USPS Promotions & Forms Archives - Modern Litho

USPS Catalog Mailing Incentive: Big Savings for Catalog Mailers Starting August 15, 2025

Kyle Caraway — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:20:10 +0000

If you’re a catalog marketer, there’s exciting news on the horizon: The USPS Catalog Mailing Incentive goes into effect August 15, 2025, offering substantial postage savings just in time for peak campaign planning and holiday mailings.

What Is the USPS Catalog Mailing Incentive?

The USPS Catalog Mailing Incentive is a new program designed to help catalogers offset recent postage rate increases and encourage continued investment in print catalogs. Starting August 15, 2025, qualifying catalog mailings can receive a 10% discount on postage, with the promotion running through June 2026.

Why Is This Incentive Important?

With postage rates for flats rising as much as 13% in 2025, this incentive offers catalog marketers a rare opportunity for real savings. When combined with additional USPS programs—such as Informed Delivery and Sustainability initiatives—total discounts can reach up to 12%. This can help brands maintain or even expand their catalog programs without sacrificing quality or frequency.

Who Benefits Most?

Catalogs weighing 7 oz. or more may see the greatest benefit, as the USPS is lowering per-pound rates for heavier flats. In some cases, catalogs over 7 ounces could see no net increase—or even a decrease—in postage costs.
Marketers mailing to house files will find it easier to keep up regular customer touchpoints, keeping acquisition and retention strategies cost-effective.

Key Details and Eligibility

Discount: 10% off qualifying catalog postage (potentially up to 12% with other incentives)
Effective Dates: August 15, 2025 – June 30, 2026
Eligible Mail: Catalogs that meet the USPS’s updated definition, mailed as USPS Marketing Mail flats
- 12 pages minimum
- Bound: A catalog is a bound (stapled, stitched, glued or fastened together along one edge)
- Content: Providing an organized listing of products or services offered for sale. A catalog mailpiece may be letter-shaped, flat-shaped or parcel shaped, and is mailed at USPS Marketing Mail®. The product listing must include images, photographs or illustrations of the products or services, descriptive details, fulfillment information and prices or contain an alternate method for the reader to determine prices. Catalogs must contain enough information to allow an order to be placed, e.g., an order form, a phone number, a web address, or the means to access a web address. Catalogs will also enable fulfillment options for the products or services offered for sale.
How to Participate: Ensure your catalogs meet the new USPS definition (see the Domestic Mail Manual and PostalPro for details), and contact your representative at Modern Litho to submit for pre-approval and register your mailing for the incentive.

Why Is USPS Doing This?

The USPS launched this incentive in response to industry data showing that lower postage rates actually increase catalog mail volume and overall postal revenue. This program is also a chance for the Postal Service to evaluate catalog price sensitivity ahead of future rate changes.

Plan Ahead!

This incentive aligns perfectly with fall and spring campaign planning windows, giving catalogers a strategic advantage for the 2025–2026 mailing seasons. Start working with your print and mailing partners now to ensure your catalogs qualify and your campaigns are ready to take full advantage of these savings.

Need help navigating the USPS Catalog Mailing Incentive?
Contact Modern Litho’s postal experts for guidance on eligibility, registration, and maximizing your catalog campaign ROI.

Sources:
1 Accuzip
2 Nahan
3 USPS PostalPro

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2025 USPS Postal Rate Changes: What Catalog, Publication, and Direct Mail Buyers Need to Know

Kyle Caraway — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 19:41:31 +0000

The U.S. Postal Service will implement new postage rates effective July 13, 2025. These changes will impact commercial mailers, catalog publishers, periodical publishers, and direct mail marketers. Understanding the specifics of these updates can help you plan budgets, optimize mailing strategies, and take advantage of available discounts.

Key Rate Changes by Mail Class

Mail Class	Average % Increase	Notable New Rates (Examples)
First-Class Mail	7.4%	1 oz. letter: $0.78 (was $0.73)
Marketing Mail	7.4%	Automation Letters (5-Digit, DSCF): $0.355
Periodicals	9.4%	Varies by format and presort
Package Services	7.4%
Special Services	7.4%

Source: Printing Impressions, USPS

Highlights for Our Customers

Commercial Mailers & Direct Mail Buyers

Expect an average 7.4% increase across most mail classes, with some presort Marketing Mail tiers seeing increases up to 11.6%.
First-Class Mail (1 oz.) now $0.78; metered letters $0.74.
Postcards rise to $0.62; flats (1 oz.) increase to $1.65.
Marketing Mail Automation Letters (5-Digit, DSCF Entry): $0.355; Flats: $0.732.
Nonprofit rates remain discounted but will also increase.

Catalog & Publication Buyers

Periodicals see a higher average increase (9.4%), making it crucial to review mailing lists and optimize for automation and presort discounts.
Marketing Mail Flats face increases of 13–18%, with SCF (Sectional Center Facility) discounts dropping from $7/M to $3.80/M.
New container discounts may help offset some costs depending on your presort level and mail preparation.

Structural and Policy Changes

Presort Pricing Uncertainty: Presort-level pricing details are pending and will depend on your specific mailing files and configurations.
Discount Reductions: SCF discounts are being reduced for both letters and flats, impacting cost savings for regional mailings.
Elimination of NDC Pricing: USPS is proposing to eliminate Network Distribution Center (NDC) pricing, which may increase origin entry costs for some mailers.
Bound Printed Matter (BPM): Two sets of pricing published as USPS considers eliminating BPM pricing altogether; final decisions are pending.

Strategic Recommendations

Review and Update Budgets: Factor in the new rates and potential loss of discounts, especially for high-volume and regional campaigns.
Optimize Mail Preparation: Take advantage of new container discounts and ensure lists are as clean and automated as possible to minimize costs.
Monitor for Final Presort Rates: Stay tuned for USPS updates on presort pricing, which could significantly affect your mailing costs.
Leverage Promotions: USPS typically offers promotional discounts; watch for announcements to help offset some of the increases.

Action Steps

Connect with your Modern Litho account representative to review how these changes will affect your specific mailings.
Schedule a mailing strategy session to explore cost-saving options and maximize postal discounts.
Sign up for updates from Modern Litho to stay informed as USPS releases final details on presort pricing and promotional opportunities.

The July 2025 USPS postal rate changes present both challenges and opportunities. By staying informed and proactive, commercial, catalog, publication, and direct mail buyers can minimize budget impacts and maintain effective mail campaigns.

For more details or a personalized mailing analysis, contact Modern Litho’s postal experts today.

Click to download the July 2025 Postal Rate Guide.

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USPS 2025 Promotions

admin — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 21:22:19 +0000

Watch Our 2025 USPS Promotions Webinar

The USPS 2025 Promotions Program is off and running offering postal discounts ranging from 3% up to 6%! The incentives are offered to qualifying direct mail pieces that integrate advanced technology, tactile elements, sustainable materials, and more. These discounts can make a significant impact on your direct mail budget while enhancing engagement and reach.

From adding QR codes, personalization, and augmented reality to using unique paper textures and iterative mailings, these promotions reward creativity and innovation in mail design. Programs include discounts on First-Class Mail® and Marketing Mail®, with postage discount offers for interactive elements, continuous contact mailings, and two new “Add-On” programs offering additional discounts for sustainability and Informed Delivery®.

Connect with your Modern Litho account representative today to learn how to leverage these USPS promotions for your 2025 campaigns and optimize your postal savings. With the addition of one small design element on your next direct mail piece, you could realize 3-4-5 or even 6% savings on your postage!

Click to download our PDF

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July 2024 Postal Rate Changes

admin — Thu, 30 May 2024 18:26:10 +0000

The United States Postal Service has posted updated 2024 rate changes.

The price changes will take effect on July 14, 2024.

First-Class Mail Forever stamp will increase by five cents to 73¢.
First-Class domestic postcards will increase to 56¢.

Percentage increases by class:

1st Class letters
5 Digit: 7.49%
AADC: 8.4%
Mix AADC: 8.93%

Marketing Mail letter
5 Digit: 4.54%
AADC: 4.1%
Mix AADC: 4.4%

1st Class Flats
5 Digit: 8.14%
AADC: 8.94%
Mix AADC: 9.59%

Marketing Mail Flat
5 Digit: 6.9%
3 Digit: 5.5%
ADC: 4.94%
Mix AADC: 3.36%

Click to download the July 2024 Postal Rate Guide.

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January 2024 Postal Rate Changes

admin — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 23:55:39 +0000

The United States Postal Service has posted updated 2024 rate changes.

The price changes will take effect on January 21, 2024.

First-Class Mail Forever stamp will increase by two cents to 68¢.
First-Class domestic postcards will increase to 53¢.

Refer to the following chart for the latest 2024 USPS rates:

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2024 USPS Promotions

admin — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:57:58 +0000

Take advantage of these promotions from USPS to save on postage for your next direct mail campaign.

Did you know? The Postal Service delivered 127.3 billion pieces of mail to more than 164 million addresses across the country in 2022?!

Now more than ever it is essential to get the most out of your bulk mailing budget. Modern Litho is here to help provide the tools you need to be a success with your direct mail campaigns. Read our article on mail engagement to get some creative ideas for your next campaign.

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Postage Calculator: Free Download

admin — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 15:43:47 +0000

TRY OUR POSTAGE CALCULATOR TO SEE A PER PIECE ESTIMATE.

What does “per piece” mean? It means our postage calculator is based only on one piece (weight and mailing class). And, it does not include all USPS discounts that are gained by bulk mailing presort with zip code densities, etc. It is truly an estimate, a ballpark figure, a tool for budgeting. For more accurate postage estimation, we encourage you to contact us to get in touch with our direct mail experts!

HOW IS THIS HELPFUL?

Knowing the difference in postage costs can help you make smarter decisions on the overall size and weight of paper stocks when designing a direct mail piece.

Click to download the postage rate calculator.

Running an actual mailing list through our postage software is the most accurate way to estimate postage. In addition, we offer in-house mailing services that include: NCOA, Deduplication services, EDDM, list purchasing and much more. Click here to learn more about our mailing services.

More tools available at USPS.COM

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Saddle-stitch Signature Layout Guide

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2018 15:44:07 +0000

The more the merrier when it comes to page count in your saddle-stitch brochure or magazine, right? Not so fast! Designing for multiple pages can present production issues that need to be addressed on the front-end while creating your document. Check out our saddle-stitch signature layout templates and download one, two or all of them to use when you need to think about “creep”, “crawl” and page counts of saddle-stitch projects!

These can be especially handy when trying to place color on a flat (1 side of a signature) or contain it within a certain page range. Visually seeing how the pagination works in our prepress department can present some cost saving benefits. Reach out here to find out how.

8 Page Layout

16 Page Layout

24 Page Layout

32 Page Layout

40 Page Layout

48 Page Layout

56 Page Layout

64 Page Layout

72 Page Layout

80 Page Layout

88 Page Layout

96 Page Layout

104 Page Layout

112 Page Layout

120 Page Layout

12 Page Layout

20 Page Layout

28 Page Layout

36 Page Layout

44 Page Layout

52 Page Layout

60 Page Layout

68 Page Layout

76 Page Layout

84 Page Layout

92 Page Layout

100 Page Layout

108 Page Layout

116 Page Layout

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USPS addresses quality and move requirement changes effective 1/21/18

admin — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 15:44:53 +0000

USPS ADDRESS QUALITY AND MOVE UPDATE REQUIREMENTS FOR 2018

The USPS is making strong efforts to reduce the amount of returned mail going forward and will change the requirements for address quality and move updates effective January 21, 2018.

Returned mail is costly for everyone. There a few simple steps you can take to ensure your print marketing dollars are not wasted on bad address information.

Here’s the deal:

In order to receive USPS discounts, every address in a sorted or bulk mailing coming from a mailer including will require one of the following:

NCOA¹ list processing
Ancillary Endorsement²
“Or current resident” verbiage added to each addressee

See “Methods of Meeting USPS Address Quality and Move Update Requirements”

Let’s first define what a qualified “sorted” or “bulk mailing” looks like.

First Class- 500 pieces or more
USPS Marketing Mail (regular and nonprofit) – 200 pieces or 50 lbs. whichever is met first.
Periodicals – 100 pieces or more. Periodical mailings are now subject to these requirements.

We recommend using the NCOA process to keep your addresses up to date and list compliant with USPS requirements.

How much does that cost?

Compared to returned or forwarded mail on every mailing, a small price. Trust us, you have more to gain from keeping your database updated and the NCOA process is actually a very effective tool to help you do that!

Modern Litho’s fee for NCOA processing is for $15 per mailing. If requested, we will also return a file with the bad addresses ($15) and/or a file with the cleaned list ($15) to you. So, for all three services, a total charge of $45, assuming you only submit one list per mailing initially.

We also accept lists that have already been run through the NCOA process if you would prefer to handle that directly. Just provide proof of the certification when sending your mailing list to your Customer Service Representative.

The USPS only requires a mail list be NCOA processed four times per year. Keep that in mind, especially if you do more frequent mailings.

YOU ARE WELCOME TO REACH OUT WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS. WE’RE HERE AND WE’RE READY TO HELP – ALWAYS.

800-456-5867 OR CONTACT US!

What is NCOA?

The NCOA^Link Product is a secure dataset of approximately 160 million permanent change-of-address (COA) records consisting of the names and addresses of individuals, families and businesses who have filed a change-of-address with the USPS^®. https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=ncoalink

We’re moving! How do I submit a change of address with the USPS? Go to: USPS.com/move

What are ancillary endorsements?

Ancillary service endorsements are used by mailers to request an addressee’s new address and to provide the USPS with instructions on how to handle undeliverable-as-addressed pieces. The endorsements consist of one keyword: “Electronic,” “Address,” “Return,” “Change,” or “Forwarding,” followed by the two words “Service Requested.” The endorsements are the same for all classes of mail, but the treatment and cost differ by class of mail. Use of an ancillary service endorsement on a mail piece obligates the mailer to pay any applicable charges for forwarding, return, and separate address notification charges. https://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/Q507.htm#ep1032546

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Requirements for USPS Return Address Endorsements

admin — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 12:41:54 +0000

Designing and setting up the mail panel properly for a direct mail piece is very important and it can determine how much you pay in postage. Following a few guidelines can save you big bucks at the Post Office! Here are some quick tips regarding the requirements for USPS return address endorsements:

Physical Standards (102.4.0)

An endorsement must be printed in no smaller than 8-point type, and it must stand out clearly against its background. Brilliant-colored envelopes and reverse printing are not permitted. There must be a 1/4-inch clear space around all sides of the endorsement. The endorsement and return address must read in the same direction as the delivery address.

Placement of Endorsement (202.4.0)

The exhibit below shows the options for placing an endorsement. The endorsement shown (ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED) is just one of several options. See DMM 507.1.5 for a complete list of endorsements, treatment, and fee consequences according to the class of mail.

THE ENDORSEMENT MUST BE PLACED IN ONE OF THESE FOUR POSITIONS:

Directly below the return address.
Directly above the delivery address area (which includes the delivery address block and any related non-address elements such as a barcode, keyline, or optional endorsement line).
Directly to the left of the postage area and below or to the left of any price marking.
Directly below the postage area and below any price marking.

For a full listing of endorsements and definitions download the USPS Quick Service Guide 507.

Source: USPS Quick Service Guide 507

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