A helpful step by step guide to
the mailing process
New to direct mail or to using a mailing
house?
With over 10 years experience in Direct Mail Fulfilment and 30
years in print, Centreprint Print & Mail can help you through
each step of the process.
Step 1 - the planning stage First contact us for a quote. we will take you through the format,
size, number of inserts, print requirements, data requirements and
postage service level. Suggestions may be made to help minimise
the cost of the mailing without compromising quality or impact.
We will also go through the various postage options and help you
decide which postal service is most appropriate. If you are using
your own postage account then we will need a docket from your docket
book or for you to set us up as an agent on your OBA account.
If you do not have your own postage account with Royal Mail or
another provider then we will also provide an estimate of postage
costs. When your campaign goes ahead, payment for postage will be
due before the mailing is despatched.
Step 2 - ordering When you are ready to proceed then let us know and we will book
the mailing in.
First, tell us your preferred despatch date. We will then work
backwards from there to provide you with dates for you to get artwork,
data, print or other elements to us. This helps to ensure that no
time is wasted waiting for items that have been delayed.
Step 3 - pre-production Once data has been received our data team will process your
data, removing duplicates, unusable data, and MPS subscribers if
necessary. The data is then Mailsorted and final postage costs are
calculated. Final confirmation of quantities and costs will be emailed
to you along with a Pro Forma invoice for posting and/or processing
of the mailing.
Proofs will be emailed or posted to you as appropriate (this depends
on timescales and whether a hard copy proof is necessary).
If you are sending stocks of printed matter or envelopes to us,
please book them in on 01902 490164, 24 hours before they arrive.
This helps to ensure that they are assigned to the correct mailing
and dont get lost. When they arrive, your stock is booked
into our stock control system so that its location, ownership
and stock level can be tracked and reported at any time.
Payments for postage and/or processing should be raised now to
avoid delays.
Step 4 - production With final quantities approved and proofs passed, production
will begin. The mailing will pass through litho printing, laser
printing, print finishing, folding, envelope production, inserting,
inkjet addressing, mailsort bagging and any other processes appropriate
to your mailing.
If problems arise, we will contact you straight away to discuss
how to remedy the issue whilst minimising any additional costs and
delays.
Step 5 - despatch Assuming that payment for postage and/or processing has been
received, your mailing will be released to Royal Mail or alternative
provider via the agreed service on the agreed date.
Should your mailing be ready for despatch before the agreed date
then we will contact you with regard to despatching the mailing
early.
A full VAT invoice will be posted to you shortly after despatch.