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- APT Mailing Assistant User's Guide -
Introduction
The APT Mailing Assistant program provides the home or business
user with an easy way to produce professional looking envelopes and
labels using only their personal computer's laser or dot matrix printer.
The program supports several sizes of envelopes and mailing labels
All envelopes and some labels will be printed with United States Postal
Service approved POSTNET delivery point bar codes to allow you to
take advantage of Postal Service automation to help speed mail to it's
destination. Additionally, using delivery point codes may qualify you
for additional discounts if you are doing bulk or presorted first class
mail. See you post office for more information.
The program supports any Lexmark or HP compatible laser printer, as
well as Epson compatible dot matrix printers. Envelopes or labels may
be fed manually or automatically (feeding envelopes automatically will
require an envelope feeder attachment on most printers). When printing
single labels on a laser printer, the program allows you to print on any
label on the sheet, thus eliminating unused labels.
Some laser printers generate too much heat to allow the reuse
of label sheets. You need to test your specific printer by reusing
labels sheets to see how well this feature works for you.
Names and addresses may be saved in one or more address files.
Multiple address files are supported allowing you to easily categorize
your mailings into personal, business, or other groupings use.
For bulk mailing, the program can be used to generate a mailing using
all or part of an address file. Bulk mail envelopes and labels are printed
in zip code sequence and, along with the program's zip code statistics,
allow you to easily package the mailing into the various zip code
groups. Additionally, if you have a bulk mailing account at the Post
Office, you may print the permit box in the upper right corner of the
envelopes you use and save the cost of using a print shop to pre-print
these envelopes.
Installation
System Requirements
APT Mailing Assistant requires at least the following:
-DOS 3.3 or greater
-Approximately 140K of space on your hard disk for program and
sample files
-A Lexmark or HP compatible laser printer or Epson compatible
dot matrix printer
-512 KB of system memory
Installing the APT Mailing Assistant
The APT Mailing Assistant program may be installed to your hard disk
by performing the following steps:
Place the installation disk in a floppy drive on your system
(usually A: or B:).
Type A:INSTALL or B:INSTALL to begin the installation
program.
Follow the instructions on the screen. The installation program
will ask you for the directory where you want the program
installed. You should switch to this directory to run the APT
Mailing Assistant program.
APT Mailing Assistant Installation Files
When you install APT Mailing Assistant a number of files will be
copied to the installation directory. This will include at least the
following files. Please check the README.DOC file for any
additional files that may be included when you install this program.
File Description
APTMA.EXE The APT Mailing Assistant program.
APTMA.INI The program information file that keeps track of last used
information, printer and option settings, etc.
APTMA.HLP Contains help information for the program's help screens.
SAMPLE.PTR Sample name and address file (pointer portion)
SAMPLE.ADR Sample name and address file (data portion)
README.DOC A file containing any updates to the documentation that were
made too late to be included in the manual, as well as other
information about APT Mailing Assistant.
HISTORY.DOC A file documenting the history of APT Mailing Assistant.
Moving Around The Menus
While using APT Mailing Assistant you will need to enter information
through a series of simple menus. This system makes liberal use of
your keyboard's function keys as well as many other keys (such as the
[Right] and [Left] arrow keys and [Tab] keys).
You move around these menus using the [Tab] keys to move from
field to field and the [F10] key to process a menu that has been
completed. Most menus also have help available by pressing the [F1]
key.
Data Entry Menu Keys
The following keys are the main keys used by the data entry menus:
Key Description
F10 Pressing this function key indicates you are finished with the
menu and want it to be processed.
F1 Provides help for the menu you are working on.
Esc The escape key indicates that you do not want to process any
information on a menu but, instead, want to return to the
previous menu.
Tab The tab right key is used to move from field to field in a menu.
Tab right [->|] moves you to the next input field. If you are in
the last field on the menu, tab right moves you to the first field
on the menu.
Shift+TabThe tab left key is used to move from field to field in a menu.
Tab left [|<-] moves you to either the beginning of the current
field (if not already there) or to the previous input field. If you
are at the beginning of the first field on the menu, tab left
moves you to the last field on the menu.
Enter The enter key acts the same as the tab right key unless you
are in the last input field on the menu. When you are in the last
input field on a menu and press Enter, the menu will be
processed just as if you had pressed F10.
Right The right arrow key [->] moves you one character to the right
within a menu field. If you are at the last position in a field, a
beep will sound and no movement takes place.
Left The left arrow key [<-] moves you one character to the left
within a menu field. If you are at the first position in a field, a
beep will sound and no movement takes place.
Bkspc The backspace key, like the left arrow key, moves you one
position to the left. Unlike the left arrow, however, it deletes the
character that was at that position and shifts the following text
one position to the left.
End The end key moves the cursor to the end of the text within the
current field.
Ctrl+End The Ctrl+End key combination erases all characters in the
current field from the cursor to the end of the field.
Fn Various other function keys may be active during the
processing of a data entry menu. These will be listed at the
bottom of the screen.
Mailing Regulations
Before we get into the operation of the program itself, let's take a
moment to discuss some basic terminology, rules, and suggestions
from the Post Office about your mail. We will not cover all of the rules
governing the various types of mail, for that you will need to check
with your local post office, but we will cover some of the areas that
govern the way APT Mailing Assistant works. If you will not be using
the APT Mailing Assistant to do bulk mailing, the Bulk Mail and
CASS Certification sections may be skipped.
Zip Codes
We're all familiar with zip codes, however, it's important to understand
there are two kind of zip codes and they must be in a specific format.
Each address in APT Mailing Assistant has its own field where and
address's zip code must be placed. Five digit zip codes, of course, must
be 5 consecutive digits (nnnnn such as 40383). Nine digit zip code
(sometimes called ZIP+4) must have 5 digits followed by a dash
followed by four more digits (nnnnn-nnnn such as 40383-0047).
POSTNET Codes or Bar Codes
These are the long and short vertical bars seen on your mail.
POSTNET codes can be at the bottom of an envelope, above the send
to address, or below the send to address (APT Mailing Assistant prints
them below the address). These codes are derived from the zip code
and, possibly, the delivery address. Delivery of mail containing
POSTNET codes can be significantly faster than mail without codes
since much manual handling within the post office is eliminated. Note
that 9 digit zip coded pieces are sorted more precisely than 5 digit
pieces, again possibly resulting in faster delivery.
Mailing Addresses
APT Mailing Assistant provides you with 5 lines of address you can
use for a return or sending address. The Postal Service also has certain
suggestions as to how you should address your mail.
The first line of any address is considered the person or company for
whom the mail is destined. APT Mailing Assistant will use this name
to keep track of the address in its address files.
If the first line contains an individual's name and you are sending this
mail to their business address, the second line should contain the
company name.
The last line of the address must be the city, state, and zip code of
where the mail is to be delivered. APT Mailing Assistant requires that
this also be the last line of the address field in its menus.
The next to last line of an address is the street address or post office
box where the mail is to be delivered. This is considered the "delivery
point" address for the mail and is used to generate the delivery point
portion of the bar code for mail that has 9 digit zip codes. APT
Mailing Assistant requires only that this address line be the last
completed line prior to the city, state, zip code line. It does not have to
be the physical line on the screen just above the city - state - zip line
since blank lines are not printed on an envelope or label . Delivery
points are required on most mail to get certain discounts for bulk and
presorted first class mail.
For examples or the various kinds of addresses, view some of the
addresses in the SAMPLE.DAT address file supplied with this package
or obtain the Postal Service publication Postal Addressing Standards.
Bulk Mail
With bulk mail, the Post Office gives you a discount if you help the
post office do some of the work. This mail is also considered third class
mail. Among other things, bulk mailing means:
your mailing must have a minimum number of pieces (currently
200)
the mail must be sorted and bundled in a certain way by zip code
the mail can be envelopes, brochures, flyers, etc.
additional discounts are available for certain local zip codes, a
large percentage of the mailing being delivery point bar coded,
CASS certification, etc.
the mailing can be paid for by special bulk rate stamps or by
having a bulk mail account at the post office. Having an account
allows you to print a special bulk mail permit box on the envelope.
There is another, similar, type of mass mailing available called
presorted first class. Presorted first class has its own set of requirements
and discounts. For more specific information on both of these type of
mailing see your local post office.
CASS Certification
In order to get certain discounts, your mailing list must have been
checked by the U.S. Postal Service and certified to be correct. That is,
the cities, states, and zip codes are checked and the proper zip+4 is
appended to the address. This certification is done with a system called
the Coding and Accuracy Support System (CASS). To obtain
certification for your mailing list, you must send the mailing list, on a
diskette, to the National Customer Support Center for the Postal
Service. The center checks and manipulates the data on the diskette and
returns the diskette to you as a certified mailing list. APT Mailing
Assistant provides a means of creating a file from its address files that
can be sent to the support center. When the diskette is returned, APT
Mailing Assistant can then create a new address file with the certified
list.
Publications
The U.S. Postal Service has many publications you can obtain for more
information about the subjects we've been discussing, including:
Postal Addressing Standards
Third-Class Mail Preparation
Designing Business Letter Mail
Additionally, your local post office will be more than happy to discuss
these subjects with you.
In Summary
After all of this you must be thinking that you seemed to be getting
along just fine without knowing all of these rules and regulations. You
will find that the Postal Service and the APT Mailing Assistant are both
very lenient in allowing you to address mail. However, addressing mail
properly and having the bar codes provided by APT Mailing Assistant
can significantly speed up the delivery of your mail. In addition, if you
want to take advantage of some of the post office's other services and
discounts, you must be more diligent in addressing your mail.
Running the Program
To start the APT Mailing Assistant program, switch to the directory
where you installed the program, type APTMA, and press [Enter].
After pausing for the copyright screen, the program will stop at the
Main Menu.
Main Menu
The main menu contains several options:
Print Single Envelope/Maintain Address File
Generate a Bulk Mailing
List an Address File
Merge Two Address Files
Delete an Address File
Import/Export Files
S.Setup the Printer and Paper
You would select the desired option by entering a 1 through 6, or S in
the "Enter Option" input field and pressing [F10] to process the menu.
Pressing [Esc] from the Main Menu causes APT Mailing Assistant to
terminate.
Printer Setup
The first time you use APT Mailing Assistant, you should go to Setup
Printer and Paper by selecting options 'S' from the Main Menu.
Setup Printer and Paper is used to set the type of printer you will be
using, the size of the envelopes or labels you are printing, and how you
want to feed the paper into the printer (note that the feed option is
ignored for dot matrix printers and for all reports). The options you set
here will remain in effect until you return to this menu to change them.
Three status lines appear on each menu of the system to indicate what
printer and paper size has been selected. The menu has three input
fields; Paper Size, Printer Type, and Manual or Automatic Feed.
Paper Size
APT Mailing Assistant supports 3 sizes of envelopes and 3 types of
labels:
7 -Indicates you want to print #7 Monarch envelopes. These are envelopes
3 7/8" by 7 1/2".
9 -Indicates you want to print #9 business envelopes. These are usually
used for business reply envelopes and measure 3 7/8" by 8 7/8".
10 -Indicates you want to print the standard #10 business envelope and
measures 4 1/8" by 9 1/2".
13 -Indicates you want to print on Avery 4013 or compatible labels
(15/16" x 3 1/2", 1 across) on your dot matrix printer. You cannot choose
this paper size if a laser printer is chosen as your printer. These labels
do not have room for a POSTNET code.
60 -Indicates you want to print on Avery 5160 or compatible labels (1" x 2
5/8", 3 across a sheet, 10 down) on your laser printer. You cannot
choose this paper size if a dot matrix printer is chosen as your printer.
These labels do not have room for a POSTNET code.
61 -Indicates you want to print on Avery 5161 or compatible labels (1" x 4",
2 across a sheet, 10 down) on your laser printer. You cannot choose this
paper size if a dot matrix printer is chosen as your printer. POSTNET
codes will be printed on these labels.
62 -Indicates you want to print Avery 5162 or compatible labels (1 1/3" x 4",
2 across a sheet, 7 down) on your laser printer. You cannot choose this
paper size if a dot matrix printer is chosen as your printer.POSTNET
codes will be printed on these labels.
63 -Indicates you want to print on Avery 5163 or compatible labels (2" x 4", 2
across a sheet, 5 down) on your laser printer. You cannot choose this
paper size if a dot matrix printer is chosen as your printer.POSTNET
codes will be printed on these labels.
64 -Indicates you want to print on Avery 5164 or compatible labels (3 1/3" x
4", 2 across a sheet, 3 down) on your laser printer. You cannot choose
this paper size if a dot matrix printer is chosen as your printer.
POSTNET codes and a return address will be printed on these labels.
Printer Type
APT Mailing Assistant supports two classes of printers, laser and dot
matrix.
H -Indicates you want to print envelopes on a Hewlett Packard compatible
laser printer. Selecting this option causes the program to use PCL
language to print envelopes and labels. Most HP compatible laser
printers default to PCL mode. If you choose this option and your printer
is not normally in PCL mode, you must set it into this mode before
printing any envelopes or labels.
L - Indicates you want to print envelopes on a Lexmark/IBM compatible
laser printer. Selecting this option also causes the program to use PCL
language to print envelopes and labels. However, since some Lexmark
laser printers support several different printer languages, additional
commands are sent to the printer to place it in PCL emulation mode.
M - Indicates you want to print envelopes on an Epson compatible dot
matrix printer.
The paper size you choose also implies the orientation of that paper.
For a dot matrix printer, all envelopes and labels must be fed in portrait
(i.e. "normal") orientation. However, for laser printers, labels are
printed in portrait orientation while envelopes are printed in landscape
(i.e. edge first) orientation. Check your laser printer owners manual for
more information about feeding envelopes into your printer.
Not all laser printers support all envelope sizes. Please check
your printer manual for what types of envelopes it will support.
Manual or Automatic Feed
Used with laser printers only, whether the labels or envelopes will be
fed automatically or manually. For labels, automatic feeding means the
labels are loaded in the primary paper source. For envelopes, automatic
feeding means your printer is equipped with an envelope feeder and
recognizes the PCL command to select that source.
Print Single Envelope/Maintain
Address File
The Print Single Envelope/Maintain Address File menu is the heart
of APT Mailing Assistant and is reached by selection option '1' on the
Main Menu. Using this menu you can
create new address files
add, delete, or change names in an address file
print single envelopes or labels using names you enter on this
menu or names from an address file
There are three areas of input on this menu, the Address File Name
field, the Return Address field, and the Send To Address field.
Address File Name
This tells the APT Mailing Assistant which address file you want to
work with for a particular operation. To print a single envelope or label
you do not need to use a file at all, but can simply type in all of the
information into the return and send to addresses. Usually, however,
you will want to specify an address file so you can save the names you
are using for when you need them again. If you specify an address file,
you must specify the complete path for the address file unless the file is
in the current directory. For example, to use the address file
"MYADDR.ADR" located in the "MYDATA" directory on the C:
drive you would type C:\MYDATA\MYADDR.ADR in this field.
You can change this name at any time to begin using a different
address file. For certain operations such as deleting or finding a name,
this file must exist. However, when saving a new name, if this file does
not exist it is created for you. While it is usually a good idea to name
your address files using some naming convention to make them easy to
find (such as all of them having the same extension such as .ADR or
.DAT), the system imposes only one restriction on their names. APT
Mailing Assistant address files cannot have an extension of .PTR. This
is because when address files are created, a second file with a .PTR
suffix is automatically created by the system.
Names are stored in the address file in alphabetic sequence as they
appear in the return or send address fields. Since names may be the
names of companies, organizations, or individuals, no attempt is made
to keep any information as "last-name-first". Thus the following
examples would be shown on a selection list in the order indicated:
APT Computer Solutions
John Zenda
Larry Adams
RCA
Finally, as mentioned earlier, address files in APT Mailing Assistant
actually consist of two files that work together. In the above example
the two files would be named MYADDR.ADR and MYADDR.PTR.
You are allowed to move these two files to a new location on your
system as long as both files are moved together to the new location.
Return Address
This field contains the name and address you want to appear in the
return address portion of the envelope. The field is initially filled in
with the last return address used. The name and address that appear
here need not be in any of your address files (you could have manually
entered it the last time). You may manually enter a new name or look
up a name in an address file by pressing [F6] and making a selection
from the list of names presented. You may also save a newly entered
name by pressing [F3]. When saving a name in an address file, the
name in the first line of the menu is used to keep track of the entry in
the file. You may save the same name in a file more than once, but the
system will ask you if you want to replace the earlier entry or make a
new one. This is to allow you to keep track of different people or
companies who happen to have the same name.
When filling in this field, the city, state, and zip code for the return
address must be entered on the last line of the field. Intervening blank
lines will not be printed on the envelope.
If you use envelopes that are preprinted with a return address, you may
leave this entire field blank.
Send To Address
This field contains the name and address you want to appear in the
send to portion of the envelope. As with the return address, the last
send to address used appears here. As with the return name, you may
manually enter a new name or look up a new name in an address file by
pressing [F7] and making a selection from the list of names presented.
You may also save a newly entered name by pressing [F4]. Again, the
last line of the field must contain the city, state, and zip code of the
recipient of the letter. The 5 or 9 digit zip code specified here is used to
generate the POSTNET code on the envelope (or #61 label) just below
the address. The zip code must be in the form of nnnnn (for 5 digit zip
codes) or nnnnn-nnnn (for 9 digit zip codes). When a 9 digit zip code is
entered, APT Mailing Assistant will attempt to calculate a delivery
point for the address whenever the address is printed. The program
uses the last completed line prior to the city, state, zip code line to
calculate this delivery point and add it to the generated POSTNET bar
code. Delivery points are generated if the last completed line before the
city and state begins with a street numberor contains a PO, RR, or HC
Box. A certain percentage of a bulk mailing or presorted first class
mailing must contain delivery points to obtain postage automation
discounts. For more information see your local post office. Finally, it is
important to note that there is no distinction made between return and
sending addresses in address files. That is, if you save a return address
to an address file, you may later retrieve it for use as a send to address.
Selection Lists
Several of the function keys allow you to select a name from an address
file for the return or send to addresses, or to delete a name from the file.
When choosing one of these options, you are first presented with a
small menu at the bottom of the screen where you can enter part or all
of the name you are looking for. If you enter nothing in this field and
press [F10], you will be shown a selection list starting at the beginning
of the specified address file. However, entering a portion of the name
desired in the field will cause the selection list to begin at that portion
of the file. For example, entering an "E" in the field will cause the
selection list to begin with the names starting with "E". Entering
"Tammy" will cause the list to start with the names beginning with
Tammy. Note that this only tells the system where to begin the
selection list. All of the names from this point to the end of the file will
be shown. To make a selection from the list, use the up and down
arrows to highlight the desired name and press [F10] to select it. You
may press [Page Down] to scroll to subsequent pages of names.
Pressing [Esc] will return you to the printing menu without making a
selection.
Printing an Envelope or Label
If the paper choice (from Printer Setup) is an envelope, you simply fill
in the return and send to address fields and press [F10] to print. If
printing the envelope on a laser printer and you have selected manual
feed, the printer will pause to ask you to load the envelope when it is
ready to print. However, when printing on a dot matrix printer, you
must have positioned the envelope in the printer prior to pressing [F10]
to print.
For most labels only the send to address is printed on the label. If the
paper choice is a laser label , you will be asked which label on the sheet
of labels you want to use.
Maintaining an Address File
This menu contains several function keys to help you use this menu to
add and delete records from an address file, as well as print envelopes
or labels. These keys are defined as follows:
KeyFunction
F3 -Saves the name and address in the return address field in the
address file indicated in the Address File field.
F4 -Saves the name and address in the send to address field in the address
file indicated in the Address File field.
F5 -Allows you to delete a name and address from the address file indicated
by selecting it from a selection list.
F6 -Allows you to select the return name and address from the address
file indicated by selecting it from a selection list.
F7 -Allows you to select the send to name and address from the address file
indicated by selecting it from a selection list.
F8 -Move the cursor to the Address File Name field allowing you to specify a
new file name. You may also use the [Tab] key to get to this field.
F10-Prints the information in the menu on an envelope or label.
Esc-Returns to the Main Menu.
Generating A Bulk Mailing
The bulk mail option of APT Mailing Assistant provides a business or
organization the ability to generate a bulk mailing using any of the
address files created by the program. For a bulk mailing you may
specify that all of the names in a file should be used for the mailing.
You may also limit the mailing to only certain cities, states, or zip
codes. Printing takes place in zip code sequence with one envelope or
label printed for each name in the address file in the range you
selected. Envelopes contain a return address, a send to address,
POSTNET codes, and, optionally, your bulk rate permit box in the
upper right corner (laser printers only). If a permit number is not
supplied, no box is printed. Only some labels have room for a return
address or POSTNET codes.
You may also print personalized return envelopes for your bulk
mailing. This is done by selecting an envelope as the paper type and
pressing the [F8] key using the same paramters as were used to print
the bulk mailing. When printing return envelopes, the return address
shown on the menu will be printed as the send to address on each
envelope being printed. The return address of each envelope will be a
name and address from the address file used in the bulk mailing.
You may also obtain printed statistics for the bulk mailing. The
statistics sheet shows the number of pieces of mail that meet each of the
zip code breakdowns required for bundling bulk mail. There are totals
for each 9 digit, 5 digit, and 3 digit zip code grouping as well as totals
for the state and multistate groups. Each of these groups also contains a
total of the number of pieces of mail that can be delivery point bar
coded. These totals are printed in zip code sequence allowing you to
work through the mailing, easily bundling the various groups. You
would start by bundling the 9 digit zip code groups, each of which
would be together in the mailing. Follow that by bundling the 5 digit
zips, then the 3 digit zips, then each of the states, and finally the
multistate group.
Finally, if the address file being used for the bulk mailing contains the
return address name shown on the screen, no envelope or label will be
printed with this name as the send to address (or return address when
printing return envelopes).
The Bulk Mailing menu is reached by selecting option '2' from the
Main Menu. This menu has the following fields:
Address File Name
This is the name and path of the address file to be used in the bulk
mailing. This may be the name of any address file maintained by APT
Mailing Assistant. For more information, see the description of
"Address File Name" under Print Single Envelope/Maintain Address
File.
Return Address Name
If envelopes are being used for the bulk mailing, this is the name that
will be the return address on all of the envelopes being mailed when
choosing the "Print Bulk Mail" option [F10] (when choosing the "Print
Return Envelopes" option [F8], this is the name that will be printed as
the send to address on the return envelope). If you are using envelopes
pre-printed with a return address, you should make this field blank. If
labels are being used in the bulk mailing, this name is not used except
to keep a label with the same name from being generated. This is
initially filled in with the last return address that was used and if it is
not the name and address you desire, you may type over this name with
the one you want. However, you cannot save the new name and
address in any file. Saving names and addresses must be done from the
Print Single Envelope/Maintain Address File menu.
Mail to Zip Codes __ Through __
The beginning and ending zip codes from the address file to be
included in this bulk mailing. You may specify a 5 or 9 digit zip code.
If you specify a 5 digit zip code for the starting zip code, it is assumed
you want to start with lowest code that begins with those 5 digits. For
example, specifying a starting zip code of 12345 is the same as
specifying a starting zip code of 12345-0000. If you specify a 5 digit
zip code for the ending zip code, for example 34567, it's the same as
specifying 34567-9999. To use all of the address file in your bulk
mailing, enter a starting zip code of 00000-0000 and an ending zip
code of 99999-9999. Note that the starting and ending zip codes do
not actually have to exist in the address file.
The following fields are only required if you are mailing
envelopes using a laser printer and you want APT Mailing
Assistant to print the permit box on them.
Permit Number
For laser printers and envelopes only. The number of your bulk mailing
account at the post office. This will cause the program to print a permit
box in the upper right corner of your envelopes. If you supply a permit
number, you must also provide the city and state of the Post Office
holding the permit. If a number is not supplied, no box is printed.
Permit City
For laser printers and envelopes only. The city of the Post Office that
holds your bulk mailing permit. This must be supplied if a permit
number is entered.
Permit State
For laser printers and envelopes only. The state of the Post Office that
holds your bulk mailing permit. This must be supplied if a permit
number is entered.
List an Address File
You may list the contents of an address file by selecting option '3' from
the Main Menu.The address file may be listed on the screen or on the
printer. The List Address File menu has the following fields:
Address File Name
This is the name and path of the address file to be listed. This may be
the name of any address file maintained by APT Mailing Assistant. For
more information, see the address file name description under Print
Single Envelope/Maintain Address File.
Place Listing on Display or Printer
Enter a 'D' if you want the names listed on the display, 'P' to list them
on the system printer.
City - State
Optionally, you may list only the records for a specific city, a specific
state, or a specific city-state combination. If you do not want to limit
the listing, leave these fields blank.
List Zip Codes ____ Through ____
You may list only those records that fall into a range of zip codes.
These fields are ignored if a city or state is specified. For more
information, see the zip code range description under Bulk Mail.
Merge Two Address Files
APT Mailing Assistant allows you to merge two address files together
into a single file (called the target file). If the target file does not exist at
the beginning of this operation it is created. If it does exist, all of the
records in the from file are merged into the target file in their proper
place. As the merge occurs, a check is made to determine if the target
file already contains a record with the name being inserted. In these
cases you are asked if you want to include the record being merged in
the target file or if you want to skip it. At the conclusion of the merge
the target file contains all of its original records plus all of the selected
records in the from file. Thus, "merging" an address file into a new file
is an easy way to copy an address file. The from file also still exists
after the operation. If you wish to delete it, see the section Delete an
Address File.
The Merge Two Address Files menu (option '4' from the Main
Menu) contains the following fields:
From Address File Name
The path and address file name whose records are to be merged into
another file.
Into Address File Name
The path and address file name where the records are to be inserted (i.e.
the target file). If this file doesn't exists, it will be created.
City - State
Optionally, you may merge only the records for a specific city, a
specific state, or a specific city-state combination. If you want to merge
all cities and states or have specified a zip code range, leave these fields
blank.
Merge Zip Codes ____ Through ____
You may merge only those records that fall into a range of zip codes if
you desire. These fields are ignored if a city or state is specified. For
more information, see the zip code range description under Bulk Mail.
Delete an Address File
APT Mailing Assistant files are normal DOS files and may be deleted
by using the DOS "DEL" command as long as both the data file and
the .PTR file are deleted. However, you may use the Delete an
Address File menu (option '5' from the Main Menu) to easily delete
an address file. There is only one field on this menu:
Delete Address File
This is the name and path of the address file to be deleted. This may be
the name of any address file maintained by APT Mailing Assistant. For
more information, see the address file name description under Print
Single Envelope/Maintain Address File.
Importing and Exporting Files
The Import/Export menu (option 6 from the Main Menu) allows you to
import or export APT Mailing Assistant address files in two different
formats. One provides a means for you to transfer data between the
APT Mailing Assistant and your favorite database program. The
second provide you with a facility to create files to send to the U.S.
Postal Service for CASS certification, and to read the files returned to
you.
Exchanging Data with Databases
You can use names and addresses you may already have in another
database program such as PC File or DBASE by "importing" such
information from the other database. You may also "export" name and
address information from an APT Mailing Assistant file to another
database. In each case the information is transferred by creating an
intermediate file in the common "comma delimited string" format.
Most common database programs can import and export files with this
format. Check your database program's documentation to see if it
supports this format.
To use the import or export capability you should be aware of the field
definitions within APT Mailing Assistant that make up a name and
address record. These definitions are as follows:
Field Name Length
First line (usually name) 39
Second Line (company, attn., etc.) 39
Third Line 39
Fourth Line 39
City 26
State 2
Zip Code 10
In the import file, there must be exactly 7 fields for each record in the
order shown above. If one of the fields empty its position in the import
record must contain "",(quote-quote-comma). Importing a file is similar
to merging two envelope files. That is, if a record already exists with
the same name as a record being imported, you will be asked if you
want to add, replace, or ignore the duplicate record. Additionally, if the
target address file does not exist, you are asked if you want to create it.
For more information see you database manual.
CASS Certification for Mailing Lists
You may export an APT Mailing Assistant database to create a file you
want to send through the U.S. Postal Service's CASS certification
process. If your mailing list has been CASS certified, then you may be
eligible for some automation discounts when using bulk or presorted
first class mail.
To obtain certification for a mailing list contained in a APT Mailing
Assistant address file, you would follow the following steps:
Export your mailing list using the Export for CASS
Certification menu.
Complete the Address File Standardization on Diskette form
available from you post office. The field lengths you must specify
in this form are shown in the Completing the Address File
Standardization on Diskette Form section below.
Send the form and a diskette containing the exported database to
the address listed on the form.
When your certified diskette is returned, import the file on this
diskette using the Import a CASS Certified File menu. As part of
the certification process you will get a list of any error codes
associated with records in your address list. The meaning of these
codes is explained in the U.S.P.S. publication mentioned above
and will require you to take some action to ensure certification of
the mailing list. In addition, you can request APT Mailing
Assistant to generate a list of each record being imported and any
associated error or information codes associated with it. Some of
these informational messages can be used to make your address
list more correct even if it did not fail certification.
When you have completed these steps, you will have a CASS certified
mailing list.
Completing the "Address File
Standardization on Diskette" Form
When sending an address list to the U.S. Postal Service for
certification, you must complete the Address File Standardization on
Diskette form. This form provides the Postal Service with information
about how the data is stored in the file you are sending them. The
following information must be placed in the appropriate place on the
form:
Section C
Record length = 189.
Section D
Note - Leave output field lengths empty.
Name Length Input Field Start
3. Name 40 1
4. Firm Name 40 41
5. Delivery Addr. 40 81
6. Puerto Rico**leave blank**leave blank
7. City 26 121
8. State 2 147
9. Zip code 5 149
10. **answer NO
11. County code**leave blank **leave blank
12. Carrier route 4 154
13. Zip+4 10 158
15. DPBC 2 168
16. DPBC Check**leave blank**leave blank
17. Footnote 16 170
18. Record Type 2 186
19. Return Code 2 188
Importing Files
Import a Text File
The Import a Text File menu has two fields:
Import File Name
The path and name of the text file whose information will be merged
into an APT Mailing Assistant address file. This file must contain
comma delimited strings as described in the previous section.
Into File Name
The path and name of an APT Mailing Assistant address file to contain
the records being imported. If this file exists, the imported records are
merged into it and duplicates are flagged. If the file does not exist, it is
created.
Import a CASS Certified File
The Import a Cass Certified File menu is similar to importing a text
file.
Import File Name
The path and name of the CASS certified file returned to you from the
U.S. Postal Service National Customer Support Center whose
information will be used to create an APT Mailing Assistant address
file. This file must be have originally been exported using the Export a
File for CASS Certification menu.
Into File Name
The path and name to be used to create an APT Mailing Assistant
address file to contain the records being imported. This file must not
already exist.
You will be given the option to produce a report detailing each record
being imported and any associated certification codes. Many of these
codes will not be errors and the meaning for all of the codes is shown
in the "Address File Standardization on Diskette - Order Form and
Instructions" pamphlet available from the Postal Service.
Exporting Files
Export an Address File
The Export an Address File menu has two fields:
Address File Name
The path and name of an APT Mailing Assistant address file whose
records are to be exported.
Export File Name
The path and name of the text file to contain the exported information
from the address file. This file will contain comma delimited strings as
described in the previous section.
Export a File for CASS Certification
The Export a File for Cass Certification is similar to the Export an
Address File menu and has two fields:
Address File Name
The path and name of an APT Mailing Assistant address file whose
records are to be exported.
Export File Name
The path and name of the text file to contain the exported information
from the address file. This file will be in a format that it can be sent to
the Postal Service Customer Support Center for certification. Also see
the previous section on Completing the Address File Standardization
on Diskette Form.