posted on May 23, 2001 09:46:08 AM
I'm still using endicia.com and I love it. I'm running the beta version and have been generating lots of Free DC and International postage. I see it even supports bulk mail postage. Endicia has quite a lock on the market on so many new PCPostage features right now.
posted on May 23, 2001 10:23:49 AM
pwolf -- I'd like to thank you for "dragging up old news." I'd not seen this thread, and the information is fantastic!
I'd also like to thank Harry W for all his detailed, and easily understood posts.
posted on May 23, 2001 03:24:19 PM
Yes, the new software version was approved by the USPS. Current users will receive an automatic update message when they next use the program for any postage-related operation.
BTW, you can also use Delivery Confirmation on Media Mail. It's an additional 12 cent charge over and above the normal media mail postage.
I did a little experiment with one of the folks on this message thread. She's located in Worcester, MA and my office is in Palo Alto CA. I dropped a 4x6" flat -- digitally posted for media mail and using delivery confirmation -- at 5:00 PM on Monday April 14th. The collection box is "picked up" at 5:30 PM.
The recipient notified me that she received the package on Friday May 18th!! So it went cross country in four business days!!
What *may* be happening is that USPS handlers are assuming anything with digital postage is First Class. In reality, digital postage can be used for all mail classes except Periodicals (at this time).
Thanks for the reply. It sounds great, people seem happy with it, and, if the president answers questions on message boards, I'll assume the customer service is good.
Count me in.
posted on May 23, 2001 08:53:23 PM
Do you have to use the mailing labels that they want you to buy from their website? Are there cheaper ones that would work just as well? Thanks!
posted on May 23, 2001 10:44:54 PM
Question: "Do you have to use the mailing labels that they want you to buy from their website."
Nope, you can use any label media that you a) can feed through your printer reliably and b) fit all of the required information.
Regarding b), note that you do have a rather information-rich label -- the DC barcode is fairly large (USPS specification) as is the postage endicia.
BTW, you don't HAVE to print postage. You can create a label with a DC barcode, main address and return address, and then use a conventional meter strip or stamps. Printing postage is a "checkbox option".
I mention this because if you omit the digital postage indicium, you fit the remaining stuff on a smaller label format.
posted on May 24, 2001 05:27:31 AM
Harry, I tried to sign up this morning, but I keep getting this error message----
"Physical address verification failed! Address not found in specified city/state!"
Now what do I do? I know I live here. I have lived here at this address for the past 19 years, and in this town for 30. So....I know my address should exist! LOL
Can you help?
I get all my mail at the PO. But it doesn't want a PO address.
Thanks
http://www.geocities.com/sandcastless/crafts.html
[ edited by jwoodcrafts on May 24, 2001 05:35 AM ]
posted on May 24, 2001 12:01:41 PM
jwoodcrafts said "I had problems with signup this morning....".
Please contact me directly at [email protected] and I'll see what we can do.
It may be of some interest to others reading this thread that the USPS requires some form of "physical address" when you apply for a license to meter postage. When you sign up for any metering technolgy (PC-based or the more classical meters), in the background you are actually licensed with the USPS. We and other vendors send an electronic registation transaction to the USPS Postal Data Center in Eagan, MN.
PO Boxes don't qualify under USPS guidelines as a "physical address". This is tied to the "known mailer" concept (and is the reason that meter users *can* drop packages in collection boxes whereas folks using stamps must go to the PO).
The other USPS requirement is that your *physical* address must ZIP+4 verify in the USPS database. Postage vendors ask you for both a mailing address (which can be a PO Box) and a physical address. I suspect that your physical address is not ZIP+4 verifying, and I'll bet we can fix that.
posted on May 25, 2001 02:19:09 PM
I am here to tell you folks that these people could not be more helpful! I have gotten personal emails from Harry, and others doing everything they could to get me and poor "horribly rural physical address" signed up!
It was an up hill battle, but it finally paid off.
I haven't got to use it as yet, but as soon as I get my labels I will. I know if the service works as good as the people it will be a great company indeed!
posted on May 25, 2001 03:44:29 PM
Harry,
I signed up today also, but cannot use the software. I am running IE 6.0b The software installed, but I cannot open anything associated with it. I am assuming it is because I have this version of IE? Heather
posted on May 26, 2001 01:00:55 PM
Heather messaged --
"I signed up today also, but cannot use the software. I am running IE 6.0b The software installed, but I cannot open anything associated with it. I am assuming it is because I have this version of IE?"
Heather, we downloaded the beta IE 6.0 to one of our test machines last night, installed our software, and then tested it. Everything *appears* to be working OK on our test machine. We'll work with you "offline" on this via Email to see if we can get you up and running!
Our software depends upon IE's HTTP engine for Web communications and it's FIPS-approved algorithms for encryption. That's not to say that a user must USE IE as their brower -- they can continue to use Netscape or another browser if they choose. Our WIN32 software program simply requires that IE's resources be loaded somewhere on the PC.
posted on May 26, 2001 03:24:41 PM
Harry,
Thank you, since I downloaded 6.0 I have had nothing but problems. Fatal errors, black screens, and a variety of other problems I have never seen before. I did finally get it to install and open, but now just get "this program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down." When I run a Scan Disc and Defrag my computer seems to be okay for a few days before the errors start again, I will try that again today and see if I can get the software to function.
I also recieved an email from Tech Support within 24 hours. I must say, I am impressed, Stamps.Com replied to several emails I sent 3 months, no kidding, later. Heather
posted on May 26, 2001 06:33:29 PM
Hello everyone,
Thanks for great topic.I just signed-up and already love it, no more trips to the Post Office 3 times a week. Boxes get delivered to the door, and get picked at the door. How much more can we ask for?
posted on May 26, 2001 09:55:05 PM
Here's a new comment on my experiences with endicia.com. I'm currently running a free shipping offer on my auctions and decided that since the First Class postage for this particular item would have been about the same price as Media Mail with Delivery Confirmation, I would try out the Media Mail aspect. I read Harry's message above about how fast an item was handled but I was cringing a bit since this item is going cross country as well.
It seems the mail sorting people don't look too carefully at the pieces they're sorting. I generated the labels for the piece and sent it out today. Tonight it had a scan at the Priority Mail sorting center for the western side of Pennsylvania. It appears that the Media Mail piece has been sorted into the Priority Mail stream. I'm guessing that since it had the electronic Delivery Confirmation label on it someone assumed that it was Priority Mail and sent it in that direction.
There is nothing on this package to make one believe it was a Priority Mail piece and the postage label for this item definitely indicates Media Mail along with the proper postage amount for that class. It appears that not-so-alert sorters have given my mail piece handling of twice its value.
posted on May 28, 2001 02:51:00 PM
Hello everyone,
Now that I am starting to discover this new program, I got some questions. Harry or anyone who knows this software well, I have some questions.
1. When I click on the icon on the desktop, it does not come up right away. I have to click 3 or 4 times for it to start running. Anyone knows why?
2. When it comes up and I try to bring media up, it will freeeeeeeze for about a min or so.???
3. I am trying to set up new envelope, its Columbian 7 1/2" X 10 1/2". I got that built in, now how do I change that red box inside the envelope. Looks like that red box is #10 envelope.
4. Where do I find the standards for how the imprint should look on the evelope.
Thanks alot
[ edited by lingeriecorner on May 28, 2001 06:20 PM ]
[ edited by lingeriecorner on May 28, 2001 06:21 PM ]
posted on May 28, 2001 06:24:03 PM
lingeriecorner had a number of questions...
"Now that I am starting to discover this new program, I got some questions"
Sounds like we have some interesting things going on with your machine!!<g>. Please EMail me at [email protected] and we can go through them one by one. Some initial comments follow...
It might be that you have a "DNS resolution" problem of some sort. DNS='Domain Name Server' and these are servers out on the WWWeb which translate URL names (like www.endicia.com) to IP addresses (38.168.115.160 -- the IP address for www.endicia.com.) That may explain some or all of the "slowness" problems you mentioned. It's certainly not standard behavior!
The "red lines" on your screen actually tell you where your printer will stop printing! Printers all have "unprintable areas" around the edges of the paper feed path, and our program queries the printer driver so we can display this for you. The red lines (which can be shut off in preferences BTW), give you an immediate idea (before printing) if something you have on your mailpiece will be "cut off" when you actually print it.
Insofar as standards for printing on envelopes, let me point you to an envelope picture at http://www.endicia.com/endicia-usa/Site/postage.cfm and then talk about this a bit (hoping not to bore you too much <g>.
Envelopes are actually the most difficult to print given the USPS requirements. (In contrast, Priority/Media Mail labels have few requirements and are relatively easy to print!). Let me try to explain why envelopes are harder to print properly.
Envelopes/postcards run through a different set of machines at the USPS when compared to flats. There are three main machines -- the Facer/Canceller machine at the origin USPS facility, the OCR/barcode sprayer at the origin facility (which your piece can skip if it's pre-barcoded), and then a host of POSTNET barcode sorters which are used between the origin and destination offices.
A picture of a small Facer Canceller is shown in the URL below. The USPS uses bigger versions of this machine.
This machine takes the letters of various size, orients them horizontally, and then figures out which side is the "front", and orients the piece so the front is "seen" by a host of optical sensors.
The facer canceller has lots to do. It literally takes a video image of the address on the envelope and will typically spray a pink-colored barcode on the back of the envelope (more on that later). The machine also "looks for postage" of some sort. How it looks for postage is tied to a special marking on the envelope called the FIM - Facing Identification Marking.
The FIM is a series of bold vertical lines in the upper right corner of the envelope -- you can see the FIM in the first picture I referenced.
There are 3 types of FIM's commonly used. If you get a self-address payment envelope from your utility, the FIM pattern will be a FIM A. If you look at a Business Reply Postcard in a magazine, it will be a FIM C. If you are using PC Postage, you will have a FIM D.
The FIM code tells the facer canceller what kind of postage to look for on the mailpiece:
FIM A: Look for a florescent ink trace in either a conventional stamp or an red-ink meter mark. Did you know that stamps and meter ink contain florescent dye? They do, and that's the ONLY thing the Facer-Canceler looks for. The machine *can't* tell HOW MUCH postage is on the piece, only that there is SOME POSTAGE on it!!!!
Also, the FIM A means the piece already has a POSTNET barcode encoding the destination ZIP+4+2.
FIM C: This Business Reply Mail is going to be paid for by the recipient. There will be NO stamp or meter mark on the mailpiece, so DON'T look for the florescent trace! Also, the FIM C means that the piece already has a POSTNET barcode encoding the destination ZIP+4+2.
FIM D: This is PC postage which uses conventional black ink for the postage mark. So the Facer/Canceller should NOT search for florescence. The FIM D also is prebarcoded with the POSTNET ZIP+4+2.
NO FIM: This piece better have a stamp or meter mark on it, or it will go into the reject bin!! It also probably does NOT have a POSTNET barcode, so it's doomed to run through the OCR/barcode spraying machine or perhaps even wait for the "remote video encoding process" to finish hours later.
(Remote video encoding -- RVE -- is where they send the video image of the envelope to some poor soul working at a remote site. The person looks at the image and types in enough information to obtain a good ZIP+4+2 for the address. This data is transmitted back to the site where the mailpiece is being held, and then the mailpiece is run through another machine which reads the "pink barcode" on the back of the envelope, matches that ID number with the data coming back from the RVE site, and finally a POSTNET barcode is sprayed on the envelope. This is how Aunt Millie's hand written letter to you ends up with a POSTNET barcode on it!!).
If a mailpiece has a FIM, it means it is POSTNET barcoded already so IT CAN SKIP THE OCR/barcode spraying machine and RVE! The USPS wants a POSTNET barcode on ALL letters (even if they have to spray it on themselves) because barcode sorters are used throughout the delivery process. A typically letter may run through 6-10 barcode sorters as it traverses from it's origin to destination.
Now *printing* the FIM according to USPS specs *can* be a problem. The FIM can go right up to the top edge of the envelope. However it can't start more than 1/8" below the top of the envelope. And THAT can be a problem with some printers because of the "unprintable area". And that's why we have the red lines showing on the screen, and why the USPS requires that we get a QA envelope from all users.
There are "tricks" you can play on your printer to get it to print the FIM properly. One powerful technique is to flip the envelope image -- you can do this under printer setup. Sometimes you end up feeding the envelope in a way which conflicts with the printer manual's instructions. We (and the other vendors) have "guide me" routines which try to help you through this setup.
Once you've figured out how your printer needs to be feed, envelope printing is easy. But honestly, the first time can be a real pain!!
Again, package labels DON'T have any of these requirements! Package labels do NOT need or use a FIM mark. By eliminating that mark, life gets much easier.
You *can* print some very stunning envelopes using PC postage products. My girls' birthday invitations go out with color pictures of them in the upper left corner, some sort of color message emblazened elsewhere on the envelope, and the PC postage and FIM mark properly positioned. I do them on a color ink jet printer. Believe me, those invitations GET OPENED!
And I just finished a 2500 piece volunteer mailing for our local high school. There I used PC postage, COM10 envelopes, and a LJ5SI printer that had an envelope feeder. It took me about 3-4 hours to print those envelopes, but boy did they look impressive. PC Postage is new enough that I think folks who receive it are more likely to open the envelope to see what's inside!
On the other hand, when I get a bill from my local gas and electric company, I find it FAR easier to slap a stamp on the return envelope rather than try to print PC postage on that envelope. So I still have a roll of stamps in my drawer - even though I'm the President of a PC Postage company!
My personal belief is that the real utility of PC postage will be in the package shipping arena - especially when you start to integrate tracking/tracing as we have with Priority and Media mail. In a few days, we will mail the very first single-ply Express Mail label. No more multi-part forms -- just a single stick-on label. And the instant you print that label, all of the relevant origin/destination information is transmitted to the USPS. Like Priority Mail, the USPS will be tracking the piece before it even recieves it!
Heavens, this is VERY long! My apologies!!! But hopefully folks will find some useful information sprinkled about.
posted on May 28, 2001 06:40:18 PM
You're such a nice guy, Harry. I'll buy your PC postage forever (as long as you don't get hugely rich and greedy, like Feebay).
Thanks a lot for the info. Helps to understand why we spend ours to set up our printers...lol
I will e-mail you later tonight to see whats up with the rest of it.
With the envelope, I printed the first one to sent to you guys. It came out great, I figured out how to do it by offsetting the red box.
Its just when I added a new envelope, looks like setting for #10 envelope transposed on this one.
But I will paly with it till I get it right.
Is there any Priority label that will fit return address, delivery address, postage and DC on it?
Can you use any other image formats beside .bmp?
Thank you for great help.
[ edited by lingeriecorner on May 28, 2001 08:55 PM ]
[ edited by lingeriecorner on May 28, 2001 08:55 PM ]
posted on May 28, 2001 11:40:56 PM
lingeriecorner: I'll try to answer this for your since I do it all the time with the endicia.com software.
When I was using Pitney Bowes ClickStamp software they required the use of 4" x 3 1/3" labels which are Avery 5164 or 5264 depending on whether you want laser or ink jet labels. Because I do huge amounts of mailings I was stuck with about 5000 of these and I was determined to get them to work. All the information will not fit on one label nor will it fit on your typical 2x4 shipping label. Here's what I did thanks to endicia's very agreeable and highly customizable software.
The software already has built into it the Avery label which is actually a whole sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper. What I did was to make a template for the top third, the middle third and the bottom third of the sheet. Each of those are different templates depending on where I want to print on the sheet.
Next I placed the Delivery Confirmation bar code on the left side label and the return address, postage indicia and mailing address on the right side label. It's a tight fit getting all of those on one label but it can be done. Just watch the minimum spacings and take note when the pop-up window tells you that you're too close to something and re-adjust accordingly. I printed out a test sheet to a piece of paper and checked for placement against a real label sheet. I had to make a couple minor adjustments to get things right on the label and not crossing over onto another one.
Once I was finished I saved each of those templates as files named "full sheet top", "full sheet middle", and "full sheet bottom" and use them as templates.
When you print the postage, the delivery confirmation barcode will be one the left side label and everything else will be on the right. I don't think everything on the right would have fit with a 2x4 label. I don't think there's enough room so stick with the 4 x 3.3 labels. I buy these in generic large quantity bulk and everything has gone great ever since I began using them.
posted on May 28, 2001 11:59:18 PM
I posted to this thread early on, seemed like a lot of happy people so I decided to go ahead and download it and play with it a bit.
They had me until the old credit card required page, if they are still in beta testing, and it sounds like they are and they give you a 30 day trial, ask for a sign up and all the info after the free trial. if I don't care to continue the service I don't want to have my card out there on a system that will bill be every 30 days.
posted on May 29, 2001 03:56:09 AM
How is it that you were planning on paying for your postage during that first 30 days? It isn't free postage for a month.
As for the beta, that is just in reference to a particular version of the software. The release version is available for general distribution but doesn't handle International, Media Mail, etc.
posted on May 29, 2001 05:33:17 AM
Harry, I was trying to print a date correction indicia and Dazzle wanted to print the WHOLE address label again. How can I configure Dazzle to print only the date correction indicia on a 2z4 label?
Also, is it possible to configure it to use the 2x4 labels, printing the indicia on one, and the delivery address on another?
There are actually several versions of the Priority Mail 228. We support them all in DAZzle (and they come up in full color on the screen), but unfortunately their design makes it just about impossible to position the postage indicia or the delivery confirmation barcode!!!
They are GREAT labels in that they are free, and feed very nicely through most all printers. In fact, that's how I "invented" the "red and blue arrow" labels that we offer through our Web site. Circa 1992, I tracked down the firm which was printing the 228's for USPS and asked them to make the the identical label but without any printing on it. (The label is designed with several peel off sections -- one big section for the main address/return address and two peel offs which you can put any message you want on.)
When I got the first batch, I found that I was doing stupid stuff like a) feeding the label in the printer upside down and b) feeding it in the wrong direction so the I was printing the main address over the peel offs and the other messages on the main part!
So, on the very next order I had them put a little colored arrow on the label! And so was born the blue and red arrow labels...
posted on May 29, 2001 12:50:04 PM
Airguy asked...
"if they are still in beta testing".
As of mid-last week, the USPS approved our latest version (with international, media mail, etc) for general release, and that's the program you will get if you go to our site. Current users of the older software will get a popup message that a newer version is available whenever they use launch the program.
I'm having our crew check the Web site to remove any messages which might confuse folks.
There will be yet another version available on or before July 1, because the USPS has adjusted it's rates again. The base rates (e.g. 34 cents for FCM, 1 oz) stay the same -- the changes are in the higher weights. We also hope to have the single ply Express Mail label in the July release.
Our policy is to waive the service fee for 30 days for new users. If can closeout the account at any time within that period and you will not be billed any service fee. The credit card we ask for (and hold in an encrypted database) is used when you buy postage (the credit card transaction goes DIRECTLY to the USPS bank account, BTW) and is also used if/when we charge our service fee.
"Harry, I was trying to print a date correction indicia and Dazzle wanted to print the WHOLE address label again. How can I configure Dazzle to print only the date correction indicia on a 2x4 label?"
The whole "date correction" process is kinda goofy in my mind, but it is ostensbly a USPS requirement. It's easy enough to do with a conventional meter, but with PC postage it can be a real pain.
To print a date correction, you do need to have the full address on the screen. The full address won't print however when you select Print. The push the "Postage Options" button. And finally check "Print Date Correction". You should get a label with NO address and just a date correction image.
USPS audits their delivery performance (actually, they hire Price Waterhouse), and they use the meter date as the "assumed mailstream entry date". What they should do (especially for packages) is SCAN the DC barcode at acceptance and use THAT date. They should eliminate date correction!
"Also, is it possible to configure it to use the 2x4 labels, printing the indicia on one, and the delivery address on another?"
I think AvalonCourt's post in this thread did something like this. Yes, it should be very possible. Read AvalonCourt's description and give that a try. If it doesn't work, contact me at [email protected] and I'll have one of our tech support folks work with you.
BTW, we just got some beta labels we had created by Dymo for their label printers. It's actually a 3-piece label assembly that emits from the printer as "one label" (and is treated as a single layout in DAZzle).
The first label segment has the DC barcode, the second has the return & destination address, and the third segment is the postage endicia. Then you can slap the components anywhere you want on the package!
posted on May 29, 2001 02:27:50 PM
One of my colleagues reminded me of a Web page which shows all of the dimensional requirements for an ENVELOPE which carries PC Postage. This applies to all PC Postage vendors -- it's basically the USPS specification.
http://www.endicia.com/endicia-usa/support/qa.cfm
Again, the tough design issue has to do with the FIM - given that printers have unprintable areas near the edges of their paper path.
Once again, FLATS/PACKAGES do NOT require a FIM so it is much easier to print an "in-spec" PC postage label.
posted on May 29, 2001 03:09:55 PM
Harry, thanks for being here! It's nice to have someone "in the know".
One more thing...
I've kept another PC Postage account open in addition to Endicia because they can print special labels for windowed envelopes. Any plans on adding this functionality?
posted on May 29, 2001 07:56:27 PMavaloncourt
if you read back through the postings you will see that per Harry you can use postage that is printed from another source or use stamps. we mail 150 to 250 packages a week(yep its been a good week) I can put stamps on the packages faster that you can enter info into a meter and wait for the postage to be printed. ohhhhhhhh and I thought a beta was a type of fish thanks for clearing that up for me.......
Harry
Is there anything in the works to make your software a plug in for any of the accounting software companies out there? also is there anything in the works that will allow users to manifest there packages and to use the reduced insurance? will your software work with the 228c label it is smaller than the 228
as it is now we print all the shipping info on priority mail labels. we use the 228C label on a line printer, I tweaked the software we use to print on the first label the from and to addresses and all the info we need like the auction number or order number form our on line store, ship method, ship date, paid by, etc. The next label printed has the ship to address again and a pick list/receipt.
Couple advantages for us is the labels are free, the label will fit on all their boxes including the #12, and the way we have everything print we are in compliance with the postal regulations that say you have to have the shipping info inside of the box.
posted on May 29, 2001 08:40:54 PM
airguy: I guarantee I can do it faster. The buyer's address is in my auction management/accounting software. When I receive payment all I have to do is highlight and copy. The endicia software sits running in the background and automatically detects the address on the clipboard, verifies that it is a correct address, inserts it on the label and sends me to the print dialog box. I just click ok and it prints this DC label and address label with postage and return address.
Jusdging from your stated shipped items a week, I do more shipping than you. I guarantee that the time you take to fill in a shipping label, apply stamps and a return address label is far greater than the roughly 10-15 seconds that the software takes.
If you have to fill in a Priority Mail label I will be far faster and nobody has to scan mine. Calculate that into your per piece time.
I've been doing this a long time and have tried everything from manual preparation through every PC Postage service that has become available. This software now takes me literally 1/3 of the time of the previously fastest method and I get DC at no charge on Priority and very low cost on Class B items.
.