Inkjet printing and addressing
Variable-data addressing, personalization and coupon codes printed in line.
Production areaIn the capability matrix
| Item | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Equipment | Inkjet printing · Address systems |
| 2 | Food-grade | No |
USPS mail operations
Postage is usually the largest line on a mail program. Three things bring it down here: we are approved to verify and enter our own mail, we commingle, and we presort before the mail leaves the dock.
Detail B of the cutaway drawing of the MGA plant: the dock and the exit to the mailbox. Each zone it shows links to its page.
Postage
Experienced, trustworthy, and approved by the USPS
When you choose a partner to handle your packaging and shipping, it’s important to find a company that is both experienced and trustworthy. MGA Innovation has a strong relationship with the USPS, which speaks to our integrity and also gives you and your business mailing advantages. Our authorized Optional Procedure mailing system helps cut costs, increase shipment speed and boost customer satisfaction.
Direct mail businesses are always looking for ways to reduce the expense of mailing products, promotions and other items to their customers or intended audience. Postage, specialized mail pieces and far-away destinations are just a sampling of the thousands of variables that make it difficult to mail efficiently. A direct mail provider like MGA can help you cut costs by offering commingling opportunities.
Make the most of your shipping options with our bulk mail presort and list analysis services. We do the work for you: qualify for bulk mailing discounts, update your mailing list, and reach your target demographic quickly with customized mailers. Our list maintenance services help you optimize your mailing list and grow your business.
Our relationships with mail delivery companies give you access to discounted postal prices and other amenities. Properly packaged and stamped, your mail is sent to the correct address.
Optional Procedure
We verify and enter mail without a USPS clerk on site.
What is an Optional Procedure (OP) mailing system?
“Optional Procedure” is a USPS term for a method of mail preparation that departs from the traditional process of label creation and shipping. An Optional Procedure mailing system is a way for the USPS to verify and accept all classes of mail without requiring onsite USPS personnel approval.
Part of the certification process is establishing the trustworthiness and reliability of the commercial partner. Once a company has been certified to join the OP mailing program, it is allowed to prepare mail and enter the mail into the USPS mail stream without active USPS supervision.
What approval requires
- Approval from the mailer (MGA), the postmaster, the district manager and the Business Mailer Support (BMS) manager.
- Documentation that verifies packages are being weighed properly and charged accordingly.
- An effective quality control program, maintained by the mailer, to ensure that all rules and regulations are being followed.
- Review every two years.
What it means for you
What our OP approval means for you
Our OP approval lets MGA cut out the middle man. Mail is accepted on our schedule, not on a clerk’s shift.
Shipped from our dock
Your products ship directly from our facility, which streamlines the mailing process.
Faster turnaround
Our relationship with the USPS lets us turn orders around faster, which helps prevent backups and increases customer satisfaction.
No extra transport
You don’t pay for more package transportation than you have to. That gives us the flexibility to offer reduced costs and improved response rates at competitive prices.
Every step under one roof
From box design to assembly to shipment, we handle every part of your mailing quickly and professionally.
Commingling
Your mail rides with other mail going the same way.
What is commingled mail?
MGA offers presort and commingle mailing, which makes it easier to take care of your direct mail and fit your budget.
- Our team sorts your outgoing mailing file before an address is applied, to minimize time constraints and streamline the process.
- We commingle by combining multiple client mailing projects into a single mail stream that will be sent to the same regional destination.
- MGA can coordinate the commingling of specialized items, Standard and First-Class mailings.
- By commingling your direct mail with other clients’ mail, you save on USPS costs, which can be significant depending on the volume of your order.
Why commingling could be the answer for your next order
Businesses that commingle mail with other customers’ mail headed to the same region save on cost, and they also cut time out of the direct mail process. When general mail leaves a print shop, it passes through a series of local and semi-local Sectional Center Facilities (SCFs) and Network Distribution Centers (NDCs) before another round of sorting in facilities near the destination and at the designated post office. Only then does the piece get its final sort before delivery.
By commingling, MGA helps clients avoid many of the local and semi-local sorting steps that come with sending mail through the general mail stream: fewer handlings, deeper discounts.
The mail path
Where commingled mail saves handlings
Each row is a stage between the printer and the home. Commingled mail is aligned to bypass the local and semi-local stages as often as possible.
Leaves the printer or plant
General mail stream: Enters the general mail stream
Commingled through MGA: Presorted and combined with other clients’ mail headed to the same region
Local and semi-local SCFs
General mail stream: Sorted
Commingled through MGA: Bypassed as often as possible
Network Distribution Centers (NDCs)
General mail stream: Sorted
Commingled through MGA: Bypassed as often as possible
Facilities near the destination
General mail stream: Sorted again
Commingled through MGA: Sorted
Designated post office
General mail stream: Final sort, then delivery
Commingled through MGA: Final sort, then delivery
Savings levers
How commingling reduces expense and time
We reduce your expenses and time burden by:
Quantity discounts
Combining direct mail items to reach required quantities and earn reduced USPS rates and postage discounts.
Fewer handlings
Aligning your mail to bypass local SCFs and NDCs as often as possible.
Fast presort
Presorting mail quickly and efficiently with current technology.
Faster, lower-cost delivery
Coordinating commingling so your pieces reach their destinations faster, and at a lower cost, than they would in the general mail stream.
Visibility
Earn more with the MGA commingling advantage
By reducing variables like cost and time, you have the chance to increase productivity and profit. With MGA, your commingled pieces arrive at their destinations quickly, with the tools to engage your target audience more efficiently.
Our team also gives you visibility through mail tracking and reporting, so you know your pieces are getting where they need to go, when they need to get there. We offer commingling to all of our clients.
Presort and list analysis
Sorted by ZIP before it reaches the post office.
List analysis comes first: clearing out unverified, incomplete and outdated addresses, then the sort plan that decides the rate.
General notes
What does USPS presort mean?
USPS presort is a recognized category of mail that has been sorted in advance of arriving at the post office. By sorting mail by destination ZIP code at their own facilities, many companies can qualify for lower postage costs.
How does MGA presort?
We take care of all presorting in our facility. MGA sorts mail into specific ZIP code groups that become more general as the mail travels further. Presorted mail takes less time and money for the Postal Service to process, and those lower labor costs mean lower postage prices, saving you money.
What is the difference between presorted and unsorted mail?
Price. Mail that is not presorted, such as single-piece First-Class Mail, leaves the USPS to do the standard amount of work, at standard prices. Presorting, First-Class mailings included, moves that work into our plant, and the price comes down.
What is list analysis?
List analysis is simply the practice of reviewing your mailing data. Mailing lists contain more than addresses. Paired with order history and other data points, they give you a greater understanding of your target audience. That helps with retaining customers, and it can also offer insight into the demographics and locations of potential business. Data-driven list analysis is a tool to improve and deepen your mailing profiles.
What does MGA’s list analysis do for my program?
We do the work for you. Our software is built to optimize your existing mailing list and find opportunities to expand your customer base. Learn where your best buyers live, what they like, and which forms of promotion they respond to. The location data also streamlines the presort.
Our services can grow your business, and they also directly affect how your business operates today. Keep your mailing list healthy by removing unverified addresses, incomplete information and outdated destinations for loyal customers. An accurate list makes your mailing campaigns more effective and your deliveries more reliably prompt. See also database management.
Before the dock
What the mail runs through before it leaves
Inserting and lettershop
Data processing, personalization, folding, assembly, inserting, packaging and mailing. Hand assembly for what the machines cannot run.
Production areaIn the capability matrix
| Item | Description | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Equipment | Automatic insertion machines |
| 2 | Food-grade | No |
Proof
Programs built around the postage
A carton engineered for the best USPS rate available, and a whole metro area mailed inside the requested window.
Sampling a whole metro area ahead of a retail launch
Energy bag samples and educational material, mailed across the entire Atlanta, Georgia area to support a retail launch — inside the requested window.
- Client
- Reynolds
- Exit
- To the Mailbox
- Market
- Atlanta, Georgia metro
- Processes
- Mailer development, co-packing, targeting, distribution
An OTC sample program engineered around the postage rate
A carton designed for the best available USPS rate, mailed weekly to hold a two-week in-home window — then an order-capture page that ended duplicate requests.
- Client
- Sanofi
- Exit
- To the Mailbox
- Category
- OTC allergy
- Mail cadence
- Weekly
- In-home window
- Two weeks
Related pages
- To the Mailbox
Direct mail, lettershop and sampling, from one plant.
- Mail formats
Solo or shared, presorted or commingled: the decision table.
- Mailing list and database management
Lists sorted by geography, demographics and customer interests.
- Lettershop services
Data processing through to mailing, in seven operations.
- Solo mailers
One brand, one offer, a targeted list.
- Certifications and approvals
Our USPS and SQF credentials, ready for your supplier screen.
Send the list size and the in-home date. We’ll show you the postage both ways.
Many of our most competitive services are only possible because of a lasting relationship with the USPS. For sixty years, MGA has worked to make sure our customers get the best rates and service, every time. Interested in getting the best value out of your mailing list? Tell us what you are mailing.