Learn About Bulk Mailing and Tracking → Bound Printed Matter

How to Save Postage with USPS Bound Printed Matter Rates

 Scott
 Postage $aver Software


IMPORTANT: The USPS proposal to end Bound Printed Matter rates has been denied by the Postal Regulatory Commission, but USPS is challenging that decision in court. See our post about the USPS Bound Printed Matter proposal for details.

USPS Bound Printed Matter is a special postal category that offers low rates for catalogs, books and other bound printed materials. Bound Printed Matter rates can be used for pieces weighing up to 15 pounds, and are usually the cheapest rate available for pieces that qualify. (For pieces under one pound, Marketing Mail is sometimes cheaper, especially for nonprofit mailers.)

For example, the Bound Printed Matter rate for a two-pound box is just $4.15 per piece for up to 299 pieces, and drops to $1.86 - $3.02 (depending on where it's mailed) for shipments of more than 300 pieces. The same parcel sent using Retail USPS Ground Advantage would cost $9.45 - $16.65, depending on distance.

See our rate calculator below to get the postage for your mail piece.

To qualify as Bound Printed Matter:

• It must be securely bound by staples, spiral binding, glue, stitching or similar permanent fastenings. Loose-leaf binders and other temporary fastenings don't comply.
  
  
• The pages must be at least 90% covered with printing (not handwriting or typewriting), but see this special rule for calendars.
  
  
• It must not be personal correspondence.
  
  
• It can't be blank printed forms, like stationery.

Bound Printed Matter rates are available for flat-sized mail and for parcels. There is no minimum quantity, but there's an extra price break for mailings of 300 pieces or more.

If your contents don't meet those requirements, you can probably use one of the other bulk mail categories. For flat-sized or letter-sized mail, check out Marketing Mail. For parcels, see our bulk parcel shipments page.

Bound Printed Matter rates can be used only for domestic mail (including military addresses, Puerto Rico and U.S. territories and possessions). If you need to send large quantities of international mail, check out this guide.

Here's what this page covers:

What are the rates?

How many pieces do I need?

What are the size and weight limits?

How much are permits?

How do I apply for a Bound Printed Matter permit?

What else do I need to get started?

The postage rate for Bound Printed Matter depends on how many pieces you are mailing and the size and weight of the each piece. For mailings of 300 pieces or more, there are extra discounts for taking your mailing to a major USPS sorting facility. There are no extra discounts for nonprofits when using Bound Printed Matter rates.

Use our Bound Printed Matter postage rate calculator to find the rates for your mailing.


If you already have the list you want to mail to, we recommend you download a free trial copy of our Postage $aver bulk mail preparation software and run your list through it. It will figure out the exact postage you'd pay for mailing that specific list, and let you try various options.

For flat-sized mailings, download our Postage $aver Pro software. For parcels, download our Postage $aver for Parcels software.

There is no minimum number of pieces for Bound Printer Matter rates. There are also no minimums per zip code, nor any monthly or yearly minimums. Rates are lower for mailings of 300 pieces or more at one time.

The weight limit for a piece of mail sent at Bound Printed Matter rates is 240 ounces (15 pounds). Pieces may not measure more than 108 inches in length and girth combined.

You must have a mailing permit for Bound Printed Matter before you can use Bound Printed Matter rates. There are two fees that you may (or may not) need to pay to get your permit: a Permit Imprint Authorization Fee and an annual Destination Entry Mailing Fee. These fees are paid directly to USPS. A vendor cannot issue a mailing permit to you.

The Permit Imprint Authorization Fee ($370 one time) allows you to use a "postage paid" box (also called "indicia") on your mail instead of postage. For Bound Printed Matter, the postage paid box is required. Stamps or meter postage are not allowed.

This fee is required if you are mailing Bound Printed Matter flats, but is not required for parcels. If you have paid this fee for another class of mail, like Marketing Mail, you do not have to pay this fee again for Bound Printed Matter.

The Annual Destination Entry Mailing Fee ($370 yearly) is charged in certain cases if you claim a discount for mailing Bound Printed Mail flats from a sorting center or from the delivery post office. It is only charged if ALL of the following are true:

• you send 300 or more flat-sized pieces in a single mailing, claiming the presorted rate,
  
• you take the mail to a sorting center or delivery post office and claim a "destination entry" discount,
  
• the pieces weigh more than 20 ounces each, and,
  
• you don't put full-service barcodes on the pieces.
  

Saying the same thing from the negative, the fee is NOT charged if ANY of the following are true:

• you are mailing parcels, not flats,
  
• you take your mail to your local post office, not a sorting center or the delivery post office,
  
• you are mailing fewer than 300 pieces, or,
  
• you use full-service barcoding on all of your pieces.
  

There is not an Annual Mailing Fee for Bound Printed Matter, other than the Destination Entry Mailing Fee.

You should apply for your permit online. Here's how:

1. Log in to your account on the USPS Business Customer Gateway, (or create an account on the Gateway if you don't have one.)
   
   
2. Click "Mailing Services" at the top of the screen, then scroll down to "Manage Permits" and click "Go To Service".
   
   
3. From the chart that appears, select the business location for which you are applying.
   
   
4. On the next screen, scroll down to the row of tabs and click "Permit Creation". Then, under "Already Know Your Options?", click "Skip Intro, Create Permit".
   
   
5. On the next screen, you will choose how to pay your postage and any fees. If you have an existing Electronic Payment System (EPS) account, and you are the admin for that account, you can link your new permit to it by choosing the box on the left. To create a new EPS account, choose the box in the middle. To pay for your mailings at your post office (or to set up EPS later), choose the "Permit Only" box on the right. Then click "continue" at the bottom.
   
   
6. On the "Permit Type" screen, click "PI" under "Outgoing Permits" if you will be sending flat-sized Bound Printed Matter, or both flats and parcels. Click "PI" under "Shipping Products Permit" if you will only be sending Bound Printed Matter parcels. Permit imprint is the only method allowed for paying postage for Bound Printed Matter. Accept the terms of service and click "continue".
   
   
7. Next, choose the city and state of the post office where you will have your permit. That would normally be the post office that is most convenient for you, but not all post offices accept bulk mail, and sometimes you can get a better postage rate by taking your mailings to a regional sorting center. When you select your city and state, you'll see the choices available for that city.
   
   In suburban and rural areas, many post offices accept bulk mail. But in major cities, bulk mail is generally accepted only at the regional sorting center and sometimes at a few smaller post offices.
   
   To find out whether bulk mail is accepted at a specific post office, find the post office using the post office locator on USPS.com, and see if it shows "Bulk Mail Acceptance Hours" in the chart of that office's hours.
   
   To find all of the post offices in your area that accept bulk mail, call the USPS District Business Mail Entry office for your area, which you can find using the USPS district business mail entry locator. (Note that you must enter a city and state. Entering just a zip code on that screen doesn't work.)
   
   If you will be mailing 300 or more pieces at one time and much of that mail is going to addresses in your area, you'll get better postage rates by mailing from the sorting center for your area. You can see your possible savings by using the rate calculator above. If you will be mailing from the sorting center, you should select that center for your permit rather than your neighborhood post office.
   
   Choose the post office you want, fill in your company information, then click "continue".
   
   
8. Next you'll see possible fees listed. Don't freak out! This is just a list of possible fees. It does not mean that you actually owe them. Just click "continue".
   
   
9. On the next screen, check the information and if it's correct, click "create permit". Your permit will be created and the information will appear on the next screen. Print that screen for your records.
   
   
10. If you have an EPS account and used it to set up your permit, you'll have the option to pay any fees that are due using that account. Click the "Pay with EPS" button. Otherwise, you'll need to pay at the post office when you take your first mailing.
    
    
11. If you go to the payment screen, be careful to only pay those fees that you actually owe.
    
    You'll see several fee options in the "Account Type/Fees" section. Most mailers should NOT select fees in that section. The only fee you may need to pay is the BPM Destination Entry Flats fee, but select it only if you know you owe the Annual Destination Entry Mailing Fee based on the rule discussed above. If you're not sure you owe it, don't pay it. The fees are not refundable!
    

Congratulations! You have your permit!

To prepare your mail, you'll need software to do the required sorting and to print the necessary postal paperwork. You'll also need USPS mailing sacks, and if you're mailing flat-sized pieces, rubber bands.

Bound Printer Matter presort software: To qualify for Bound Printed Matter rates for mailings of 300 pieces or more, your mail must be sorted and placed in mailing sacks according to very detailed USPS rules.

It's not just sorting by zip code - various zips must be combined with others, depending on quantity, where you're mailing from and to, the size of the mailpiece, etc... It's literally a book full of sorting rules, and the routings change each month.

You'll also need to print paperwork for submitting your mailing and special barcoded tags to label each mailing sack. And, for parcels, you'll need to print USPS tracking labels and to upload a special tracking file to USPS.

For a shipment of less than 300 pieces, sorting, tracking labels and the tracking file are not required. But you get free tracking and hopefully faster delivery by using USPS tracking labels and submitting a tracking file.

The easiest way to do all of this is to use software designed to prepare bulk mail. Our Postage $aver Pro software prepares letter-size and flat-sized mailings, including Bound Printed Matter flats. Postage $aver for Parcels prepares various parcel categories including Bound Printer Matter parcels.

Mailing containers: You'll need to sort your mail into specific mail sacks before you can mail it at Bound Printed Matter rates. The sacks are provided by the USPS at no charge. You can pick them up at the post office where you are mailing your bulk mail.

Size 64 rubber bands: If you are preparing flat-sized mail, you'll need rubber bands to bundle your mail. You can buy a bag at your favorite office supply store.


Congratulations! You're now ready to move on to actually preparing your mailing.

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