A mailing is a chain of physical details. We publish ours.
Print resolution, strap gauge, wrap revolutions, entry verification: the unglamorous specifics decide whether mail moves at automation speed or stalls. This is the standard every Plavidian job meets, in-house or outsourced, and the same one our cameras and reports verify against.
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The Plavidian Standard™ · Version 1.1 · Effective July 2026
USPS Programs
Full-Service Certified
Mail Service Provider
Plavidian prepares every commercial mailing with unique Intelligent Mail barcodes and electronic documentation, and participates in the USPS programs that let mail move on scans instead of paperwork.
- Full-Service Intelligent Mail with eDoc on every commercial mailing
- eInduction for drop-shipped containers, no paper 8125s at the dock
- Seamless Acceptance participant, verified by USPS scan sampling
Addressing that automation can read
Every address block prints at a minimum of 300 DPI, in UV ink fully cured before the piece is handled again, with large-picolitre droplets for solid, uniform characters and crisp edges.
A piece whose Intelligent Mail barcode cannot be read cleanly is a piece USPS handles manually, and manual handling is where delivery dates go to die. Rejected material is reprinted before a job proceeds.
DMM 202.5.0DMM 204.1.0
Rejection criteria
- Resolution below 300 DPI
- Ink not fully cured at handling
- Overspray or ink misting
- Feathering or bleeding edges
- Background haze or ghosting
- Voids or distortion in the IMb
Bundles built for the network
Flat bundles are cross-strapped in two directions with 3/8 inch x 0.024 inch white embossed polypropylene strap, no substitutions, heat sealed to the manufacturer's specification. One strap runs width-wise around the narrow side, one lengthwise parallel to the longest edge, forming a perpendicular cross.
Tension holds the pieces against shifting in normal handling without crushing them, and straps never cross an address block or barcode.
DMM 245.8.0 · Preparing bundles of flatsDMM 705.8.10
Pallets that travel as one load
Pallets wrap in 120 gauge cast stretch film, at least three full revolutions, with containment to the base and diagonal top wraps corner to corner. Stacked pallets stay under 70 inches and are strapped with smooth polyester plastic strapping, standard coil, 5/8 inch wide x 0.035 inch thick, ultrasonically fused with no metal seals.
Political jobs carry Political Mail Tags on two sides of every pallet, visible through the wrap. None of this is exotic. All of it is checked, every time.
DMM 705.8.6 · 705.8.7DMM 207.8.4 · Political mail
Nothing moves before USPS says it can
Plavidian submits the electronic documentation for every mailing, and the release rule is absolute: no pallet is transported to a USPS facility until the mailing shows released, clearance, or acceptance-ready status in USPS systems, the entry facility matches the palletization and labeling exactly, and no holds or errors remain. Before that, each pallet passes a physical inspection. A discrepancy on any line holds the pallet, notifies Plavidian, and blocks release until it is resolved. This is how entry-point discounts survive contact with reality.
DMM 705.8 · Mail preparation standards
The pre-release checklist, in full
What happens when work misses the standard
Nothing advances on a promise to fix it later. Pieces that fail camera verification are diverted automatically and reconciled against the list. Addressing defects trigger reprint before the job proceeds. A pallet that fails inspection is held, Plavidian is notified, and it is not released until the discrepancy is resolved. Outside vendors follow the same path, with corrective action recorded against their qualification.
What is required, and what depends on the job
Required, always: addressing quality and barcode legibility, cross-strapping, pallet wrap and stability, political mail tagging where applicable, and confirmed USPS release before transport.
Job-dependent: tab count and placement, entry facility and drop-ship plan, and container-level tracking, which vary with mail class, piece construction, and USPS acceptance. USPS-dependent: scan frequency and delivery timing, which we report but do not control.
One standard, every floor
When capacity or geography puts a job with an approved vendor, the standard travels with it. Our Third-Party Mailing Standards flow these requirements down in full, including release verification confirmed directly with Plavidian before dispatch, and they apply without exception to any job entered under Plavidian's USPS permits, Mailer ID, or electronic documentation. Your job is prepared to the same specification no matter whose equipment touches it, and our camera verification and Plavidian Insight™ tracking exist to prove it, not just promise it.
Hold your next mailing to it
Tell us about the project and we'll quote it against this standard, in writing.