What do I need to send a mailing house to start a bulk mailing?

Bulk mail services move quickly, but only once the mailing house has everything it needs. That includes four things: your mailing data, print-ready artwork or printed stock, sign-off on proofs and the Sample Enclosing Pack (SEP), as well as postage paid upfront.

At The Mailing People, a bulk mailing typically takes three to four working days to produce and dispatch once we’ve received your stock and data.

Your mailing data

Send your mailing list as one file through our secure upload portal. Never send personal data by email. Before you export the file, check with us which formats we accept (xls, txt and csv) and which fields we need. We use them to format your data for personalisation and sort it for postage discounts.

Not sure your list is in good shape? Ask for a free data audit. It reports duplicates, gone-aways and other issues, plus the cost of removing them. Any recommended cleansing is a separate cost and you decide what to fix and remember to allow time for it in your schedule.

Artwork or printed stock

What you send depends on who prints the mailing.

If we print: Supply print-ready artwork for every item. For letters, you can send the copy in a Word document and we’ll apply it to your supplied PDF letterhead. Designing the letterhead isn’t part of the mailing service, but our sister company, The Graphic Design House, can design it at extra cost.

You supply printed items: Confirm the quantities, the delivery address and when the stock will arrive. If large deliveries have to be ordered in, allow extra time.

Whichever route you take, design to a standard envelope size to minimise costs, such as DL, C5 or C4, from the start. Other options are available, but they’re typically more expensive to buy and put through production. Keep to Royal Mail’s address area and clear zones so each item can be machine-read, as it’s one of the conditions for Mailmark® discounts.

Proofs and the SEP

You approve digital proofs before anything is printed. This means you have to check the copy, contact details and personalisation fields carefully at this stage.

A digital SEP also needs approval. It confirms which items go in each pack, in what order and which way round. All checking happens at these two stages, before the mailing is completed, not after.

Postage

You can pay postage through your own postage account or through ours, which is usually a lot cheaper. Either way, postage is a separate cost from print and fulfilment. It’s paid upfront, before your mailing is released to post.

We automatically look for the lowest postage cost option for your mail type, size and volume.

What holds up a start date

Most delays come from something missing or not ready:

Late or incomplete data
Data that needs cleansing before it can be used
Artwork that doesn’t fit the envelope or agreed print specifications. Common causes of delays include artwork that doesn’t match the quoted page count or missing spot gloss UV files.
Late approvals on proofs or the SEP, which can lose your production slot
Printed stock and envelopes that have to be ordered in. Mailing houses hold a certain amount of standard envelopes, but paper and glue expire, so stock will be limited.

When you plan your schedule, use the slowest delivery window for your postage service, not the fastest.

Ready to start your mailing?

Get a quote and we’ll confirm exactly what we need from you and when. Or find out more about our bulk mail services.

Need help?

Work with a proven partner for print, mail and fulfilment. We do everything in-house, so projects stay on schedule and campaigns run smoothly from start to finish.

Learn more