About Presort

What is a “Presort Mailer”?

A “presort mailer” is a mailer that sorts it mail or has it sorted for it by postal ZIP Codes prior to presenting it to the U.S. Postal Service. A mailer earns a (worksharing) discount that reflects the reduced cost to the U.S. Postal Service of processing presorted Mail.

In the early 1990s, the U.S. Postal Service extended the worksharing concept by introducing discounts for “automated” mail. Automated mail is mail that is not only presorted by ZIP Code, but also has an eleven-digit, delivery point barcode applied to each piece of mail. The presence of an eleven-digit, delivery point barcode on a piece of mail allows the Postal Service to sequence that piece of mail for delivery on its delivery barcode sorters (”DBCSs”).

Automation mail earns larger discounts than mail that is presorted, but not barcoded. The amount of the discount depends on the “depth of the sort.” Automation mail can be sorted to any one of five levels, the Mixed Area Distribution Center (“MADC”), Area Distribuiton Center (“ADC”), 3-digit, or 5-digit. The further down the mail processing and delivery stream mail can be entered before it must be worked by the Postal Service or “the deeper the depth of sort,” the larger the discount as the costs avoided by the Postal Service increase as the depth of sort increases and mail goes further downstream before the Postal Service must work it.

What is a “Presort Bureau”?

A “presort bureau” is a company that presorts and/or automates mail for mailers who are the bureau’s customers. Some presort/ automation mailers presort and/or automate only their own mail.

Presort bureaus sort and automate (apply eleven-digit, delivery point barcodes) on their customers’ mail. By consolidating and sorting together the mail of several mailers, it is possible to sort a larger portion of each mailer’s mail to a greater depth and thus to increase the discounts. This benefits all the mailers involved as well as the Postal Service. A presort bureau may sort mail for as few as a dozen customers or as many as several hundred. Presort bureaus charge a fee or keep a portion of the worksharing discounts as compensation for the services they render.