Method of presorting mail for minimized effort to sequence mail for delivery

Abstract

A method for use by a presort mailer in creating a mailing consisting of a multitude of mail pieces addressed to a predetermined list of recipients having predetermined addresses is disclosed, including the steps of: (a) determining a batch scheme applicable to the mailing, wherein the batch scheme specifies batches of mail pieces to be grouped together, the batch scheme being based on a multi-pass mail piece sort scheme such that each batch contains mail pieces that can be sorted to mail carrier delivery order on a last pass of the multi-pass sort scheme; and (b) creating the mail pieces of the mailing in an order so that the batches of mail pieces to be grouped together according to the batch scheme are created consecutively. In one embodiment, the multi-pass sort scheme may be based on a predetermined set of numbered delivery points each corresponding to a ZIP+4 destination code. The mail pieces may be created by printing addresses on a multitude of otherwise identical mail pieces in the order determined by the batch scheme, and the multi-pass sort scheme may be a two-pass sort scheme including a first pass sort based on a first significant digit of a delivery point number, and a second pass sort based on a second significant digit of the delivery point number; the batches of mail pieces being created in an order suitable for the second pass sort as if such mail pieces had been sorted in the first pass sort.