Latest Changes to
Postage $aver Pro and Lite

We've updated Postage $aver Pro and Lite to keep up with the latest postal changes, and made some software improvements. Here are the details. Note that each update includes all previous updates, so you only need to download and install the latest. Get the update.


Postal Updates:

• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• We made some minor functional and wording changes to improve clarity.
  

Postal Updates:

• The USPS July rate changes, effective July 14, are included in this update.
  
  
• As part of the price increase, USPS went back to the old way of calculating postage for flats over 4 ounces. Instead of deducting the first 4 ounces off the weight of each piece, the per-pound charge will now apply to the entire weight of the piece. The per-pound charge has been adjusted down to somewhat compensate for the change.
  
  This reverts to the way postage was calculated before last year's July price change.
  
  
• USPS now offers a new 1/10 cent discount per piece for catalogs sent as Marketing Mail or Bound Printed Matter. We have added support for that discount. We added a new checkbox on the Mail Categories screen to apply this discount to your mailing.
  
  Here is what USPS considers to be a catalog to qualify for this discount:
  • it has at least 12 pages,
  • it is bound (stapled, stitched, glued or fastened together along one edge), and
  • it provides an organized listing of products offered for sale.
  
  The product listing must include:
  • images, photographs or illustrations of the products or services,
  • descriptive details,
  • fulfillment information, and
  • prices (or an alternate method for the reader to determine prices).
  
  The catalog must contain enough information to allow an order to be placed, for example, an order form, a phone number, a web address, or the means to access a web address (such as a QR code). The catalog must also enable fulfillment options for the products or services offered for sale, in other words, it must tell how the product or service will be delivered (shipping method, e-delivery, webinar, etc.).
  
  
• USPS has issued new postage statement forms for use on and after July 14, and made corresponding changes to the USPS Postal Wizard. We have incorporated the new forms and have made corresponding changes to the Postal Wizard Instructions report.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• We made some minor functional and wording changes and added some warnings to improve clarity.
  

Postal Updates:

• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• On the print labels window, we added hints to clarify that the city and state for the permit go in separate boxes on the screen.
  
  
• For Periodicals, the software will now organize trays by 5-digit scheme, where applicable, when preparing carrier route sorted DDU entry trays. Note that the scheme combinations used for carrier route preparation are different than the schemes for 5-digit preparation, so you could end up a 5-digit scheme carrier route tray and a 5-digit tray, both labeled to the same scheme, but with different contents. Contact us if something looks strange and we'll make sure it's correct.
  
  
• For Periodicals, we updated the Entry and Container Reports to refer to the new Local Processing Centers (LPCs) and Regional Processing and Distributions Centers (RPDCs).
  
  
• For Periodicals, we corrected the sorting for nonmachinable nonbarcoded flats to include 5-digit scheme trays where applicable.
  
  
• For Periodicals, we updated abbreviations used on the Container Report.
  

Postal Updates:

• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• For Periodicals, the software will now only provide in-county rates when the mailing is sent from a postal facility that is in the same county as the "known office of publication", per USPS requirements. We also changed the wording on the Addressing and Mailing screen to make clear that the software needs to know the zip code of the known office of publication.
  
  
• For Periodicals, we improved the way the software handles blocking by a firewall when updating the list of in-county zip codes. Messages from the firewall could previously be shown as gibberish in the in-county zip codes list and for the county name.
  
  
• We fixed a bug that could cause addresses to be incorrectly rejected when preparing mixed-weight shipments using dBase (.dbf) files.
  

Postal Updates:

• The USPS January rate changes, effective January 21, are included in this update.
  
  
• USPS has issued new postage statement forms for use on and after January 21, and those forms are included in this update. While these paper forms will no longer be submitted with shipments, the information and line numbers will continued to be used in electronic versions of the forms on the USPS Gateway.
  
  
• For Periodical Class mailers, USPS has replaced the Zone Report with a new "Entry Report". The Entry Report no longer shows zones, since zones are no longer used for Periodicals. Instead, it indicates whether each 3-digit zip area in the mailing is in-county or outside-county, and whether it is eligible for destination entry rates (DDU, DSCF or DADC). The Zone column on the Price Qualification Report is similarly replaced by an Entry column.
  
  Like the Zone Report, the Entry Report must either be submitted to USPS with the mailing, or retained by the mailer for two months after the mailing date. All references to zones have been removed from Postage Saver Pro and Postage Saver Lite, since they are no longer used for Periodical Class and Bound Printed Matter.
  
  
• USPS has removed Change Service Requested as an option for Ballot Mail, since official ballots cannot be destroyed by USPS even if undeliverable, which is what Change Service Requested causes to happen. We have updated the software to reflect this change.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• We changed the "print reports" window to no longer show that the Postage Statement form should be provided to USPS.
  
  
• For Periodicals, if you indicate that you are hand-sorting one or more zip codes by carrier route, the carrier route rate now shows properly on the Price Qualification report and the Entry Report.
  
  
• We corrected a bug affecting combined mailings of barcoded and nonbarcoded flats that would sometimes cause barcoded and nonbarcoded pieces to be combined in the same bundle, and another that would sometimes cause bundles of nonbarcoded or barcoded flats to be mis-labeled on the Mail Preparation Instructions report.
  

Postal Updates:

• USPS no longer sells 15-cent precanceled stamps for First Class presorted postcards. We have removed that option from the Statement Information screen, and replaced it with the 25-cent precanceled stamp.
  
  
• USPS has clarified the definition of "Ballot Mail" as "any mailpiece sent to or from an authorized election official containing a live ballot that may be used to cast a vote in an election". Ballot Mail does not mean voter registration materials or other voter information that is not an actual ballot. We have updated our help information to reflect this clarification.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• NEW! We've added a new Postal Wizard Instructions report to Postage $aver Pro and Lite!
  
  This report goes line by line through the USPS Postal Wizard and tells you exactly what to enter for your specific mailing. No more trying to figure out where something is (or isn't) on the postage statement to fill out the USPS web form!
  
  The report also includes the postage totals you should see in the Postal Wizard when you finish entering your information, so you can make sure they match what Postage $aver has calculated.
  
  You'll see the Postal Wizard Instructions report listed in the selection window that appears when Postage $aver has finished sorting your mailing list. It can also be printed or reprinted from the File menu in Postage $aver, just like the other reports.
  
  
• We added a hotlink to better explain what "Column Count" means on the Mail Categories screen.
  
  
• We fixed a bug on the Mail Preparation Instructions report where the stack number would not print for Marketing Mail flats mailings where the column count is set to 2 or more.
  
  
• We fixed a bug in the Mac version where undo would not work properly.
  
  
• We fixed a bug in the Mac version where column names would not be properly displayed on some of the dropdown menus on the Column Identification screen.
  

Postal Updates:

• USPS has begun adding new Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDCs) into its network of National Distribution Centers (NDCs), and we have updated the software to handle these new facilities. For now, this will only affect mail entry in the Richmond, VA area, but other facilities will be brought on line soon.
  
  
• USPS has made routine changes to the postal routing lists. The revised lists are included in this update.
  

Software Improvements:

• For Mac users, this update now supports the Mac Sonoma operating system, as well as the three previous operating systems.
  
  
• On 2" x 4" address labels, we added an option to either print or not print the indicia, instead of always printing it.
  
  
• If you are preparing mixed weight mailings of Bound Printed Matter of fewer than 300 pieces, you can now use Postage $aver Pro to prepare all pieces in the same mailing. You no longer need to separate your mailing by weight, as long as you include the weight of each piece (in ounces, not pounds) in a column in your mailing list file.
  
  To create a mixed weight mailing, just choose "mixed" on the Mail Categories screen, instead of entering a weight. Then, on the Column Matching screen, you will be asked to identify the column in your mailing list file where the weight has been entered for each piece.
  
  The software will create the necessary postage statement and weight report, and include a "piece number" and weight on the mailing label corresponding to the listing in the weight report, as required by USPS. No sorting is required for these mailings.
  
  If you are printing your own labels using a mail merge, instead of using Postage $aver to print your labels, you must include the sequence number for each piece on your labels.
  
  
• We clarified that the 20 ounce limit on Bound Printed Matter applies to full-service mailings only.
  
  
• We corrected the bold font on 2"x 4" address labels on the Mac version.
  

We hope you find these improvements helpful. Many of "our" best ideas come from our users, so please don't hesitate to let us know if you have suggestions or questions.

Thanks!