Dave Craven wrote:
I dunno about Canadian, but for US address correction right from USPS,
all you need is the ability to send and receive/parse XML. I've done it
in other languages, but should be quite doable in something cross
platform like perl. You need an account, which is free to set up, and
are limited to 5 addresses at a time.
A mailing list of 5 addresses isn’t what I am talking about.
Mail houses across the world use software to try to correct addresses in
files containing thousands or even millions of addresses at one shot for
mailings. At least in the US and in Canada the software is provided by
private companies whose correction software has been approved by the
Postal Services of the respective country.
Usually the same company also provides approved postal sortation
software. This allows the mailer to sort the mail just as the post
office would sort it, and then drop the mail directly to the post office
at a lower rate than would otherwise apply. And the software also works
out the cost of the mailing. Generally speaking, for each mailing you
must have at least a thousand pieces. (You can also pay as though you
had a thousand but mail less, which is sometimes worth while.)
The software along with upgrade files for correction and for postal sort
mailing approximately on a monthly basis from the post office is
expensive enough that even big companies often prefer to have a separate
mailing house do address correction and mail sortation for them. (Also
the mailing house is likely to have envelope stuffing equipment and
printing abilities beyond the company that it services.)
Another service supplied is NCOA, which updates mailing lists by
changing address of people who have moved and either registered their
address change with the post office or registered that they do not wish
their new address to be recorded. See http://rescignos.com/NCOA.htm for
information on US NCOA.
I believe there is no private company yet in Canada or in the US who
provides a Linux version of this software. There may not even be a
Macintosh version. I could be wrong, of course. I am sure that there
will eventually be such software available for Linux systems.
Jim Allan
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