Arandell Corporation

Gary Sierzchulski, VP, Arandell Data Services

One of the most critical factors that is often overlooked in regards to Address Quality is the ability to better understand and view your customers.  Here’s is what I mean.

Suppose you have customers John Smith at 125 Ferret Street and J Smith at 125 Ferret Avenue Apt 2.

The John Smith at Ferret Street has purchased 9 products from you over the years, but none in the past 12 months.  However since he’s been a customer of yours, he has purchased $1400 worth of your products.

The J Smith at Ferret Avenue Apt 2 has purchased a $65 item from you 5 months ago but nothing before or since then.

Based on their past buying history, you would treat these two customers (or should) very differently.  In fact, if you were doing a mailing to only customers who purchased over $100 from you within the past 6 months or who has spent over $1500 life to date neither one of them would receive your mailing and you and they would miss out on a great opportunity to connect.

However through the proper use of address integrity products and duplicate identification processes we have cleaned up their information and these two customers now become one. 

Bad news is you just lost a customer. 

Great news is that you identified one of your best customers. Now you can communicate with him in a whole different way and acknowledge the fact that he indeed is one of your best customers.

Read more…

Don Landis, VP, Postal Affairs

This week will be an exciting one for some first-class mailers. On August 21, letters were mailed to all First-Class mailers who qualify for the upcoming First-Class Mail (FCM) Incentive Program. (Think you qualify, but didn’t receive a letter? Click here to contact the USPS.) The sale on First-Class mail is going to be structured similarly the USPS Summer Sale (which will last through September 30) that was rolled out for standard mailers earlier this year.

 And, so you ask:

What qualifications do I need to meet in order to participate in the First-Class Mail Sale?

• Minimum of 500,000 non-parcel First-Class pieces mailed through your Permit account between October 1 and December 31 of both 2007 and 2008.
• Undergo a 45-day approval period by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC).

What Incentive is being offered for participants in the First-Class Mail Sale?

• 20% postage rebate (credited to your postal Permit account) for qualifying presort letters, flats and cards mailed between October 1 and December 31, 2009.
• After the rebates are applied, the discounted price, on average, will land somewhere between the First-Class Mail and Standard Mail rates.

Act now!

If you received your participation letter, be sure to visit the program registration Web site. You’ll also need to work with your mail service providers to obtain accurate 2007 and 2008 counts to provide documentation to the USPS Participants. The difference between those two years’ mailing quantities will determine your incentive threshold.

If you have NOT received a participation letter but you think you qualify, click here to contact the USPS directly. Remember…this particular program is for First-Class mail ONLY.

Standard mailers, stay tuned!

These incentive programs may be here to stay. A potential winter sale is being considered, with even more features than the Standard Mail summer sale. My personal perspective is that until the USPS turns itself around, the organization will continue to find new ways to incentivize mailing quantity increases. And, even when the postal service does end up back in “the black,” I can fully see them continuing to offer these incentives during non-peak mailing seasons as long as they continue to see results. So mailers, keep on mailing!

For additional information, please contact Don Landis or Susan Pinter; they can both be reached at 800-558-8724. You can also contact the USPS directly regarding the First Class Mail Incentive Program at firstclassmailincentive@usps.gov.

Gary Sierzchulski, VP, Arandell Data Services

The USPS’s recent announcement to assess charges for mailings that do not comply with the Move Update requirements starting in January should be a non-issue for mailers.  The sad truth however is that it still causes many of you confusion, anxiety, and worry.

Very simply put - In today’s environment, there is no reason not to run NCOA on each and every mailing you do regardless of how small they are.  To do anything else even though it complies with the USPS’s requirements really defeats the overall purpose and does not provide an efficient / effective mailing campaign.  All of the other options approved by the USPS are either done during or after the actual mailing.  So why waste dollars when you have the ability to make the changes before the mailing goes out?

 To recap - Here is what NCOA provides you with:

• Change of Address
• Address Standardization
• Carrier Route Coding
• Zip Code Correction
• Zip+4 Coding
• DPV Coding
• CASS Certification
• Identification of non-deliverables

What other product can deliver all of this at an extremely low price with almost immediate turnarounds?  AND before the mailing goes out?

For additional information on the increase for non-compliant mail piece click here.

I am always available as well via email at GASierzchulski@Arandell.com at 414-248-9151.

Don Landis, VP, Postal Affairs

We received word from Canada Post this morning that rate increases to Canada are expected to occur for all services including new weight band pricing for Oversize Lettermail^TM items. The proposed increase for Lettermail pieces up to 30 grams (1.05 ounces) is three cents. We will provide an update on the proposed rate increase after official approval by Canada Post.

To see the new Canada Post rates, click on the following links:

Canada Post Publications
Canada Post Business Reply Mail (BRM)
Canada Post Lettermail
Canada Post Addressed Admail

Questions? Contact me at 800-558-8724.

David Koteski, VP, Arandell Prepress

This is my third and last article in this series. In my two previous articles I explained what stochastic printing is, and the responsibilities throughout the production process flow specific to stochastic printing. In this article I will discuss the pitfalls of stochastic printing. As with any specialty application within a pressroom, there are also potential pitfalls that you may face.  Even after proper file and proof preparation, press finger printing and developing the appropriate plate curves, there are still hurdles you need to be prepared for.

The following are just a few of the potential pitfalls of printing stochastic;

• Ink Piling - due to the higher dot gain encountered with Stochastic screening you will experience both plate and blanket ink piling.
• Ink Savings - fact or fiction.  Gray Component Replacement (GCR) will lead to greater ink savings than stochastic screening.
• Reduced Blanket life - a direct result of increased blanket washes due to ink piling.
• Reduced Plate life - a direct result of increased blanket washes due to ink piling.
• Increased Blanket Washes - a direct result of ink piling.
• Paper waste - a direct result of the increased blanket washes.
• Increased Press Maintenance - a direct result of increased blanket washes due to ink piling and the need for proper blanket and roller conditioning.

When not to use stochastic screening

• Poor separations - keep in mind that stochastic screening greatly enhances your separations. Poor separations will only look worse.
• Flesh tones that have not been properly balanced. There is a tendency for poorly color-corrected flesh tones to appear “rashy or choppy.”
• Lack of knowledge by your client, separator and/or printer.

So where do we go from here? Customer and separator education is the most critical step in the process and with proper education, preparation and planning, the results of stochastic screening are well worth the additional work.

David Koteski, VP, Arandell Prepress

I recently wrote an article on the differences between and the advantages of stochastic and conventional printing. Click here to read my last article.

To continue the conversation, today I will address what steps need to be taken into consideration when running a stochastic screen in a web offset environment.

Client Responsibilities:

• Consult with your current suppliers or industry trade groups to get other opinions. Does your catalog have a lot of flesh tones, shadow or reverse texts? What has been their experience with similar catalog designs?
•  Define your goals and objectives - what is it you are hoping to achieve? What elements in your design would you like to draw attention to? A catalog selling makeup would like to highlight different features than a clothing retailer…
• Determine Paper Specifications. Grade #2 versus Coated Groundwood, matte, satin and silks…as with any printing method, the choice of paper can affect how the end product appears. Viewing finished samples of like-catalogs will help you decide if your paper choice is appropriate for your products.

These are all areas that need to be taken into consideration by the client that will have a direct impact on whether or not to utilize stochastic screening

Color Separator Responsibilities:

What type of proofs will your separator provide?:

• AM screened proofs (150 LS)
• FM screened proofs  (25 micron)
• Epson / Inkjet Proofs

How will your separator manage your images?:

• Image resolution (300 DPI vs. 400 DPI)
• Pick-up images/repurposing of images
• Image/file compression, i.e. JPEG

Keep in mind that any type of compression will strip critical data from your images. This somewhat defeats the purpose of printing a higher line screen, yet many separators apply compression in order to save space.

Printer Responsibilities:

When approaching a stochastic workflow within your printing plant you need to resolve the following areas first.

• 25 micron (285 LS) versus 20 micron (365 LS) - which is best for your plant and client base?
• Stabilize plate production - restrict variables that can contribute to problems on press.
• Finger print the presses - you need to have a firm handle on the color gamut, ink characteristics, dot gain, etc. before you can build the appropriate plate curves.
• Test and modify prior to using on live jobs.

In my next blog I will address the potential pitfalls of stochastic screening.

Susan Pinter, Director of Postal Systems

Five-day delivery…it’s been in the news for the past six months and there have been extreme opinions on both sides of the spectrum about how eliminating one day of mail will impact all of us. (Click here for the PROS and here for the CONS of the proposed five-day delivery). At the end of the day, however, most Arandell clients are asking the same question….

How would the change to a five-day delivery affect my retail business and/or mailing program?

The answer is gray at best. Here is what I do know:

The U.S. Postal Service is facing the possibility of losing approximately $7 billion this year alone.  It is taking several steps to try to improve its financial situation, including: reducing workforce, consolidating facilities and most importantly improving productivity. But none of this seems to be enough! The USPS will have to make some big changes to achieve big results. Think of it this way; if it does not decrease to a five-day delivery what other “big” changes would it make? The possibility of an additional postal price increase seems a bit too close for my comfort…

Read more…

Don Landis, VP, Postal Affairs

September 8 is quickly approaching and you know what that means…the USPS will require 3 tabs on all letter-size booklets, or “slim jims.” When these regulations take effect, catalogers mailing slim jims under the letter-size postage rate must transition from 2 tabs to 3 non-perforated tabs. (Click here for additional information about the new tabbing specifications.) The industry is well aware of the requirements and testing has been taking place and will continue to determine if the 3-tab requirement reduces slim jim response rates.

Arandell Corporation is prepared for the new letter-size booklet regulations and has been heavily involved in testing 3 tabs versus 2 tabs for our customers. [Although we are not currently equipped to tab the oblong digest format (which is only one type of tabbed Letter-Size mail), to meet the new regulations, if we do see a come-back in demand for it, we will certainly reconsider investing in that technology. To clarify, an oblong digest is a digest catalog that stitches on the short side.] 

Read more…

David Koteski, VP, Arandell Prepress

Have you been given the option of printing stochastic versus using a conventional 150 or 175 line screen? 

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two?

Would your catalog benefit from changing your printing techniques?

 In my 25 years in the prepress industry, I have learned that changing from stochastic to conventional or vice versa can make the difference between good and GREAT printing.

What is stochastic printing, and how does it differ from conventional screening?

Stochastic screening utilizes a much smaller dot that is randomly placed throughout the images. Click here to view an up-close example. As a result, stochastic printing, images have a continuous tone feel. Also, with the smaller dot size utilized in stochastic screening, you are actually running the equivalent of a 285-line screen when using 25 micron or 365-line screen when running 20 micron. This is what contributes to stochastic’s ability to reproduce much finer detail than conventional screening.

Conventional screening utilizes a larger dot and is placed along a grid (creating screen angles).  This results in a more obvious dot pattern, and a rosette-like pattern. This pattern is most noticeable in your mid-tone areas such as flesh tones. Click here to view a up-close example.

Some of the clear advantages to stochastic printing are:

• Improved detail and definition
• Reversed text prints cleaner
• Improved shadow detail
• Wider color gamut

These advantages can also work against you. In later discussions I will address the potential pitfalls of stochastic screening and how to avoid them.

In my next blog I will address what steps need to be taken into consideration when running a stochastic screen in a web offset environment.

Gary Sierzchulski, VP, Arandell Data Services

What if you could predict something that was about to happen and act on it as opposed to reacting to an event that already happened? Wouldn’t that give you an edge on your competition?

Typically we analyze past events of our customers to predict future events. Modeling, overlays, Lifetime Value, etc. are all based on historical events, which very often are good predictors of future events or occurrences. Thanks to new data being available, however, we can get a head start on some life-changing events of our customers before they actually occur.

Read more…