There are three types of reply mail: Business Reply, Courtesy Reply and Metered Reply Mail. Your choice will depend on the size of your mailing, the expected number of responses and the cost of preparing the reply envelopes or postcards.

Business Reply Mail

enables correspondents to mail a reply without having to pay postage. Postage is only charged on mail pieces that are returned, thereby reducing the postage cost to the reply recipient. Using Business Reply Mail requires all envelopes and postcards to be printed in compliance with standards set by the U.S. Postal Service. Consult Mail Services for detailed information on postage fees. For printing requirements, please reference the University's External Print Vendor Program.

Postage on returned Business Reply Mail is charged to Mail Services' Business Reply Account. After the returned mail is processed and distributed, Mail Services will chargeback the postage to the receiving department.

Courtesy Reply Mail

provides correspondents with envelopes or postcards but requires correspondents to apply postage before mailing the reply. Printing courtesy reply mail envelopes/postcards should include a complete department address and a "Zip+4" barcode, which can be obtained by contacting Mail Services. Printed in the upper right hand corner should be the notation "Post Office will not deliver mail without postage."

Metered Reply Mail

enables correspondents to mail a reply without having to pay postage. Since postage is applied to the envelopes/postcards before they are initially mailed the applied postage cannot be recovered from mail pieces not returned. Printing metered reply mail pieces should include a complete department address and a "ZIP+4" barcode, which can be obtained by contacting Mail Services. Printed one space above the address should be the notation "No Postage Stamp Necessary - Postage Has Been Prepaid By [X]." Mail Services will apply metered postage upon request.

Note: Envelopes and postcards printed with "ZIP+4" bar-codes will be processed by the U.S. Postal Service faster than non barcoded mail. Obtaining a barcode could take a week, so plan accordingly.