Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

[OM] Re: Is it safe to send unexposed film via U.S. Mail?

Subject: [OM] Re: Is it safe to send unexposed film via U.S. Mail?
From: "Scott Gomez" <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2005 22:22:42 -0700
FYI regarding USPS addressing, from a mailing I got from USPS when I
used to do some bulk mailing of a neighborhood association newsletter:

1. BLOCK print hand-lettered addresses (as you would an old-fashioned
"mechanical drawing")
2. Use approved USPS abbreviations and Post Office names (not always the
same as the city name)
3. Use zip+4
4. If you use a word processor to address envelopes, include BOTH FIM-A
and destination bar codes. Including destination bar-coding without the
FIM-A code (the vertical bars to the left of the stamp) may cause the
automated reader/router machines to miss the destination bar code. (MS
Word will happily produce proper versions of both).
5. Proper address positioning also helps, addresses that aren't in the
right "zone" of the envelope can't be machine read, and thus travel more
slowly.

I've done some informal experimenting, and clearly block-printing the
proper address plus using zip+4 often gets to my daughter (in
Maryland--I'm in California) just as quickly as bar coded mail, which
means--so far as I am concerned--that the automated address reading
machines are pretty darned good and that I rarely take the time to run
an envelope through the printer any more. Average delivery time for
first class CA to MD has been only 2.5 days.

Also, I believe Media Mail can go with a delivery confirmation added, as
well (but can't remember for sure, it's been a while since I've shipped
anything "Media Mail", so ask at your PO) which helps stop loss.

---
Scott Gomez

-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Sepke [mailto:dan@xxxxxxxxx] 
Subject: [OM] Re: Is it safe to send unexposed film via U.S. Mail?

I believe it is by truck though it is sometime referred to as "space
available". The delivery time window is very wide (7-20 days or so). I
have lost most stuff by Media Mail than any other method. I have found
it is often best to use a typed address label to speed stuff along in
the USPS system. I have had first class packets get to me from CA to NC
in just 2 days that way. 

Dan S.
==============================================
List usage info:     http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies:        olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • [OM] Re: Is it safe to send unexposed film via U.S. Mail?, Scott Gomez <=
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz