Presorting & mailing
Sort and prepare a mailing on its own, from address validation to delivery to USPS.
Presorting & mailingMLOCR commingle
MLOCR commingle mail services for NYC and U.S. mailers
We use National Presort, Inc.'s equipment to commingle mail. Your pieces are combined with other senders' mail and sorted together, so the batch can qualify for lower presort rates. The sorter is a multi-line optical character reader (MLOCR), a machine that reads each address and sorts the piece.
Commingle in brief
What MLOCR commingle mail services are
A mailing house sorts your mail before it reaches the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), because sorted mail can qualify for lower postage. Sorting a mailing on its own is covered on our presort mail services page.
Commingling adds volume. Presort rates reward mail grouped by destination, and a modest mailing may not have enough pieces headed to the same place to fill those groups. Combined with other senders' mail, it can.
How it works
How a commingled mailing moves
Three steps take it from your files to the Postal Service.
Step 1
Your mail comes in
Your pieces and addresses reach us, and we prepare the job for the sorter.
Step 2
The sorter reads and sorts
The MLOCR sorter reads each address and sorts the piece. Mail from other senders runs through the same stream.
Step 3
Trays go to USPS
Sorted mail is placed in trays and delivered to the Postal Service, which takes over from there.
Fit check
When commingling makes sense, and when it may not
Commingling is worth asking about when:
- Your mailing is modest in size, so few pieces head to the same destination
- Your pieces are letter-size, the format the sorter handles
Commingling is not always the answer. A mailing large enough to earn the lower rates on its own may only need presorting. We will say which option fits yours.
The equipment
The sorter behind our commingled mail
At JMS Print & Mail, we use National Presort, Inc.'s equipment for MLOCR sorting, including a high-speed sorter that is U.S. Postal Service licensed and CASS/MASS certified. CASS and MASS are Postal Service testing programs for address-matching software and sorting equipment.
Those credentials belong to the equipment, not to our company. Our own registrations are on the certifications page.
Sorter specNPI NP4000
- Sorter
- NPI NP4000, a compact four-tiered letter-size sorter
- Speed
- Up to 40,000 pieces per hour (machine rate, not a schedule for your job)
- Features
- Anti-jamming technology and software-based readers
- Move Update
- Integrated NCOALink processing, for First-Class and Standard mail
Address updates
Move Update and NCOALink processing
People move, and mail sent to an old address wastes print and postage. For First-Class and Standard mail, the Postal Service's Move Update standard expects mailers to check addresses against change-of-address records.
NCOALink, the National Change of Address Link, is one way to make that check. The equipment we use includes integrated NCOALink processing, which checks addresses against Postal Service change-of-address records as part of the sort. It applies to First-Class and Standard mail. Rules change, so confirm current requirements on usps.com (opens in a new tab). For NCOA and other terms, see our mailing glossary.
Commingle checklist
What to send for a commingled mailing
- The mail piece: a print-ready PDF, or a design brief if you want design help. See Printing & design.
- Your addresses: a mailing list, or the audience you have in mind. If you have no list yet, see Data management & lists.
- Quantity, piece size and format, so we can confirm your pieces suit a letter-size sorter.
- Your mail class, if you know it: First-Class or Standard. If you are not sure, say so on the quote request form.
- Your target in-home date, the day you want mail in mailboxes.
Related services
Other services around commingled mail
Data management & lists
Merge/purge, address validation and custom lists, for clean addresses before sorting.
Data management & listsDirect mail services
See how lists, printing, presorting and mailing fit into one campaign.
Direct mail servicesBefore you commingle
Commingle mail questions
Does commingling change my piece?
No. Each piece keeps its own message and its own address. Only the sorting is shared with other senders' mail, and the sorted trays then go to the Postal Service. For the other mailing terms you may run into, see our guide to how direct mail works.
How is commingling different from presorting?
Both aim for presort rates. Presorting sorts your mailing on its own; commingling sorts it together with other senders' mail. Which one fits depends on quantity, piece size and mail class, so send the details on the quote request form and we will say which option suits your mailing.
Are my addresses checked for moves?
For First-Class and Standard mail, yes. Integrated NCOALink processing checks addresses against Postal Service change-of-address records as part of the sort. The Move Update and NCOALink processing section on this page explains what that covers. To clean your list before it reaches the sorter, see data management and mailing lists.
Find out if commingling fits your mailing
Send the details: what the piece is, how many you are mailing and your target date. We will tell you whether combining it with other senders' mail makes sense. Our hours are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.