Personalized Mail™ 
Effective on January 14, 2019: minimum volume requirements from 400 items to 100 items for Machineable Mail
personalized-targeting-upload-list-sample
machineable-mail-standard-self-assessment-tool
machineable-mail-best-practices-for-personalized-mail(2)
Essential-Guide-to-Direct-Mail(1)
smartmail-marketing-business-en(1)
Smart Mailing Guide
DESIGNING MACHINEABLE MAIL – STANDARD ITEMS
Personalized Mail Customer Guide 2020.Docx
Personalized Mail Customer Guide 2020.Pdf
Personalized Mail Price List 2020.pdf
2020 MACHINEABLE MAIL Check List
| SERVICE OVERVIEW | Data and Targeting | Designing Special Handling | Designing Machineable Mail |
| Pricing | Direct Marketing Updates | Preparing Special Handling Mail | Preparing Machineable Mail |
Service Overview summarizes key information such as qualifying criteria, options, delivery standards, pricing, designing and mail preparation.
1 WHAT IS PERSONALIZED MAIL SERVICE?
The Personalized Mail service is a proven and effective direct marketing and advertising medium that offers customers the ability to personalize their mailing and tailor their promotional messages to specific consumers or prospects.
1.1 What is acceptable as Personalized Mail?
Personalized Mail mailings are acceptable when:
- all items have the same purpose and goal, even if the content is not identi The primary intention (main messaging) of the mail items is to motivate an individual to take action by:
promoting a product, service, program or event;
soliciting donations or contributions;
reporting on financial performance, primarily for promotional purposes, or;
supporting your loyalty card program. This includes all mailings relating to loyalty card programs, but excludes credit and/or debit cards with or without reward points.
Mini-catalogues are acceptable as Personalized Mail. A mini-catalogue is defined as printed matter with a list of items for sale containing item description, item numbers and/or prices. Mini-catalogues must contain a minimum of 8 pages or panels and meet Machineable Standard Personalized Mail service requirements.
To qualify as Personalized Mail service, mailings must:
- be deposited and paid for in Canada for delivery in Canada;
- meet the Personalized Mail definition;
- consist of a minimum of 100 items for Machineable Mail or 1,000 items for Special Handling
1.2 What is unacceptable as Personalized Mail?
Items with the primary intent to provide businesses and consumers with educational material, transactional or informational communications are unacceptable as Personalized Mail.
- Educational material may include: updates to professional handbooks, opinion surveys and
- Transactional communications may include: invoices, receipts, tax forms, proxies, fulfilment of products or services, paid subscriptions, replacement or renewal of cards (i.e., credit and/or debit cards), identification cards and thank you mailings that are not a part of a loyalty
- Informational communications may include: recycling or waste calendars, recall notices, annual reminders, notifications of changes, renewal notices and election (voting)
NOTE: The above examples are not meant to be exhaustive.
1.1 Delivery standards
Delivery standards are estimates of how long it will take for the mail to be delivered from the point of deposit to the destination points. Delivery standards are not guaranteed.
| IN BUSINESS DAYS | |||
| LOCAL | PROVINCIAL | NATIONAL* | |
| Machineable Mail – Standard | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Machineable Mail – Oversize / Special Handling | 3 | 3 – 5 | 4 – 8 |
- Excludes non-major urban centres, northern regions and remote
For detailed information, visit Delivery Standards of the Canada Postal Guide.
1 PERSONALIZED MAIL PRICING
To access Personalized Mail prices, you must meet all applicable requirements for this service, including specifications, Address Accuracy, and those for mail preparation and presortation.
January 13, 2020
Personalized Mail Price List 2020.pdf
Personalized Mail Customer Guide 2020.pdf
Personalized Mail enhances one to one customer engagement to make the most of relationships driving greater loyalty and retention. Maximize relationships. Deepen connections. Get personalized.
|
Category |
Price per Item |
||||||
|
Machineable |
Standard Up to 50 g |
|
|
Oversize Up to 500 g |
|||
|
Postal Indicia |
$0.495 |
$0.74 + $0.0034 per g over 50 g |
|||||
|
Postage Meter |
$0.49 |
n/a |
|||||
|
Phantom Price1 |
$0.49 |
$0.74 |
|||||
|
Special Handling |
Standard Up to 50 g Over 50 g up to 100 g |
Up to 500 g |
Oversize Over 500 g up to 1.36 kg |
Dimensional Up to 500 g Over 500 g up to 1.36 kg |
|||
|
Postal Indicia |
$0.56 |
$0.60 |
$0.69 + $0.0034 per g over 50 g |
$2.69 + $0.0040 per g over 500 g |
$1.52 + $0.0018 per g over 50 g |
$2.96 + $0.0040 per g over 500 g |
|
|
Postage Meter |
$0.56 |
$0.60 |
n/a |
||||
|
Phantom Price1 |
$0.33 |
$0.32 |
$0.72 |
||||
|
|
Price per Item |
|
Machineable Mini-catalogue |
Standard Up to 50 g |
|
$0.475 |
|
|
Phantom Price1 |
$0.47 |
|
Option |
|
|
Return to Sender2 |
Included when selected at the time the Order is created and item bears the Return Postage Guaranteed (RPG) postal indicia. |
January 13, 2020
2 DESIGNING PERSONALIZED MAIL
To be eligible as Personalized Mail service, the items mailed must meet the specified criteria content, format and physical characteristics.
The Personalized Mail service is available in two categories:
- Machineable – available for Standard and Oversize mail items
- Special Handling – available for Standard, Oversize and Dimensional mail
2.1 Measurements – Size and weight
Items within a given mailing can have different sizes, weights and thicknesses provided the items remain within the same weight category. Each item within a mailing must originate from the same mail owner. Imperial equivalents are provided for your convenience. The longest dimension is the “length”, the second longest is the “width”.
| MACHINEABLE MAIL | ||||||
| SIZE / ITEM | LENGTH | WIDTH | THICKNESS | ASPECT RATIO | WEIGHT | |
| Standard* | min. | 5.6 in. (140 mm) | 3.6 in. (90 mm) | 0.007 in. (0.18 mm) | 1.3:1 | 2 g (0.07 oz.) |
| max. | 9.6 in. (245 mm) | 6.1 in. (156 mm) | 0.2 in. (5 mm) | 2.6:1 | 50 g (1.76 oz.) | |
| Oversize | min. | 5.6 in. (140 mm) | 3.6 in. (90 mm) | 0.02 in. (0.5 mm) | N/A | 10 g (0.4 oz.) |
| max. | 14.9 in. (380 mm) | 10.6 in. (270 mm) | 0.8 in. (20 mm) | N/A | 500 g (17.6 oz.) | |
- Square Envelopes are acceptable (min. 140 mm x 140 mm x 18 mm and max. 156 mm x 156 mm x 5 mm).
Machineable Standard cards and self-mailers must be rectangular in shape.
Personalized Mail™ – Service Overview
| SPECIAL HANDLING | |||||
| SIZE / ITEM | LENGTH | WIDTH | THICKNESS | WEIGHT | |
| Standard | min. | 3.9 in. (100 mm) | 2.8 in. (70 mm) | 0.007 in. (0.18 mm) | N/A |
| max. | 9.6 in. (245 mm) | 6.1 in. (156 mm) | 0.2 in. (5 mm) | 100 g (3.5 oz.) | |
| Oversize | min. | 3.9 in. (100 mm) | 2.8 in. (70 mm) | 0.007 in. (0.18 mm) | N/A |
| max. (flexible) | 14.9 in. (380 mm) | 14.9 in. (380 mm) | 1.4 in. (35 mm) | 1.36 kg (3 lb.) | |
| max. (rigid) | 14.9 in. (380 mm) | 5.1 in. (130 mm) | 1.4 in. (35 mm) | 1.36 kg (3 lb.) | |
| Dimensional | min. | 3.9 in. (100 mm) | 2.8 in. (70 mm) | 1.4 in. (35 mm) | N/A |
| max. | 14.9 in. (380 mm) | 5.1 in. (130 mm) | 2.4 in. (60 mm) | 1.36 kg (3 lb.) | |
2.2 Designing requirements
These requirements are intended to help you and your suppliers in creating mail items that are suitable for efficient processing by Canada Post.
| MACHINEABLE MAIL REQUIREMENTS | SPECIAL HANDLING REQUIREMENTS | |
| Standard Items | ||
| Shape | Rectangular (square envelopes are acceptable) | Any, including odd shapes |
| Address orientation | Horizontal or vertical orientation | Horizontal or vertical orientation |
| Paper | No glossy finish | Any stock/coating |
| Graphics/colours | Some requirements apply | Any |
| Sealing | Envelopes: must be fully sealed on all sides Folded self-mailers: clip or spot seal acceptable (as per specifications) | Optional |
| Quiet zone | Within and around the address block | Within and around the address block |
| Address fonts and types | Some requirements apply | Any, as long as people can read them easily |
| Flexibility and firmness | Must be flexible | May be flexible or rigid |
| Enclosures | Must meet certain requirements | Any (except non-mailable matter) |
| Machine readability target | 95% | Not applicable |
| Oversize Items | ||
| Shape | Rectangular or square | Any, including odd shapes |
| Address orientation | Horizontal or vertical orientation | Horizontal or vertical orientation |
| Paper | Some requirements apply, even though coating is acceptable | Any stock/coating |
| Graphics/colours | Any | Any |
| Sealing | Must be sealed (envelopes/wrapper) | Optional |
| Quiet zone | Within and around the address block | Within and around the address block |
| Address fonts and types | Some requirements apply | Any, as long as people can read them easily |
| Flexibility and firmness | May be flexible or rigid | May be flexible or rigid |
| Enclosures | Must meet certain requirements | Any (except non-mailable matter) |
| Machine readability target | 85% | Not applicable |
Detailed information can be found in the Designing module at canadapost.ca/cppmguides. Ensure each item, including any sample(s), is mailable and consider the following:
- Scented items must be sealed in such a manner that prevents the scent from Similarly, liquids and powders must be packaged appropriately. A scented item produced using micro-encapsulated scent infused ink/ lacquers does not need to be sealed provided the scented area is covered or contained within the mailed item.
- If an item contains a common allergen such as peanuts, sesame seeds, tree nuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts) or eggs, it must be packaged and labelled to minimize the potential for allergic reacti
Visit “ABCs of Mailing” and “Non-mailable Matter” in the Canada Postal Guide for more information
How to address mail accurately
Send business and addressed marketing mail without processing delays and surcharges
Help your business by following address guidelines on your mailings — you’ll avoid delays and surcharges caused by extra processing.
In this article you’ll find:
- Address placement guidelines.
- Graphic placement guidelines.
- Correct address formats for mail to Canadian, U.S. and international destinations.
Address placement guidelines
Use these addressing guidelines for standard, large and image-printed envelopes so that your mail can be scanned by our processing equipment.
Standard envelope
Graphic placement guidelines
On a large envelope
Correct address formats
To avoid unnecessary delays or surcharges, follow these addressing guidelines (visual examples follow):
- Write STREET ADDRESS in uppercase letters.
- Write POSTAL CODES in uppercase letters and separate the first 3 characters from the last 3 characters with 1 space. (No hyphens please. These can cause delays)
- Place the municipality, province or territory and postal code on the same line.
- Separate the municipality from the province (or territory) with 1 space; separate the province (or territory) from the postal code with 2 spaces.
- Don’t use punctuation unless it is part of a proper name, e.g., ST. JOHN’S.
- Format the return address the same way as the destination address and place it in the top-left corner of the envelope or package (or on the back of the item at the top).
Visual examples
Canadian civic addresses
- Place additional delivery information such as title, floor, etc. above the civic address.
- Place the unit number before the civic number with a hyphen in between.
- Use 1 space when a civic number suffix is present but do not use a space if it is a letter (e.g. 123A).
- Separate the postal code from the province symbol by 2 spaces.
United States addresses
- Use the full name of the city.
- Separate the state symbol from the city by 1 space.
- Separate the zip code from the state symbol by 2 spaces.
- Use the 2-character state symbol rather than the full state name.
- A zip code is either 5 or 9 digits. If it’s 9 digits, a hyphen separates the 5th and 6th digits.
International addresses
*Spell the country name correctly so that our processing equipment can read it.
Make sure the name of the country appears alone and is the last entry of the address block below the city name and postal code/zip code. Spell the name of the country in full and in capital letters (e.g.: write UNITED KINGDOM and not UK).
Other examples
These illustrated examples provide detailed explanations and helpful tools for correctly formatting other address types.
Symbols and abbreviations
Keep your addresses short enough to stay within machineable guidelines by using abbreviations. Find the Canada Post approved short forms for:
- Street types
- Street directions
- Apartments, suites and units
- Provinces and territories
- U.S. states, territories and possessions
Accurate addresses don’t just help lower costs by eliminating redelivery and extra handling — they also help to reduce the carbon footprint of your delivery.
