BONUS POST - Non-machineable mail

 It's hard to make a post stand out - especially one without a cool photo -  but here goes. I'm trying to nudge us towards conforming (our envelopes) to a system that relies on machines and scanners - and while we have friendly carriers who come to our house - there are a lot of other workers along the way who would like the mail to be *regular.*

I had a conversation with an exchanger who had heard from a postal employee (a clerk) that the clear plastic envelopes were NON-MACHINEABLE MAIL and subject to a surcharge.

That sounded goofy to me - but, I was wrong - and after two clicks - I am now enlightened.

There is a copy/paste from what I found below. The highlights are MINE.

First - my own commentary:

The first bullet point addresses flimsy mail. So - that's a new one to me - but I totally get it.

Second bullet point is only for those of us who love math. Stick to traditional, rectangular envelopes and you will be ok.

Third bullet point -- NO PLASTIC. Got it.

Fourth bullet point - no buttons - I assume this means even decorative ones - and my son who spent a lot of time shoveling shredded mail out of machines that were bigger than his house - says he is not a fan of anything other than sturdy paper.

Fifth bullet point - while I enjoy enclosures - it's best to keep our envelopes as flat and bump-free as possible.

Sixth bullet point - yup - they would like those addresses to be horizontal - on the landscape orientation of the envelope.

A square envelope is non-machineable - and they now cost $1.12

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A nonmachinable mailpiece is a mailpiece that must be sorted outside of the standard, automated mail process. Because it is more expensive to processes these mailpieces, a surcharge applies to them.

The nonmachinable surcharge is added to First-Class Mail® with any of the following criteria:

• For pieces more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is less than 0.009 inch
• The length divided by height is less than 1.3 or more than 2.5 (length is the dimension parallel to the address)
• It is poly-bagged, poly-wrapped, enclosed in any plastic material, or has an exterior surface made of a material that is not paper
• It has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices
• It is too rigid or contains items such as pens, keys or coins that cause the thickness of the mailpiece to be uneven
• It has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece

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LINK to the page that I copy/pasted 

Today's regular post is below.