This beautiful 8 page + Cover mailer recently arrived in my mailbox (name covered up to protect the innocent). With 4 color process + aqueous coating + Spot UV + 2 pull out plastic coupons this is an expensive and high profile piece. Whoever designed and printed it did a fantastic job, the piece immediatly caught my eye and I wanted to open it.
BUT, before opening I noticed that there were 5 clear plastic wafer seals! These are indicated with the 5 pens. I knew that opening this piece would be no easy task. The clear plastic wafer seals used are stronger than paper and difficult to rip.
I found a razor blade to open up the lead edge, then to see how the piece would respond to the average user, I carefully pulled at the remaining wafer seals. The result, only one of the 4 remaining wafer seals yielded to pulling. The other 3 areas ripped the piece badly, and turned this previously beautiful mailer into a scrap heavily leaning toward being thrown in the garbage by my wife.
Its hard to imagine the average recipient searching for a razor blade to open a direct mail piece. That likely means most of these were damaged much worse by the end user, and a higher percentage of a piece that started off with everything right, ended up in the recycling bin.
The US Post Office made several changes to the type of closure that is needed on a Direct Mail piece. This does not mean that every piece needs to get mangled when opening. What could have been done differently?
First, only three wafer seals are needed for this piece with its current design: Two on top and one on the trailing edge. Someone screwed up on the mailing spec or assembly.
Second, plastic does not rip as easily as paper. Perforated wafer seals are no longer permittable. This means someone should have used transluscent - not clear, and designed around it from the beginning. Here's the Postal Guideline for this piece.
http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/201.htm#wp1084261
My advise is to partner with someone that knows mailing. Ask them some questions:
What are my mailing options for Postage?
Will this Postage Option arrive in time for the promotions?
How can I protect this from damage in the mail stream?
How many wafer seals do I need? What is their size and position?
Someone once said, "Begin with the End in Mind". This is the key to a successful piece.
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