More publications now submitting postage statements electronically

By Brad Hill
President

Nearly 250 newspapers now are using Interlink Circulation to submit postal documentation online for every issue. In doing so, publishers are freed from having to provide hardcopy PS Forms 3541 (Periodical Mail) and 3602 (Standard Mail), as well as the USPS Qualification Report.

In lieu of clicking Print, eDoc users choose Send to USPS to submit their reports, which are then immediately available to the local post office. Printed copies still are available for determined record-keepers, from within Circulation or by logging into the USPS Business Customer Gateway at gateway.usps.com.

The Postal Service reported in August, that 77% of all eligible commercial mail now is being entered as Full-Service Intelligent Mail using eDoc. That figure continues to climb, despite the last minute belay of USPS’ plan to require Full-Service for automated (barcoded) mailings back in January. Full-Service eDoc transmits more detailed information about a mailing than what is included with basic eDoc. Roughly half of the newspapers submitting eDoc through Interlink Circulation are sending it as Full-Service.

Configuring Full-Service eDoc has been simplified through the Full-Service Setup Wizard, found under the PostalOne! menu in Circulation. Moving to Full-Service also changes the format of 2″ sack/tray tags in order to accommodate a different barcode, and the new format is compatible with existing perforated tag stock from Interlink.

We have heard reports of postal employees attempting to demand the use of eDoc, which is not a policy of the Postal Service. The decision of whether or not to submit electronically remains at the discretion of each mailer. Many postal clerks favor eDoc as it relieves them from manually entering each value from a hardcopy postage statement into their PostalOne! system. This can result in significant time savings, and reduces the likelihood of human error.

Interlink recommends the use of eDoc for all newspapers and other publications using Interlink Circulation, and encourages publishers to configure for Full-Service to take advantage of the additional benefits it provides.