What is Lettermail?

Lettermail™ service is an effective and personal way to reach your customers—whether it's your primary communications channel or part of an integrated communications strategy.

Want to be certain that your customers receive your message? Mail is great way to send business correspondence, newsletters, invoices or statements.

Did you know that 89% of Canadians open and read their mail the same day they receive it?* It truly is part of the habits and rituals of Canadians both at home and at work.

* Source: The Value of Mail Study, CP#07-27, September 2007

Why mail works for your business

The facts speak for themselves! Mail is a great way to get your message opened and read:

• 89% of Canadians read their mail the day they receive it.
• 92% of Canadians are more likely to open a piece of mail if they do business with the company from which it originates.
• 72% of Canadians agree that mail is the best way to receive important information.
• 85% of Canadians prefer to receive their bills and invoices by mail.
• 79% of Canadians prefer to receive general business correspondence by mail than by any other means.

Source: The Value of Mail Study, CP#07-27, September 2007

Why use Lettermail service?

Reach
With over 34 million Canadian addresses, we deliver your mail wherever it needs to go.

Convenience
From coast to coast, there are more than 800,000 places where you can access the postal system—including thousands of mailboxes and more than 19,000 retail locations where you can purchase postal products.

Impact
Printed mail is a universal medium and increasingly relied upon to support interactive and integrated campaigns. The truth is, no matter how many new forms of media come along, one thing will never change—people love to receive mail.

Personalization
People particularly love to receive mail addressed directly to them. Personalized invoices and messages sent by Lettermail service become like one on-one meetings with your customers—they can even reduce calls to your call centre or help sell additional products or services.

What can I send by Lettermail service?

Lettermail service is typically used to send:

• bills
• invoices
• notices
• statements
• letters
• newsletters
• cards
• postcards
• annual, semi-annual, or quarterly reports
• proxies
• surveys
• voter notifications
• receipts
• media discs (e.g. CDs and DVDs)
• product and service information

What's included

Use Lettermail service and automatically get these features:

Redirection
If your customers move, they'll still get your mail—we redirect it if they have filed a Change of Address Notification.

Return to Sender
When no Change of Address Notification has been filed, we will return your item at no charge (provided it has a Canadian return address). If the return address is within your item rather than on the outside, we will return the item for a fee.

What's extra

For a fee, add the option to send your Lettermail item by Registered Mail. You'll get proof of mailing and/or proof of delivery.

Size and weight formats explained

Your Lettermail items must meet our specifications. The price you pay is determined by the category and weight of your item.

The metric unit is the official measure. Imperial equivalents are provided in brackets for reference and convenience only.

CATEGORY		LENGTH	WIDTH	THICKNESS	ASPECT RATIO *	WEIGHT
Standard Lettermail **
Cards and postcards	MIN	140 mm (5.6 in)	90 mm (3.6 in)	0.18 mm (0.007 in)	1.3 : 1	Should weigh enough to provide the stiffness needed to withstand processing without difficulty.
	MAX	235 mm (9.2 in)	120 mm (4.7 in)	5 mm (0.2 in)	2.6 : 1
Other (e.g. envelopes and self-mailers)	MIN	140 mm (5.6 in)	90 mm (3.6 in)	0.18 mm (0.007 in)	1.3 : 1	3 g (0.11 oz)
	MAX	245 mm (9.6 in)	156 mm (6.1 in)	5 mm (0.2 in)	2.6 : 1	50 g (1.75 oz)
Medium Lettermail
	MIN	140 mm (5.6 in)	90 mm (3.6 in)	0.18 mm (0.007 in)	N/A	up to 50 g (1.75 oz)
	MAX	235 mm (9.2 in)	165 mm (6.5 in)	5 mm (0.2 in)
Other Lettermail (e.g. envelopes, cards and self-mailers)
Non-standard***	MIN	140 mm (5.6 in)	90 mm (3.6 in)	0.18 mm (0.007 in)	N/A	3 g (0.11 oz)
	MAX	380 mm (14.9 in)	270 mm (10.6 in)	20 mm (0.8 in)		500 g (17.6 oz)
Oversize	MIN	140 mm (5.6 in)	90 mm (3.6 in)	0.18 mm (0.007)	N/A	5 g (0.18 oz)
	MAX	380 mm (14.9 in)	270 mm (10.6 in)	20 mm (0.8 in)		500 g (17.6 oz)

* Aspect ratio is the relationship between the length and the width. Standard Lettermail must be rectangular. Items that do not meet this ratio (e.g. square items) are subject to Other Lettermail rates.

** Some items, like coins, pens, seeds, powders, cannot be mailed as Standard Lettermail, but they can be mailed as Non-standard or Oversize Lettermail. Read the list of items that cannot be sent as Standard Lettermail.

*** Non-standard Lettermail is mail that may meet the size requirements for Standard Lettermail but is not rectangular and/or contains items that cannot be mailed as Standard Lettermail (e.g. coins, seeds, powders).

Any item that exceeds the maximum Lettermail size or weight may qualify for one of our Parcel services.

Medium Lettermail is only available to consumers.

Delivery standards

We are committed to providing you with fast and affordable mail service that you can rely on. Our service standards are based on estimates of how long it takes for properly prepared Lettermail items to be delivered from the point of deposit to the destination points. Although we make every effort to meet these high standards, they are not guaranteed.

DELIVERY ZONE	LOCAL	WITHIN PROVINCE	NATIONAL
Major Urban Centres	2 days	3 days	4 days
Non-major Urban Centres	2 days	3 days	4 days
Northern Regions and Remote Centres	2 days	up to 6 days	up to 8 days

• Service standards are subject to change without notice.
• The number of days excludes the day of mailing, weekends and statutory holidays.
• Weekend and statutory holiday deposits are considered deposited on the following business day.

Read more about service standards.

Rates & prices

Canada has one of the lowest standard letter prices among comparable countries. Lettermail pricing depends on the size and weight of the item. View current Lettermail pricing.

Tips for success with Lettermail items

Get more value from the envelope
If you're already sending a letter or a bill, why not throw in a flyer, a newsletter or some other piece of sales information? If it weighs less than 30 grams, it won't cost extra.

Folding = Savings
If you're using an oversized envelope, consider folding the items you're mailing and fitting them into a standard # 10 envelope. This simple action can cut your postage costs by more than half.

Consider your envelope as ad space
Design your envelope with your customers in mind. Advertising messages, logos and attention-grabbing graphics all serve to make a striking first impression. If you use a postage meter, your message can also be incorporated into your meter impression.

Boost response with return envelopes
Make it as easy as possible for your customers to get in touch with you. Include a prepaid response vehicle, like a pre-addressed stamped envelope or Business Reply Mail card.

Get it right the first time
The fastest way for us to deliver your Lettermail items is to sort them with our high-speed machines. To help us do this, make sure your mail is properly addressed, and that you have the correct Postal Code.

Check our Addressing Guidelines to learn the most efficient way to address your mail.

Machines don't like staples
Not only are staples on the outside of an envelope potentially dangerous for people handling your mail, they can slow down delivery time.

Depositing your Lettermail items

If sufficient postage (stamp or meter impression) is affixed to your item, deposit it in a street letter box, at any Post Office, community mailbox, or processing plant.

If you are a commercial customer with Lettermail items that have a Postal Indicia, you cannot deposit your items in a street letter box. Bring them with your Statement of Mailing to a Post Office or processing plant.

For large mailings we may request that you provide a mailing plan and/or deposit schedule that includes details of the mailing such as volume, time/day of deposit, etc. This information will help efficient deposit and processing of your mailings.

Support

Need help? Contact us and we'll gladly answer your questions.