Answered by the experts at EU Services

Question:
How should I calculate a quantity for my direct mail campaign? How much should I allow for spoilage in personalization and mail processing?

Answer:
Spoilage amounts should be computed separately for personalization (lasering) and mail processing (folding, inserting, etc). Combining the totals will determine the amount of stock needed. For example, a personalized self mailer that's being sent to 20,000 names should have processing spoilage calculated as follows:

• Mail Processing: 20,000 x 2% = 400 expected spoilage

• Data Processing: 20,000 x 4% = 800 expected spoilage

Based on a total anticipated mailing quantity of 20,000 names, we see that the total expected spoilage in data and mail processing* is 1200 pieces.

*Please note: There are separate industry standards for printing over and under-runs.
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