Glossary Of Industry Terms

Automation - The process of standardized mail addressing and preparation that allows bulk mailers to receive discounts on US Postage by conforming to the regulations of the USPS.

Capping Station - Storage stations that some RENA Inkjet printers have that seals inkjet print cartridges when the print heads are not in use to prevent clogged nozzles and prolong cartridge life.  See the RENA Envelope Imager CS or the Envelope Imager XT for examples.

CASS/PAVE Software Programs - CASS & PAVE are acronyms that stand for Coding Accuracy Support System and Presort Accuracy, Validation, and Evaluation program. These two certifications from the USPS to a software program In order to receive postal discounts, a USPS approved software program must be used to prepare the mailing. 

DPI - Dots Per Inch is the measure of printer resolution.  It means that in a square inch of print area, the print head can fire up to X dots of ink horizontally and vertically.  For example:  A common resolution for RENA inkjet printers is 600 dots per inch; this means 600 dots across and 600 dots down, so there are 360,000 dots per square inch.

Fixed Head Printers - Refers to inkjet printers that have printheads that stay stationary during printing.  The material is in motion at a controlled rate while the print heads print the information in synchronization with that material speed.  This is the most efficient method of printing because the material never stops.

MERLIN - USPS's Mailing Evaluation, Readability Lookup INstrument, a device to assess barcode readability an compliance with USPS regulations and standards for automation mail.  Samples of mailings are required for approval and must meet the 80% readability standard in order to be accepted.

Postage Discounts - Discounts given to mailers on US Postage in exchange for conforming to the regulations of the USPS and performing all of the sort functions and postal barcoding.

Shuttling Head Printers - Refers to inkjet printers that have printheads that shuttle back and forth over the stationary material being printed.  The material is advanced with each head pass to accommodate the next line of information.  This is the less efficient because the material must stop for each pass of the head.  The advantage is that a single print head can print more information with in the area that the head can travel and is only limited in height by the material itself.

Tabbing / Wafer Sealing - The process of placing a pressure sensitive label that wraps around the open edge of a folded mailpeice.  Most automation mail requires tabs on folded self-mailers in order to receive discounts.  Number and placement of tabs is determined by USPS regulations.

Tray / Sack Labels - Required for automation mailing, these labels tell the post office what is contained in the trays or sacks that are prepared for mailings so they can be distributed to the appropriate USPS regional mail center for delivery.

True Type Fonts - Scalable windows fonts that can be used with most programs and RENA inkjet printers.

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