FusionPro and USPS Small Business Tool... Mailings

[xcelprint]

Hello,

We have been doing mailings for a couple of years now but we are trying to utilize the USPS Small Business Tool online to take advantage of more automated setup and get better postage discounts. Using Fusion Pro 9.3.26 for our VDP software... it has several barcode tools in the rules to choose from but I can't seem to make it print out a barcode. All I get is the word "barcode" and then my usual name, address, city,state,zip...

Anybody using Fusion Pro to print barcodes on mail pieces?

On the USPS small business tool it looks like I can print barcodes on labels but of course we want to print directly on the printed mail piece.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[DYP]

Have you downloaded the USPSIMB Encoder software. That has the fonts you need to go with the CVS files you download from the IMSB site. Not familiar with Fusion Pro but it works great with Data Merge in Indesign.

 

[MailGuru]

I haven't studied the USPS Small Business Tool too much, but, I'm pretty sure the output from the USPS SBT is PDF's. According to what I read, the PDF's can be set for a label, a #10 envelope, or, an 8 1/2 x 11 letter. If that's true, then the Small Business Tool has already done the VDP merge that you are trying to get Fusion Pro to do. In order to print an intelligent mail bar code with Fusion Pro, (or, any other merge software, for that matter) you have to be able to give the merge software the raw character data that makes up the bar code. That raw character data will be a series of "F"s, "D"s, "T"s, and "A"s that will look something like this: "TFFFADTAADTTFDDAAFATAAFTATAFFTADTDTDDDTTDFTFATFTDDATTTFTDFFATTDFD". Then, all you have to do is print that string with the IMB font, or, I'm sure Fusion Pro has an Intelligent Mail Barcode font selection.

 

[Keith]

I've used FusionPro for years. Just as MailGuru pointed out, FusionPro needs the raw data (that string of letters) and you need the barcode font installed on your system. After you insert the field, you need to change the font. But this is all assuming that the USPS SBT is giving you a CSV file. Speaking of which, technically, you're only supposed to use that tool for your own mailings. So if you try to do a mailing for a nonprofit, you won't be able to pull up their Nonprofit Mailer ID. Unless they changed that. I spoke with them a couple of years ago about that.

 

[Shawnd]

Windowbook has been pushing their new "cloud" based presort software, that would be able to output the needed data to import into Fusionpro for a mailing. That would get your feet wet in the presort world without breaking the bank.

https://windowbook.cloudaddressing.com

 

[xcelprint]

Thanks for all of the responses... I think my problem is that I do not really understand what is supposed to be happening here. We have been doing mailings but not automated mailings. No bar codes, hand written mail forms, etc

 

[xcelprint]

I haven't studied the USPS Small Business Tool too much, but, I'm pretty sure the output from the USPS SBT is PDF's. According to what I read, the PDF's can be set for a label, a #10 envelope, or, an 8 1/2 x 11 letter. If that's true, then the Small Business Tool has already done the VDP merge that you are trying to get Fusion Pro to do. In order to print an intelligent mail bar code with Fusion Pro, (or, any other merge software, for that matter) you have to be able to give the merge software the raw character data that makes up the bar code. That raw character data will be a series of "F"s, "D"s, "T"s, and "A"s that will look something like this: "TFFFADTAADTTFDDAAFATAAFTATAFFTADTDTDDDTTDFTFATFTDDATTTFTDFFATTDFD". Then, all you have to do is print that string with the IMB font, or, I'm sure Fusion Pro has an Intelligent Mail Barcode font selection.

I think you have hit upon my problem. Maybe the USPS Small BUsiness Tool handles everything and then I just impose and print? I will keep looking into this.
Thanks

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all of the responses... I think my problem is that I do not really understand what is supposed to be happening here. We have been doing mailings but not automated mailings. No bar codes, hand written mail forms, etc

you might also wish to check out PTI's user forums to see how others have handled the same problem.

http://forums.pti.com/