Offset is still an important part of the print landscape; it produces high-quality and rich print products. In many cases, offset print is chosen when products are in a luxury category or requires a substantial quantity requirement on the production. Offset has a richness and range of color gamut that is still difficult to match with other print technologies. However, digital print has the advantage of offering more paths to digital print enhancement that opens the doors to more print business and, in the case of the USPS, access to additional postal savings.
When we speak of postal discounts, we are talking about the return of the USPS Postal Discount Programs for the 2019 calendar year. Offset providers might not think they can meet requirements to save 2% on Marketing Mail and Non-Profit Marketing Mail, but there is opportunity when partnering with The Foil Experts.
The 2019 Tactile, Sensory & Interactive Promotion aims to bring the technical advances of the print industry to consumers in order to create more engagement through interaction with the senses. And the last time print providers were able to take advantage of a postal incentive was in calendar year 2017. Did you participate? If you did not, we urge you to take a look at the programs available, especially the TSI program—one large wireless telco was able to save over a million dollars leveraging the 2% discount offered in these USPS postal savings campaigns.
There are a few of things you will want to know about the TSI program before you get started. First, it is limited Marketing Mail and Non-Profit Marketing Mail. First-Class and other classes of mail are not eligible. Marketing Mail is defined as printed matter, circulars, flyers, advertising, newsletters, bulletins, catalogs and small parcels that have a minimum quantity of 200 or 50 pounds. You can learn more about this class of mail via this USPS resource page.
Another thing you will want to keep in mind is that the embellishments (or treatments) for the TSI program are required to be visible and distinguishable—in short they can’t just blend into the paper, they should truly stand out. Finally, all mailpieces participating in a promotional program must be approved by the review committee prior to its mailing. None approved pieces will not qualify for a discount, even if approved after the mailing has commenced or completed. Discounts will only be applied at the time of mailing.
All the particulars can be found here on the PostalPro website, which means now you need to know how The Foil Experts can help you qualify for this postal savings, open doors to opportunities and increase the engagement of your print offerings with recipients. There are two main ways that are sure to capture an approval:
Cast & Cure Films
The use of Cast & Cure Films are likely familiar to most of the offset printers out there, especially ones designing and delivering marketing and packaging materials. However, it might not be the first thing you think of when considering a project to qualify for the USPS Tactile, Sensory and Interactive (TSI) Promotion. Holographs are going to be a key ingredient here. According to the qualifications document, holographs will qualify your mailpiece for the promotional 2% discount. What’s more is that Eagle Systems has a proven system for providing this inline and with speed and unbelievable results. Learn more on our Cast & Cure page where you can also view diagrams on the process and get a better understanding of how this type of system would help you leverage opportunities for more business and savings as offered by the USPS promotional programs.
Cold Foil
Applying foil to your print projects not only makes them stand out, but it also provides a texture difference that you can feel right on the page. Based on the rules for the TSI, we believe an embossed cold foil application would also allow for your mailpiece to qualify for the 2% discount. The idea is to create a multi-sensory experience, something we wrote about on our blog a while back. In this case, the foil is both visually and physically distinguishable and Eagle Systems has the best inline offset cold foil machines available in the world today. In fact, our print clients consider us a competitive advantage and secret weapon to staying relevant in the evolving print landscape. Learn more via our cold foil page.
2019 is the year to grow your offerings and take advantage of the savings offered by the USPS. If you are sending out Marketing Mail, you can’t afford to ignore The Foil Experts advantage in Cast & Cure and Cold Foil. We look forward to helping you as you start your journey. Be sure to contact us today and request a samples.
