01/06/2017
New year - new postal rules and regulations...
Release Notes
Bulk Mailer Professional DEC 2016-JAN 2017 Service Pack 2
Bulk Mailer Business DEC 2016-JAN 2017 Service Pack 3
New Features
USPS 2017 Mail Promotions
Bulk Mailer will support the following promotions in 2017:
Personalized Color Transpromo
Emerging & Advanced Technology
Tactile, Sensory & Interactive Engagement
Direct Mail Starter
Mobile Shopping
For an overview of the upcoming promotions, see USPS Mailing Promotions and Incentives for 2017.
Intelligent Mail Electronic Documentation Updates
Mail.dat
With this release, Bulk Mailer introduces support for the latest version of the Mail.dat specfication: 17-1. On the Mail.dat Information page of the Mail Sort wizard, Bulk Mailer lists the two versions that are supported:
15-1
17-1
Bulk Mailer and USPS support for version 14-2 ends as of mailing dates falling on January 22, 2017 and later.
Mail.XML
With this release, Bulk Mailer supports the latest version of the Mail.XML specification: 19.0.
New USPS Rates for 2017
The USPS is implementing a series of price and service changes. Bulk Mailer supports the new prices and services. The new postal rates go into effect on January 22, 2017. For specific pricing details, see the USPS resource: January Price Change.
Key changes include the following:
Maximum Weight of Machinable Letters Update
The maximum weight for the following mail classes has increased from 3.3 ounces to 3.5 ounces:
First-Class Automation and Nonautomation Machinable Letters
Standard Mail Automation and Nonautomation Machinable Letters
Extension of Second Ounce Free to First Class Mail Letters Weighing up to 3.5 Ounces
The 2nd ounce free price now goes up to 3.5 ounces for commercial First-Class Mail letters and First-Class Mail Residual Single-Piece Letters. There is no longer additional pricing as each ounce is added to the weight. Consequently, when you sort a mailing of mixed weight pieces in the Mail Sort wizard, the option for combining residual pieces has changed.
The option Combine 1oz and 2oz residual pieces is renamed Combine residual pieces.
3 Digit Presort Category Updates
Beginning in 2017, the 3-digit presort price category is combined with AADC for the following mail classes:
First Class Mail Automation Letters and Postcards
Standard Mail Automation Letters
Weight for Standard Mail Updates
The following classes of standard mail have had updates to the weight at which prices change:
2016 Weight
2017 Weight
Class of Mail
3.3 oz
3.5 oz
Automation Carrier Route Letters
Automation Letters
Nonautomation Machinable Letters
3.3 oz
4 oz
Nonautomation Carrier Route Letters1
Nonmachinable Letters1
3.3 oz
4 oz
Automation Flats1
Nonautomation Flats1
1Pieces over 4 ounces are subject to both a per piece and per pound price.
Rates for FSS (Flats Sequencing System) Mailings Removed
Specific FSS-specific price categories in Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Bound Printed Matter, introduced in 2015, are being removed in 2017 to encourage use of FSS zones. In their place, mailings of Flats qualify for the piece price that would have applied prior to the piece's inclusion in the FSS pricing scheme. In general, Flats pricing will be the same whether the mailing is in an FSS zone or not. This means that there are fewer rate categories; some columns and lines on postage statements have been removed to reflect this change. All FSS preparation requirements, however, remain unchanged.
Note: You may see rates applied in FSS bundles that are not in the sort levels that you have selected. This is because you may qualify for better rates based on the density of pieces in your mailing, and these lower rates are applied automatically. For example, if you do not select a Carrier Route sort level and have over 125 pieces for a route, the High Density Carrier Route rate will be applied.
Repositionable Notes
Repositionable notes are no longer supported. Accordingly, on the Advanced Sort Settings page of the Mail Sort wizard, the Use repositional notes check box has been removed from the Other Options section. In addition, references to them have been removed from postage statements.
Postage Statement Updates
Postage statements will see various changes as a result of the 2017 rate changes. In addition, the USPS has taken this opportunity to clean-up the layout, format, and display of postage statements.
Key updates, in addition to price updates and weight category adjustments, are described in the following table.
Postage Statement
2017 Revision
PS 3541
Sections related to the FSS facility and scheme have been removed.
PS 3600-FCM
The 3-Digit price category has been merged with AADC.
PS 3602-C
The term Standard Mail is changed to USPS Marketing Mail.
PS 3602-R and N
The term Standard Mail is changed to USPS Marketing Mail.
Part M is removed.
Lines related to the FSS facility and scheme have been removed.
The 3-Digit price category has been merged with AADC.
There is just one price category for Every Door Direct Mail® letters: Saturation.
PS 3602-EZ and NZ
The term Standard Mail is changed to USPS Marketing Mail.
PS 3605-R
In section A, the column for FSS Scheme has been removed. In addition, lines related to the FSS Scheme have been removed.
The new postage statements are available for mailings dated on or after January 22, 2017. These statements are labeled January 2017 in the page footer, and will be created automatically when you select a mailing date on or after January 22, 2017.
Product Updates
Mail Sort
USPS® data file updates are not included in this release. The most current version, released in the prior service pack, is:
[Release 1] for the City/State file.
[Release 1] for Labeling Lists and Zone Charts.
[Release 1] for the Mail Direction File.
Please see RIBBS for more information about the updated USPS Data File Release Schedule. Note: Release 1 will be used for mailing dates that fall in January 2017 or later. For more information, see USPS Monthly Sort Data File Updates.
Address Correction
The Bulk Mailer December 2016 - January 2017 release includes Address Correction files that are valid through January 31, 2017. This service pack does not provide any additional updates. However, if you would like an updated version of the correction files, you can download the latest monthly release from Satori Community. Consult Address Correction Data File Updates and Address Correction Update Schedule for more information.
Changes to Operating System Support
Due to the discontinuation of the following operating system, Satori no longer will support Bulk Mailer on these operating systems according to the following schedule.
Vendor
Operating System
Vendor Support End Date
Satori Support End Date
Microsoft
Windows Vista
April 2012
Feb 2017
Microsoft
Windows XP
April 2014
April 2015
Fixed and Addressed Issues
There are no fixed or addressed issues for Bulk Mailer in this release.
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