> > I'm almost ready to ship a bunch of floppy disks, but I dont see how
> > they qualify under book rate, and I don't know that I will be able
> > to convince MY local post office...
> of medical information, and computer-readable media. Advertising
> restrictions apply.
> Packages must measure 108 inches or less in combined length and girth.
> Mark each package "Special Standard Mail" in the postage area.
> There seems to be categories like:
USPS:
Printed matter is defined as “paper on which words, letters,
characters, figures, or images (or any combination thereof)
not having the character of a bill or statement of account,
or of actual or personal correspondence, have been reproduced
by any process other than handwriting or typewriting.”
Which is basicly a definition more or less directly taken
from the international agreements on postal services.
Basicly Film/Photography or other Data Storage Media (BTW:
Punch Tape and Cards are named explicit) are _NOT_ part of
this definition (of the USPS), but if they are only a minor
amount, and part of the major Material (read disks inside a
manual), the PO may or may not accept it.
> Express
> First Class/Priority
> Standard Mail (a & b) - the "b" version the 4th class we know
> Bound Printed Matter
> Special Standard Mail & Library Mail
At least for oversees shipment there's another 'book'
class, the so called M-Bag. To be send as M-Bag (you
don't have to use a real bag, althou it's still
possible) you just pack all your 'Printed Matter'
(Official Term) in one single container and attach
a special M-Bag tag (PS Tag 158, available at the
post office). And you get _incredible_ low rates:
M-Bag, Surface to Europe is just USD 1.45 per pound,
while regualr printed matter/small packets is about
~4.50. Well, Surface may take up to 6 weeks (average
2-3) until Europe, but we are not talking about high
priority stuff - the actuality of our kind of books
isn't measured in days or weeks or even month' :)
I assume that they offer similar rates within the US.
Gruss
H.
--
VCF Europa 2.0 am 28./29. April 2001 in Muenchen
http://www.vintage.org/vcfe
http://www.homecomputer.de/vcfe
Received on Mon Aug 07 2000 - 11:46:25 BST