“Little strokes fell great oaks.” August 1750
A constant theme in Franklin’s Almanack was frugality. When considering the above quote, think about always looking for discounts, or other ways to save money. No matter how small the savings may be.
When contracting for services, an oft-overlooked opportunity are multi-year contracts. Ask vendors for considerations if you extend a one-year contract to three years, or three years to five years. Add language to guarantee pricing – or limits to increases – for the length of the contract, including extensions.
In most print and mail operations, all the equipment is rarely replaced at the same time. One printer may be at the end of life or lease, while another may have 2 to 3 years of functionality left. When acquiring new equipment, present the vendor with the timetable for replacements. Negotiate pricing based not just on the current purchase, but a commitment on future purchases or leases. The same can be true with postage meters, inserters and finishing equipment.
The next step in saving money is on volume discounts. Many people are unaware of how low the volumes are to begin qualifying for discounts with the US Postal Service (USPS). For example, First-Class Mail discounts begin at 500 pieces, USPS Marketing mail at 200 pieces, and Bound Printed Matter at 300 pieces.
Of course, those pieces must be sorted by ZIP Code, properly trayed, and have mailing statements submitted to the USPS. Postal software, combined with intelligent printing and inserting, allow mailers to do much of this work digitally. If all of your customers are in a single region or state, you may easily qualify for the AADC or Mixed AADC rate.
This means you need to know the volumes of mail – by class of mail. The thresholds and volumes required are different by class, by size, and by weight. Each will require different preparation methods and potentially different methods of entering the mail into the USPS system.
If you don’t have sufficient volumes – or the needed technology to process the mail in-house – investigate presort companies. Depending on your mail, fees and discounts will vary. The presort vendor has to cover the costs of transportation from your location, physically commingling your mail with other companies, preparing the mail for the USPS, and then delivery to an acceptance unit. However, the fees will be offset by postage discounts, so your company will still be saving money.
Every mailer needs to review the 2025 USPS Mailing promotions for more ways to achieve postage discounts:
The USPS has additional information and guidebooks on the PostalPro website.
Mailers may not be able to control inflation, the price of paper or rising postage rates. What they can do is to continue to take advantage of every opportunity to save money in the operation. Even the smallest discounts can add up to significant savings.