Slimmer Pickings

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Arandell opts out of oblong tabbing

SOME TYPES OF SLIM-JIMS HAVE ALREADY FALLEN OUT OF FAVOR, at least at catalog printer Arandell Corp. The company has not equipped its oblong digest line with three-tab capability because, after surveying its customer base, “there was going to be no demand for it,” says Don Landis, Arandell's vice president of postal affairs.

Oblong digest, which is a version of the slim-jim that's short and wide vs. tall and thin, “is a format that has lost its popularity,” Landis says. But if demand for it picks up, Arandell will reconsider investing in the technology.

Did the fact that the new three-tab requirement for slim-jim catalogs would render those books less popular contribute to Arandell's decision? “That definitely had some bearing on our decision,” Landis adds. Plus the fact that the added cost of equipping the oblong digest line with three-tab capacity would have been approximately $150,000. — JT

some of the New slim-jim catalog Requirements
TAKING EFFECT SEPT. 8:

• MAXIMUM HEIGHT for all machinable and automation booklets is 6"; the maximum length can vary between 9" and 10-1/2", depending on the booklet design.

• MINIMUM THICKNESS for booklets is 0.009"; maximum thickness is 0.25" regardless of size. (Thickness is measured at the spine of the mailpiece.)

• THE CURRENT MAXIMUM WEIGHT of 3 oz. has not changed, but USPS recommends reducing the length of 3-oz. booklets to a final trim size of 9".

• COVER STOCK REQUIREMENTS vary, with 40-lb. minimum basis weight for folded booklet designs and 60-lb. or 70-lb. minimum basis weight for pieces longer than 9".

• THE BOTTOM EDGE of booklets must be a bound edge or fold unless the mailpiece is prepared as an oblong booklet. Oblong booklets must be prepared with a spine on the leading edge. Booklets with a spine on the trailing edge are nonmachinable.

• TABS USED TO SEAL BOOKLETS MUST NOT have perforations. Generally, booklets need three 1-1/2" tabs as closures. For larger or heavier booklets, the USPS recommends 2“ paper tabs. Glue spots or a continuous glue line may be used to seal some booklet designs.