CASS Postal Bar Coding

 

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CASS certification is used when a mailer wants additional discounts for putting bar codes on the mail. Initial savings from first-class machinable mailings come from sorting, not from bar coding. You can receive additional discounts if you utilize CASS Postal Bar Coding. The USPS does not allow you to put bar codes on your mail if you can’t prove that the bar codes are based on accurate 9-digit zip codes. They don’t want to give you a discount and then have to handle the mail by hand due to inaccurate barcoding.

CASS certification is the process of matching your address list to the USPS master list of zip+4 codes. CASS software is tested by the USPS to make sure it can perform a correct match even when there are errors in the address. This process also helps you fix incorrect addresses. The USPS will accept your bar codes as accurate if you show that you recently matched your address list against their master 9-digit zip code list. Software that is approved to do this matching will print a special “CASS report” when it runs your list, showing how many addresses were attempted, how many were matched, when the matching was done, and the date of the master zip code list was used.

How much will you save? Initial savings will come from presorting your mailing. Additional savings are achieved by qualifying for automated rates by utilizing barcoding with your mailing. Barcoding savings range anywhere from 0.3¢ to 2.3¢ per piece. The largest barcoding savings are for mailings that have more than 150 pieces going to the same 5-digit zip code, with smaller savings for mailings that are scattered among many zip codes without 150 pieces to any one zip code.

 

Here’s what you will need for CASS Postal Bar Coding

Postal Barcoding

Barcoding Software Interface for your Jayhawk Utility Billing Software – adds Postal Barcoding as a menu selection, exports your customers addresses out of the billing software and also imports the new addresses back into the software after address verification

Sorting Software

It will sort your list into the appropriate order for mailing. Is also the software you will use to create the barcodes, but be aware: a barcode that Microsoft Word creates automatically is NOT the barcode you need for bulk mailing discounts!

Barcode Font

A barcode font to print the barcodes. When you print a bar code on an envelope or label, what you are really doing is printing a string of digits using a special font that prints each digit as a set of 5 bars. (Font included in Sorting Software)

Updateyourlist.com Software

You must have accurate 9-digit zip codes for as many of your addresses as possible. You don’t need to do this every time you prepare a mailing, but you must do this the first time you mail using barcodes and at least once every three to six months thereafter for every address on your list. The easiest way to get accurate 9-digit zip codes is to use an online matching service. They run your list through their matching software, and then return the matched list to you by email along with the required CASS report. (Form 3553) CASS report (Form 3553) If you are claiming a barcoding discount for your mailing, you must keep a CASS report if the USPS asks for it. (Produced by CASS software or by online zip code matching services using CASS software)

Tray Tags

For sorting your mail prior to delivering to the post office. (Generated by Sorting Software)