Postal

New USPS Ruling Advances EnvyPak's Automation Letter Rate Approval
August 16, 2018 at 2:35 pm

EnvyPak, Columbus, Ohio, received another new ruling from the United States Postal Service that provides lower automation letter rates for a specifically-formatted, polypropylene envelope that now does not require an affixed mailing label, can be sealed with glue applied by lettershops and is fully machine-insertable. Using this specially formatted, Automation Letter Rate (ALR) clear poly…

American Lung Association Issues Not-So-Sweet Opinion on USPS Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps
July 30, 2018 at 1:17 pm

Two months ago, news of scratch-and-sniff stamps from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) had us pondering which promotional products would benefit from a similar treatment and which would violate considerations of common sense. For the latter, of course, we had some fun with it, as we doubt anyone would consider adding a scratch-and-sniff scent to…

How a U.S. Truck Driver Shortage Is Impacting Promo Industry Shipping
June 5, 2018 at 2:12 pm

According to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), there's a shortage of approximately 50,000 truck drivers in the U.S. This shortage is contributing to shipping issues for retailers and consumers, and it's seeping into the promotional products space, too...

Great (and Gross) Promo Ideas Inspired by USPS’ New Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps
May 22, 2018 at 2:12 pm

With the USPS set to launch scratch-and-sniff stamps, we began to wonder which promotional products might benefit from a similar treatment and which should definitely resist the urge to be nosy about our noses’ inner workings. Just for fun, here are three examples of goods that would be more awesome and three that sound downright terrible in scratch-and-sniff form...

Will Stamp Books Bring Kids to the Ballpark?
August 4, 2017 at 2:34 pm

When you, as promotional products professionals, are thinking about a way to appeal to the younger generation, what do you think of? Fidget spinners? Bluetooth speakers? Smartphone accessories? Stamp books? Wait, what was…

The Status of West Coast Ports
August 1, 2017 at 1:58 pm

On a concrete strip of coastline in sunny Southern California, the Port of Long Beach acts as the gateway for a hefty percentage of the promotional products imported from Asia. As the second busiest container port in the country, Long Beach has weathered its share of storms in…

USPS Rolls Out Digital Mailbox Preview Feature Nationwide
April 17, 2017 at 2:40 pm

The United States Postal Service (USPS) rolled out its "Informed Delivery" service that allowed people to see exactly what will be in their mailbox when they get home. Originally, the USPS implemented it in major cities, like New York and Washington, D.C., but now plans to expand the service further. Beginning April 14, the Informed…

UPS Expands Saturday Delivery, Pickup Services
April 5, 2017 at 1:15 pm

Throughout its 109-year history, a reputable span that helps it to serve more than 220 countries and territories, the United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) has prided itself…