts 17 Check out the new shorter-height fonts (close to the minimum 0.125") IMb™ Technical Resource Guide Appendix C. Encoding Software Packages and Fonts Available on RIBBS ®

18. Fonts - Barcode Placement 18 Same placement as POSTNET™ barcode Letters –Address block OR –Barcode clear zone Flats –On address side AND –At least 1/8 inch from any edge of the piece

19. Fonts - Clearance and Voids 19 A minimum clear zone of 0.125 inch between the left and right edges of the barcode is required. A minimum clear zone of 0.028 inch above and below the barcode is required. Maximum dot matrix spacing must not exceed 0.010 inch. 0.010

20. Font – Barcode Tilt 20 Same as POSTNET™ except you look at the centerline not a baseline! Barcode Skew Bar Rotation

21. IMb™ Aids Manual tools for visual inspection –Plastic templates –Optical comparator Online encoder/decoder Scanners and verifiers 21

22. Initiate the Plan Some BIG things: –Software and databases: Data structures and management, Interfaces to existing systems, Electronic distribution and acquisition of IMb™ and mailing data, –Production hardware, workflow and practices –Business Customer Gateway – (PostalOne! ® ) as the electronic data exchange portal 22

23. Initiate the Plan Some NEW outputs: –Mailpieces with the IMb™: ALWAYS 65 bars –Barcodes on tray labels, IMtb –Barcodes on container labels, IMcb –Electronic documentation (eDoc) & data exchange (Mail.dat ® / Mail.XML ® ) 23

24. Test & Validate…Repeat, Physical Output Ensure the test plan has pre-established results –Know the CORRECT results and use available tools to ensure outcomes match them Validate input –Ensure all data elements for barcode content match either yours or your customer’s specifications Validate output –Print samples from each piece of equipment that could be used in actual production –Provide samples to USPS™ MDA / service providers 24

25. Test & Validate…Repeat, Electronic Output Participate in the USPS ™ Test Environment for Mailers (TEM) Ensure the test plan has pre-established results –Know the CORRECT data content & structures, transmission protocols and reporting schemes –Use available systemic tools to ensure outcomes match and transmission acknowledgements are processed Validate eDoc –Ensure all data elements for the record structures meet defined specifications –change control for updates is properly defined and executed Validate downloadable reports –Establish Mail.XML ® practices –Validate receipt and internal practices 25

26. IMb™ Key Takeaways –Major project for mailers –USPS ™ MDA, service providers, and vendors are valuable resources –Mailer ID, encoders and fonts are free –IT involvement is required to: Integrate the encoder into existing software, Manage uniqueness, Generate eDocumentation Change font and spacing in documents, –IMb is just another font to your printer 26

27. IMb™ Key Resources IMb Services Update, DMM ® Advisory RIBBS ® Webside: www.ribbs.usps.govwww.ribbs.usps.gov –Intelligent Mail ® Services Latest News Benefits Calculator Guides & Specifications Tools Services Guidelines USPS ® publications USPS & industry training: National Postal Forum, Postal Customer Council (PCC) Seminars, and other vendor conferences and various association meetings Local USPS Mailpiece Design Analyst 27

28. 28 IMb™ Getting Started Additional information about all of the topics covered in this presentation can be found on RIBBS ®. Click on Intelligent Mail ® Services and then click on “Guides & Specs” as shown here. All of the supporting documentation references are shown under “Important Links”.

29. Intelligent Mail ® Education National Postal Forum sessions Additional Presentations –MIDS/CRIDS –Working with Your Mail Preparer –IMb™ and ACS ® –IMb Service Type Identifiers –Mail.dat ® and PostalOne! ® –Start-the-Clock 29