Mailing Services: Outgoing Mail

Outgoing Mail

Departments sending official university mail to addresses off-campus are responsible for the proper preparation of all letters, flats, and parcels. The following guidelines should eliminate unnecessary return, delay or excessive postage charges on outgoing mail.

Letter Mail
Standard size letter mail is defined by the Postal Service as pieces, which are at least 3 1/2 inches high by 5 inches long, and not larger than 6 1/8 inches high by 11 1/4 inches long. These are the only size pieces which can qualify for reduced first-class, Pre-Sort postage rates.

Envelopes or postcards that are smaller than 3 1/2 inches by 5 inches are non-mailable per U.S. Postal regulations. Any non-mailable pieces received by Mailing Services will be returned to the originating department with the next scheduled delivery.

Envelopes or postcards which are larger than 6 1/8 inches by 11 1/4 inches and weigh less than one ounce are subject to an oversize surcharge (about 50% additional postage).

White, standard-sized envelopes are recommended for letters that are being metered. Dark colored envelopes do not offer enough contrast to be sorted by postal machines and their use is discouraged because it can slow down the mail. Because our metering ink is red, Mailing Services cannot, under any circumstances, accept red cards or envelopes for metering.

Outgoing Mail Requirements

Maximum size to qualify for Pre-Sort rates	6 1/8 x 11/12
Minimum size to qualify for Pre-Sort rates	3 1/2 x 5
Maximum size to qualify for Post Card rates	4 1/2 x 6
Minimum size to qualify for Post Card rates	3 1/2 x 5
Minimum piece count for third-class standard	200
Minimum piece counts for first-class permit	200

No mail leaving the country can qualify for standard rate.

No printing is allowed below the addressee’s address of any mail that is to be sent first-class or standard rate. This space is reserved for the Bar Code.

All Business Reply Mail must have the address of 1 East Jackson.

The University cannot put postage on any red envelope or post card.

The maximum size envelope flap our machine can seal is 1 3/4 inches. Departments using envelopes with a flap larger than this are required to seal the envelope before sending it to the Mailing Services department.

The maximum thickness of an envelope is 1/4 inch. Any envelope thicker than this must be sealed by the originating department.

Addressing

The upper right-hand corner of each envelope or parcel is reserved for meter posting only. Do not place any classification, address or departmental information in that corner.

Each piece of outgoing University mail (letter, flat or parcel) must include the following information:

1. Return Address in upper left corner. The return address must include department or office name and university address. Outgoing mail without a return address will not be processed. The Mailing Services will attempt to return this mail to the originating department. Mail that is not in a DePaul University envelope (a DePaul University return label is the same as an envelope) must be accompanied with the department letterhead indicating what account number should be charged. It should also be signed and dated.

2. Complete Address of Recipient must include name, agency or company, street address of P.O. Box, city, state and correct zip code. The zip code should appear at the end of the last line of the address. No other addressing information should be placed below the zip code.

3. Window Envelopes must be matched with the insert so that the entire address will show through the window no matter how much the insert slides around inside the envelope. Pieces not meeting this requirement will be returned to the department.

PREPARING MAIL FOR PICK-UP

Departmental outgoing mail must be separated and banded according to the following categories at the pick-up site prior to the mail clerk’s arrival. Mail, which is not properly prepared, will not be picked up.

1. Inter-Office mail

2. Outgoing letter-size mail (at least 3 1/2 inches by 5 inches, but no larger than 6 1/8 inches by 11 1/4 inches) to be mailed in the United States.

3. Postcards, foreign mail, flats, and parcels (parcels need not be banded).

The department name must be designated on the top mailing piece in each outgoing mail category (#2 and #3, above). If one pick-up point is used for more than one department, each department’s mail should be separated and banded as indicated above.

Forwarding of Mail

Mail coming into the University ambiguously addressed (i.e. person’s name and department don’t match) will be delivered to the department indicated on the piece. The assumption will be that if a person has changed jobs or terminated employment with the University, the piece of mail would still be of interest to that department. If that is not the case, the piece may be forwarded internally by crossing off the incorrect department, writing the correct department and campus, and placing the piece with outgoing inter-office mail for pick-up.

If the piece is to be forwarded to an address outside the University, please keep in mind that the U.S. Postal Service will not forward that mail with out it being put into a new envelope and postage added to it. Mail which comes into the University with a name and no department will be looked up in the Mailing Services Employee Directory (updated every two weeks) and forwarded to the proper department within one working day.

First-class mail addressed to names not in the Employee Directory will be returned to sender. Non-returnable or non-forwardable mail will be discarded.