Welcome to the mailing package concepts segment of the Highland Marketing knowledge base. Before we start, please take a look at the notes, below.
1. The packaging concepts presented here are acceptable under Canada Post guidelines. Please ensure to check with your postal authorities if you are designing packages to be mailed in another country.
2. Each class of mail has its own specifications for length, width, thickness and weight. Please visit our page under tips titled “ Watch the Size and Weight if the Mailing Piece” to see how dramatically these items can affect costs. Additionally, the Canada Post web site contains detailed size and weight specifications for all classes of mail.
3. Some of the self-mailers presented are acceptable as pre-sorted, Addressed Admail, Publications Mail and Unaddressed Admail, but would be charged at the more expensive Non-Standard Lettermail rates if they were mailed as Lettermail. Additionally, they may not qualify for Machineable Addressed Admail. Cautionary notes are included for these items.
4. Note that national delivery times for Addressed Admail, Unaddressed Admail and Publications mail can be three business weeks, whereas Lettermail is usually delivered with a few days. This must be taken into consideration when planning a national mailing.
5. The postal indicia identifies the class of mail. If you print a postal indicia onto a self-mailer, you cannot mail it as a class of mail other than that specified in the indicia. For example, Canada Post will not accept pieces containing an Addressed Admail indicia as Unaddressed Admail.
6. Provided the item is securely bound and cannot come apart, a self-mailer does not have to be tabbed (sealed along the edge). The exception being that when laying flat the outer edges of a folded mailing piece may not open more than 20 mm.
7. Give careful consideration when shipping environmentally sensitive items via the postal system. Typically, Addressed Admail is shipped via truck. Therefore, in our northern climate, your samples or novelty items may be exposed to temperatures of –40 to –50 degrees Celsius. Of course, you can experience the opposite in the summer, when temperatures my reach 35 to 40 degrees in confined areas. This would certainly not be a good time to be mailing chocolate samples!
Thanks for taking the time to read these tips. This knowledge can save you a lot of aggravation by avoiding the gotcha gang that is only too eager to bite or sting the uninformed.
Our Creative Director, Matt Ward, maintains a blog he calls the dESIGNER'S cLOISTER. Featuring considerations of various facets of design for both print and web, with a particular slant towards the do-it-yourself designer, this blog seeks to inform and entertain.
Click here to visit Matt Ward's dESIGNER'S cLOISTER.
For your convenience, we have provided a link to Canada Post's free, online Postal Code Look-Up utility. It is simple and easy to use. Just fill in the address information and press the "submit" button. The utility will then process the information and return the corresponding postal code, so long as the information provided is that of valid Canadian address.
Click here to search for a postal code.
The Gotcha Gang is a fictitious group of “rogues” created by Highland Marketing in order to represent the often-unpleasant effect of direct marketing decisions that result in paying excess postage or labour costs, or which ultimately minimize opportunity.
Click here to read about their adventures and learn how protect yourself from the sting of the Gotcha Gang!
To us, innovation means continually looking for direct marketing opportunities and/or alternatives that clients may not perceive themselves, and presenting these to clients in a fair and honest manner.
We also challenge all of our employees to develop innovative ideas to help streamline plant production while still maintaining very high levels of quality assurance. Additionally, we instill the need to recommend quality-oriented procedures where special attention may be required in specific areas on a given job.
We believe that commitment is consistently doing what is expected, always doing what one says one will do and communicating any deviations from what is expected or planned. True commitment provides a solid base for any team and truly maximizes success at all levels.
There is an old saying that goes: "business is a fair exchange of values." We believe that long-lasting business relationships can only be built on mutual respect. Without a fair exchange and respect from both sides, a business relationship cannot be sustained.
We also believe that respect is founded on understanding. Many of our clients recognize that our innovation has saved them thousands, tens of thousands and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars. These same clients also understand that, although we do not offer the cheapest, nor the most expensive rates, the added value that we bring in the long run far offsets our modestly higher prices. As such, we have been extremely fortunate with long term customer loyalty. It’s something like the old expression: "kindness is something you cannot give away."
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Can you find and unlock the gateways to all four continents? They have been scattered throughout the pages of this site. So far you have accessed these continents: