What Is Presort Mail and How Much Can It Save You?
Presort mail qualifies your letters and flats for USPS automation discounts. Learn how presort works and how much you can save on postage.
What Is Presort Mail and How Much Can It Save You? Presort mail is one of the most reliable ways to reduce postage costs for businesses that mail regularly. The concept is straightforward: by sorting your mailpieces according to USPS specifications before they enter the mail stream, you do part of the postal service's work for them — and they reward you with lower rates. For businesses on the Delmarva Peninsula and beyond, understanding presort mail can mean hundreds or thousands of dollars in annual postage savings. Mail Movers has been handling presort in-house from our Salisbury, MD facility since 1977, and this guide covers everything you need to know. How Presort Mail Works: The Mechanics When the USPS receives a standard, single-piece mailing, it must sort that piece through multiple processing facilities before it reaches the carrier who delivers it. Each sort step costs the postal service time and money. Presort mail skips some or all of those steps by arriving already organized by destination. The deeper the sort, the more work you've done for the USPS, and the greater the discount. The main sort levels are: 5-Digit Sort: All pieces in a bundle go to the same 5-digit ZIP code. This is the deepest sort level and earns the highest discount. 3-Digit Sort: Pieces are grouped by the first three digits of the ZIP code, covering a geographic area served by one sectional center facility (SCF). AADC Sort (Automated Area Distribution Center): Pieces are grouped by the AADC tha
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