Field notes
Practical direct mail guides for print buyers.
Practical direct mail guides from DIS Direct cover EDDM cost, lettershop and VDP definitions, postal terms, and production choices for people who buy mail at scale.
Clear answers on production fit, workflow, cost, overflow, targeted mail, lettershop, VDP, and presort for buyers managing high-volume programs.
Guide
EDDM Cost: Postage, Printing & Preparation
EDDM pricing has two parts: USPS postage for saturation mail and the cost to print, finish, bundle, and prepare the pieces. Keep those as se…
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Guide
What Is Variable Data Printing? Examples & Limits
VDP is a broad industry term. The specific production equipment matters: DIS Direct applies approved black-and-white fields and does not off…
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Guide
What Is a Lettershop? Services & Mail Prep
A lettershop (sometimes called a mail house) is the operation that turns printed components into mailable pieces: inserting letters into env…
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Guide
Presort Mailing Explained
Presort is how bulk mail earns lower postage: pieces are sorted to USPS standards before induction. Done right, it saves money. Done wrong, …
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Compare
EDDM vs List-Based Mail
Both are direct mail. They are not interchangeable. The wrong choice wastes postage or misses the audience you already paid to build.
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Compare
Trade Printer vs Retail Print Shop
If you sell print, your production partner should not compete for your clients. Client protection is central to the trade printing model.
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Compare
Lettershop vs Print-Only Vendor
A press date is only one part of a mailing schedule. Inserting, matching, postal documentation, and tray preparation must also finish on tim…
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Glossary
Direct Mail Glossary
Understanding these terms helps prevent unexpected costs when you review a quote, production plan, or USPS notice.
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Regulated mail
HIPAA & Election Mail Production
Regulated content requires documented data handling and chain-of-custody protocols. Ask about the controls, file path, and production plan b…
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USPS + creative
Informed Delivery for Direct Mail
Informed Delivery extends a physical mailing with a digital preview. The plant still has to produce a compliant mail piece, while the campai…
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Buyer guide
Choosing a High-Volume Direct Mail Partner
A credible production partner should tell you where a job fits and where it does not. Use the same job specification with every bidder so pr…
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Planning guide
High-Volume Direct Mail Production Workflow
The most reliable schedule is built backward from the required mail date and tied to the actual format, quantity, versions, data, components…
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Budget guide
High-Volume Direct Mail Cost Drivers
There is no honest universal per-piece price for a high-volume mailing. Compare quotes only after every bidder has the same production and p…
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Printer guide
Overflow Direct Mail Production Guide
Overflow works when both plants agree on ownership before the clock becomes the only decision maker. Define the handoff, exclusions, approva…
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Program design
Triggered vs. Batch Direct Mail
The difference is how the audience is released, not whether physical production needs controls. Choose the model that matches your data read…
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