Themail orpost is a system for physically transportingpostcards,letters, andparcels.[1] A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal systems have generally been established as agovernment monopoly, with a fee on the article prepaid. Proof of payment is usually in the form of an adhesivepostage stamp, but apostage meter is also used for bulk mailing.
Postal authorities often have functions aside from transporting letters. In some countries, apostal, telegraph and telephone (PTT) service oversees the postal system, in addition to telephone and telegraph systems. Some countries' postal systems allow forsavings accounts and handle applications forpassports.
The wordmail comes from theMiddle English wordmale, referring to a travelling bag or pack.[2] It was spelled in that manner until the 17th century and is distinct from the wordmale. The French have a similar word,malle, for a trunk or large box, andmála is the Irish term for a bag. In the 17th century, the wordmail began to appear as a reference for a bag that contained letters: "bag full of letter" (1654). Over the next hundred years the wordmail began to be applied strictly to the letters themselves and the sack as themailbag. In the 19th century, the British typically usedmail to refer to letters being sent abroad (i.e. on a ship) andpost to refer to letters for domestic delivery. The wordPost is derived fromOld Frenchposte, which ultimately stems from the past participle of theLatin verbponere 'to lay down or place'.[3] So in the U.K., theRoyal Mail delivers thepost, while in North America both theU.S. Postal Service andCanada Post deliver themail.
The termemail, short for "electronic mail", first appeared in the 1970s.[4][5] The termsnail mail is aretronym to distinguish it from the quicker email. Various dates have been given for its first use.[6][7][8]
Many early post systems consisted of fixed courier routes. Here, a post house on a postal route in the 19th centuryFinland
The practice of communication by written documents carried by an intermediary from one person or place to another almost certainly dates back nearly to the invention ofwriting. However, the development of formal postal systems occurred much later. The first documented use of an organizedcourier service for the dissemination of written documents is inEgypt, wherePharaohs used couriers to send out decrees throughout the territory of the state (2400 BCE).[9] The earliest surviving piece of mail is also Egyptian, dating to 255 BCE.[10]
The first credible claim for the development of a real postal system comes fromAncient Persia. The best-documented claim (Xenophon) attributes the invention to the ۸Persian KingCyrus the Great (550 BCE), who mandated that every province in his kingdom would organize reception and delivery of post to each of its citizens. Other writers credit his successorDarius I of Persia (521 BCE). Other sources claim much earlier dates for an Assyrian postal system, with credit given toHammurabi (1700 BCE) andSargon II (722 BCE). Mail may not have been the primary mission of this postal service, however. The role of the system as an intelligence gathering apparatus is well documented, and the service was (later) calledangariae, a term that in time came to indicate a tax system. TheOld Testament (Esther, VIII) makes mention of this system:Ahasuerus, king ofPersian, used couriers for communicating his decisions.
ThePersian system worked using stations (calledChapar-Khaneh), whence the message carrier (calledChapar) would ride to the next post, whereupon he would swap his horse with a fresh one for maximum performance and delivery speed.Herodotus described the system in this way: "It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day's journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed".[11] The verse prominently features on New York'sJames Farley Post Office, although it uses the translation "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds".
The use of theScinde Dawk adhesive stamps to signify the prepayment of postage began on 1 July 1852 in theScinde/Sindh district,[12] as part of a comprehensive reform of the district's postal system.
The economic growth and political stability under theMauryan Empire (322–185 BCE) stimulated sustained development of civil infrastructure in ancientIndia. The Mauryans developed early Indian mail service as well as public wells, rest houses, and other facilities for the public.[13] Common chariots calledDagana were sometimes used as mail chariots in ancient India.[14] Couriers were used militarily by kings and local rulers to deliver information through runners and other carriers. The postmaster, the head of the intelligence service, was responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the courier system. Couriers were also used to deliver personal letters.[15]
InSouth India, theWodeyar dynasty (1399–1947) of theKingdom of Mysore used mail service for espionage purposes thereby acquiring knowledge related to matters that took place at great distances.[16]
By the end of the 18th century, a postal system in India was in operation. Later this system underwent complete modernization when theBritish Raj established its control over most of India. ThePost Office Act XVII of 1837 provided that the Governor-General of India in Council had the exclusive right of conveying letters by post for hire within the territories of the East India Company. The mails were available to certain officials without charge, which became a controversial privilege as the years passed. On this basis the Indian Post Office was established on October 1, 1837.[17]
The first well-documented postal service was that ofRome. Organized at the time ofAugustus Caesar (62 BCE – 14 CE), the service was calledcursus publicus and was provided with light carriages (rhedæ) pulled by fast horses. By the time ofDiocletian, a parallel service was established with two-wheeled carts (birotæ) pulled byoxen. This service was reserved for government correspondence. Yet another service for citizens was later added.[citation needed][dubious –discuss]
In 1802, the first Vietnamese postal service was established under theNguyen dynasty, under the Ministry of Rites.[18][19][20] During the Nguyen dynasty, official documents were transported by horse and other primitive means to stations built about 25-30 kilometers apart.[18] In 1904, three wireless communication offices were established, and in early 1906 they were merged with the postal service to form the Post and Wireless Office.[21][22] In 1945, after the August Revolution, the Post and Wireless Office was renamed the Post Office under the Ministry of Transportation.[23][24][25] In 1955, the Post Office was upgraded to the Ministry of Post.[26][27][28]
China 4-cent on 100-dollar silver overprint of 1949
Some Chinese sources claim mail or postal systems dating back to theXia orShangdynasties, which would be the oldest mailing service in the world. The earliest credible system of couriers was initiated by theHan dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), who had relay stations every 30li (about 15 km) along major routes.
TheTang dynasty (618 to 907 AD) operated a recorded 1,639 posthouses, including maritime offices, employing around 20,000 people. The system was administered by the Ministry of War and private correspondence was forbidden from the network. TheMing dynasty (1368 to 1644) sought a postal system to deliver mail quickly, securely, and cheaply. Adequate speed was always a problem, because of the slow overland transportation system, and underfunding. Its network had 1,936 posthouses every 60 li along major routes, with fresh horses available every 10 li between them.[29] TheQing operated 1,785 posthouses throughout their lands. More efficient, however, was the system linking the international settlements, centered around Shanghai and the Treaty ports. It was the main communication system for China's international trade.[30]
Genghis Khan installed an empire-wide messenger and postal station system namedÖrtöö within theMongol Empire. During theYuan dynasty underKublai Khan, this system also covered the territory of China. Postal stations were used not only for the transmission and delivery ofofficial mail but were also available for travelling officials, military men, and foreign dignitaries. These stations aided and facilitated the transport of foreign and domestic tribute specifically and the conduct of trade in general.
By the end of Kublai Khan's rule, there were more than 1400 postal stations in China alone, which in turn had at their disposal about 50,000 horses, 1,400 oxen, 6,700 mules, 400 carts, 6,000 boats, more than 200 dogs, and 1,150 sheep.[31]
The stations were 25 to 65 km (16 to 40 mi) apart and had reliable attendants working for the mail service. Foreign observers, such asMarco Polo, have attested to the efficiency of this early postal system.[31]
Each station was maintained by up to twenty five families. Work for postal service counted as military service. The system was still operational in 18th century when 64 stations were required for a message to cross Mongolia from theAltai Mountains to China.[32]
The modern Japanese system was developed in the mid-19th century, closely copying European models. Japan was highly innovative in developing the world's largest and most successful postal savings system and later a postal life insurance system as well. Postmasters play a key role in linking the Japanese political system to local politics. The postmasters are high prestige, and are often hereditary.[33] To a large extent, the postal system generated the enormous funding necessary to rapidly industrialize Japan in the late 19th century.[34]
An example of a main post office building inKraków,PolandDelivery by bicycle inGermany
Another important postal service was created in theIslamic world by thecaliph Mu'awiyya; the service was calledbarid, for the name of the towers built to protect the roads by which couriers travelled.[36]
By 3000 BC, Egypt was usinghoming pigeons forpigeon post, taking advantage of a singular quality of this bird, which when taken far from its nest is able to find its way home due to a particularly developed sense of orientation. Messages were then tied around the legs of the pigeon, which was freed and could reach its original nest. By the 19th century, homing pigeons were used extensively for military communications.[37]
In the mid-11th century, flax traders known as theCairo Geniza Merchants fromFustat, Egypt wrote about using a postal service known as thekutubi. Thekutubi system managed routes between the cities of Jerusalem, Ramla, Tyre, Ascalon, Damascus, Aleppo, and Fustat with year-round, regular mail delivery.[39]
In 1716, Correos y Telégrafos was established in Spain as public mail service, available to all citizens. Delivery postmen were first employed in 1756 and post boxes were installed firstly in 1762.[41]
In 1505,Holy Roman EmperorMaximilian I established a postal system in the Empire, appointing Franz von Taxis to run it. This system, originally theKaiserliche Reichspost, is often considered the first modern postal service in the world, which initiated a revolution in communication in Europe.[42][43][44] The system combined contemporary technical and organization means to create a stable transcontinental service which was also the first to offer (fee-based) public access.[45][46][47][48]
TheThurn und Taxis family, then known as Tassis, had operated postal services between Italian city-states from 1290 onward.
For 500 years the postal business based in Brussels and in Frankfurt was passed from one generation to another. Following the abolition of the Empire in 1806, theThurn-und-Taxis Post system continued as a private organization into the postage stamp era before being absorbed into the postal system of the new German Empire after 1871.
1867 July 1 the State of Prussia had to make a compensation payment of 3.000.000 Thalers reinvested byHelene von Thurn & Taxis, daughter-in-law of the last postmaster,Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxis, into real estate, most of it continuing to exist today.The Phone Book of the World has its roots in the long history of the avant-garde telecommunications family Thurn & Taxis.[49][unreliable source?] The directory is the result ofJohannes, 11th Prince of Thurn & Taxis transmitting PTT culture to a student and helping with the opening of a small Telephone Boutique next to a historic Postal mansion his ancestors used to go to centuries earlier.[50][unreliable source?]
Several European Post Carriers likeDeutsche Post orAustrian Post continue to use the Thurn & Taxis Post Horn in their company logo just like the global Phone Book of the World based in the old Postal mansion of King Louis XIV in Paris.[51][unreliable source?]
In the United Kingdom, prior to 1840 letters were paid for by the recipient and the cost was determined by the distance from sender to recipient and the number of sheets of paper rather than by a countrywide flat rate with weight restrictions.Sir Rowland Hill reformed the postal system based on the concepts ofpenny postage and prepayment.[52] In his proposal, Hill also called for official pre-printedenvelopes and adhesivepostage stamps as alternative ways of getting the sender to pay for the postage, at a time when prepayment was optional, which led to the invention of the postage stamp, thePenny Black.
The postal system was important in the development of modern transportation. Railways carriedrailway post offices. During the 20th century,air mail became the transport of choice for inter-continental mail. Postmen started to usemail trucks. The handling of mail became increasingly automated.
TheInternet came to change the conditions for physical mail. Email (and in recent yearssocial networking sites) became a fierce competitor to physical mail systems, butonline auctions andInternet shopping opened new business opportunities as people often get items bought online through the mail.
Modern mail is organized by national and privatized services, which are reciprocally connected by international regulations, organizations and international agreements. Paper letters and parcels can be sent to almost any country in the world relatively easily and cheaply. The Internet has made the process of sending letter-like messages nearly instantaneous, and in many cases and situations correspondents use email where they previously would have used letters. The volume of paper mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service has declined by more than 15% since its peak at 213 billion pieces per annum in 2006.[53][54]
Some countries have organized their mail services as public limited liability corporations without alegal monopoly.
The worldwide postal system constituting the individual national postal systems of the world's self-governing states is coordinated by theUniversal Postal Union, which among other things sets international postage rates, defines standards forpostage stamps and operates the system ofinternational reply coupons.
In most countries a system of codes has been created (referred to asZIP codes in the United States,postcodes in the United Kingdom and Australia,eircodes in Ireland andpostal codes in most other countries) in order to facilitate the automation of operations. This also includes placing additional marks on the address portion of the letter or mailed object, called "bar coding". Bar coding of mail for delivery is usually expressed either by a series of vertical bars, usually calledPOSTNET coding or a block of dots as atwo-dimensional barcode. The "block of dots" method allows for the encoding of proof of payment of postage, exact routing for delivery, and other features.
An automated postal machine
The ordinary mail service was improved in the 20th century with the use of planes for a quicker delivery. The world's first scheduledairmail post service took place in the United Kingdom between the London suburbs ofHendon andWindsor, Berkshire, on 9 September 1911.[55] Some methods of airmail proved ineffective, however, including the United States Postal Service's experiment withrocket mail.
Receipt services were made available in order to grant the sender a confirmation of effective delivery.
Before about the mid-nineteenth century, in regions where postal systems existed, the payment models varied, but most mail was sent unpaid requiring the recipient to pay the postage fee. In some regions a partial payment was made by the sender. Today, worldwide, the most common method of prepaying postage is by buying an adhesivepostage stamp to be applied to the envelope before mailing; a much less common method is to use a postage-prepaidenvelope.Franking is a method of creating postage-prepaid envelopes under licence using a special machine. They are used by companies with large mail programs, such asbanks anddirect mail companies.
In 1998, theU.S. Postal Service authorised the first tests of a secure system of sending digital franks via theInternet to be printed out on a PC printer, obviating the necessity to license a dedicated franking machine and allowing companies with smaller mail programs to make use of the option; this was later expanded to test the use of personalized postage. The service provided by the U.S. Postal Service in 2003 allows the franks to be printed out on special adhesive-backed labels.
In 2004 theRoyal Mail in the United Kingdom introduced itsSmartStamp Internet-based system, allowing printing on ordinary adhesive labels or envelopes. Similar systems are being considered by postal administrations around the world.
When the pre-paid envelope or package is accepted into the mail by an agent of the postal service, the agent usually indicates by means of acancellation that it is no longer valid for pre-payment of postage. The exceptions are when the agent forgets or neglects to cancel the mailpiece, for stamps that are pre-cancelled and thus do not require cancellation and for, in most cases, metered mail. (The "personalized stamps" authorized by the USPS and manufactured by Zazzle and other companies are in fact a form of meter label and thus do not need to be cancelled.)
"The Steamboat" – mobile steaming equipment used by CzechStB for unsticking of envelopes during correspondence surveillance
Documents should generally not be read by anyone other than the addressee; for example, in the United States of America it is a violation of federal law for anyone other than the addressee and the government to open mail.[56] There are exceptions however: executives often assign secretaries or assistants the task of handling their mail; and postcards do not require opening and can be read by anyone. For mail contained within an envelope, there are legal provisions in some jurisdictions allowing the recording of identities of sender and recipient.[57]
There have been cases over the millennia of governments opening and copying or photographing the contents of private mail.[57][59] Subject to the laws in the relevant jurisdiction, correspondence may be openly or covertly opened, or the contents determined via some other method, by the police or other authorities in some cases relating to a suspected criminal conspiracy, althoughblack chambers (largely in the past, though there is apparently some continuance of their use today) opened extralegally.
The mail service may be allowed to open the mail if neither addressee nor sender can be located, in order to attempt to locate either. Mail service may also open the mail to inspect if it contains materials that are hazardous to transport or violate local laws.
While in most casesmail censorship is exceptional,military mail to and from soldiers is often subject to surveillance.[60] The mail is censored to prevent leaking tactical secrets, such as troop movements or weather conditions.[60] Depending on the country, civilian mail containing military secrets can also be monitored and censored.[60]
Mail sent to and from inmates in jails or prisons within the United States is subject to opening and review by jail or prison staff to determine if the mail has any criminal action dictated or provides means for an escape. The only mail that is not able to be read is attorney-client mail, which is covered under the attorney-client confidentiality laws in the United States.[61]
Modern alternatives, such as thetelegraph,telephone,telex,facsimile, andemail, have reduced the attractiveness of paper mail for many applications. These modern alternatives have some advantages: in addition to their speed, they may be more secure, e.g., because the general public cannot learn the address of the sender or recipient from the envelope, and occasionally traditional items of mail may fail to arrive, e.g. due to vandalism to mailboxes, unfriendly pets, and adverse weather conditions. Mail carriers due to perceived hazards or inconveniences, may refuse, officially or otherwise, to deliver mail to a particular address (for instance, if there is no clear path to the door or mailbox). On the other hand, traditional mail avoids the possibility of computer malfunctions andmalware, and the recipient does not need to print it out if they wish to have a paper copy, though scanning is required to make a digital copy.
Physical mail is still widely used in business and personal communications for such reasons as legal requirements forsignatures, requirements of etiquette, and the requirement to enclose small physical objects.
Since the advent ofemail, which is almost always much faster, the postal system has come to be referred to inInternet slang by theretronym "snail mail". Occasionally, the term "white mail" has also been used as a neutral term for postal mail.
Mainly during the 20th century, experimentation withhybrid mail has combined electronic and paper delivery. Electronic mechanisms includetelegram,telex, facsimile (fax),email, and short message service (SMS). There have been methods which have combined mail and some of these newer methods, such as temporary emails, that combine facsimile transmission with overnight delivery.[62][63] These vehicles commonly use a mechanical or electro-mechanical standardised writing (typing), that on the one hand makes for more efficient communication, while on the other hand makes impossible characteristics and practices that traditionally were in conventional mail, such ascalligraphy.
This epoch[when?] is undoubtedly mainly dominated by mechanical writing, with a general use of no more of half a dozen standard typographicfonts from standard keyboards. However, the increased use of typewritten or computer-printed letters for personal communication and the advent of email have sparked renewed interest in calligraphy, as a letter has become more of a "special event". Long before email and computer-printed letters, however, decorated envelopes,rubber stamps andartistamps formed part of the medium ofmail art.[64]
In the 2000s (decade) with the advent ofeBay and other onlineauction sites andonline stores, postal services in industrialized nations have seen a major shift to item shipping. This has been seen as a boost to the system's usage in the wake of lower paper mail volume due to the accessibility of email.
Online post offices have emerged to give recipients a means of receiving traditional correspondence mail in a scanned electronic format.
Postage stamps are also object of a particular form ofcollecting.Stamp collecting has been a very popularhobby. In some cases, when demand greatly exceeds supply, their commercial value on this specific market may become enormously greater than face value, even after use. For some postal services the sale of stamps to collectors who will never use them is a significant source of revenue; for example, stamps from Tokelau, South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands, Tristan da Cunha, Niuafoʻou and many others. Stamp collecting is commonly known asphilately, although strictly the latter term refers to the study of stamps.
Another form of collecting regardspostcards, a document written on a single robust sheet of paper, usually decorated with photographic pictures or artistic drawings on one of the sides, and short messages on a small part of the other side, that also contained the space for the address. In strict philatelic usage, the postcard is to be distinguished from thepostal card, which has a pre-printed postage on the card. The fact that this communication is visible by other than the receiver often causes the messages to be written injargon.
Letters are often studied as an example of literature, and also in biography in the case of a famous person. A portion of theNew Testament of theBible is composed of theApostle Paul'sepistles to Christian congregations in various parts of the Roman Empire. See below for a list of famous letters.
A style of writing, calledepistolary, tells a fictional story in the form of the correspondence between two or more characters.
A makeshift mail method after stranding on a deserted island is amessage in a bottle.
Numerous countries, including Sweden (1 January 1993),[65][66] New Zealand (1998 and 2003), Germany (2005 and 2007),Argentina andChile opened up the postal services market to new entrants. In the case ofNew Zealand Post Limited, this included (from 2003) its right to be the sole New Zealand postal administration member of theUniversal Postal Union, thus the ending of its monopoly on stamps bearing the name New Zealand.
Pillar boxes on the island ofMadeira, Portugal (1st class mail in blue and 2nd class in red)
Letter-sized mail constitutes the bulk of the contents sent through most postal services. These are usually documents printed onA4 (210×297 mm),Letter-sized (8.5×11 inches), or smaller paper and placed in envelopes.
Handwritten correspondence, while once a major means of communications between distant people, is now used less frequently[67] due to the advent of more immediate forms of communication, such as the telephone or email. Traditional letters, however, are often considered to hark back to a "simpler time" and are still used when someone wishes to be deliberate and thoughtful about their communication. An example would be a letter of sympathy to a bereaved person.
Bills and invoices are often sent through the mail, like regular billing correspondence fromutility companies and other service providers. These letters often contain a self-addressed envelope that allows the receiver to remit payment back to the company easily. While still very common, many people now opt to use online bill payment services, which eliminate the need to receive bills through the mail. Paperwork for the confirmation of large financial transactions is often sent through the mail. Many tax documents are as well.
Newcredit cards and their correspondingpersonal identification numbers are sent to their owners through the mail. The card and number are usually mailed separately several days or weeks apart for security reasons.
Bulk mail is mail that is prepared for bulk mailing, often bypresorting, and processing at reduced rates. It is often used indirect marketing and otheradvertising mail, although it has other uses as well. The senders of these messages sometimes purchase lists of addresses (which are sometimes targeted towards certaindemographics) and then send letters advertising their product or service to all recipients. Other times, commercial solicitations are sent by local companies advertising local products, like arestaurant delivery service advertising to their delivery area or aretail store sending their weekly advertising circular to a general area. Bulk mail is also often sent to companies' existing subscriber bases, advertising new products or services.
First-Class Mail in the U.S. includes postcards, letters, large envelopes (flats), and small packages, providing each piece weighs 13 ounces (370 g) or less. Delivery is given priority over second-class (newspapers andmagazines), third class (bulk advertisements), and fourth-class mail (books and media packages). First-Class Mail prices are based on both the shape and weight of the item being mailed. Pieces over 13 ounces can be sent as Priority Mail.[68] As of 2011 42% of First-Class Mail arrived the next day, 27% in two days, and 31% in three. The USPS expected that changes to the service in 2012 would cause about 51% to arrive in two days and most of the rest in three.[69] The Canada Post counterpart is Lettermail.[70]
The British Royal Mail's 1st Class, as it is styled, is simply a priority option over 2nd Class, at a slightly higher cost. Royal Mail aims (but does not guarantee) to deliver all 1st Class letters the day after posting.[71]
In Austria priority delivery mail is called Prio, in Switzerland A-Post.[72]
Multi-franked registered mail from Crete using Greek stamps during theUnion with Greece to Egypt in 1914 showing numbered registration label
Registered mail allows the location and in particular the correct delivery of a letter to be tracked. It is usually considerably more expensive than regular mail, and is typically used for valuable items. Registered mail is constantly tracked through the system.
Recorded mail is handled just like ordinary mail with the exception that it has to be signed for on receipt. This is useful for legal documents where proof of delivery is required.
In the United Kingdom recorded delivery mail (branded assigned for by the Royal Mail) is covered byThe Recorded Delivery Services Act 1962. Under this legislation any document which its relevant law requires service by registered post[73] can also be lawfully served by recorded delivery.
TheUnited States Postal Service introduced a test allowing "repositionable notes" (for example, 3M'sPost-it notes) to be attached to the outside of envelopes and bulk mailings,[74] afterwards extending the test for an unspecified period.[75] The repositionable note may be fixed directly to the address side of First-Class Mail and Standard Mail letter-size mailpieces. These mailpieces must meet the standards in 7.2 through 7.6. The note is included as an integral part of the mailpiece for weight and postage rate and must be accounted for in pricing.
Postal cards andpostcards are small message cards that are sent by mail unenveloped; the distinction often, though not invariably and reliably, drawn between them is that "postal cards" are issued by the postal authority or entity with the "postal indicia" (or "stamp") preprinted on them, while postcards are privately issued and require affixing an adhesive stamp (though there have been some cases of a postal authority's issuing non-stamped postcards). Postcards are often printed to promote tourism, with pictures of resorts, tourist attractions or humorous messages on the front and allowing for a short message from the sender to be written on the back. The postage required for postcards is generally less than postage required for standard letters; however, certain technicalities such as their being oversized or having cut-outs,[76] may result in payment of the first-class rate being required.
Postcards are also used bymagazines for new subscriptions. Inside many magazines are postage-paid subscription cards that a reader can fill out and mail back to the publishing company to be billed for a subscription to the magazine. In this fashion, magazines also use postcards for other purposes, including reader surveys, contests or information requests.
Postcards are sometimes sent bycharities to their members with a message to be signed and sent to a politician (e.g. to promotefair trade orthird world debt cancellation).
Larger envelopes are also sent through the mail. These are often composed of a stronger material than standard envelopes and are often used by businesses to transport documents that may not be folded or damaged, such as legal documents and contracts. Due to their size, larger envelopes are sometimes charged additional postage.
Packages are often sent through some postal services, usually requiring additional postage than an average letter or postcard. Many postal services have limitations as to what a package may or may not contain, usually placing limits or bans on perishable, hazardous or flammable materials. Some hazardous materials in limited quantities may be shipped with appropriate markings and packaging, like anORM-D label. Additionally, as a result ofterrorism concerns, the U.S. Postal Service subjects their packages to numerous security tests, often scanning orx-raying packages for materials that might be found in biological materials ormail bombs.
Newspapers andmagazines are also sent through postal services. Many magazines are simply deposited in the mail like any other mailpiece. In the U.S., they are printed with a specialIntelligent Mail barcode that acts as prepaid postage. Other magazines are now shipped inshrinkwrap to protect loose contents such asblow-in cards. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, newspapers and magazines were normally posted usingwrappers with a stamp imprint.
Hybrid mail, sometimes referred to asL-mail, is theelectronic lodgement of mail from the mail generator's computer directly to a Postal Service provider. The Postal Service provider is then able to use electronic means to have the mail piece sorted, routed and physically produced at a site closest to the delivery point. It is a type of mail growing in popularity with some Post Office operations and individual businesses venturing into this market. In some countries, these services are available to print and deliver emails to those who are unable to receiveemail, such as the elderly or infirm. Services provided by Hybrid mail providers are closely related to that ofmail forwarding service providers.
Thebusiness model of modern postal operators can be broken down to four stages: (1) collection, (2) sorting, (3) transportation, and (4) delivery.[77]
Collection is the gathering of mailpieces from various locations such as customer premises,post boxes, and post offices.[77] Newly collected mail is normally not sorted immediately upon receipt and is instead taken directly in its unsorted state to sorting centers.[77]
Sorting is the process of segregating mailpieces into groups based on their type and destination, so that they can be loaded onto an appropriatemode of transportation headed in the general direction of their final destinations.[77] Traditionally, mail was manually sorted by hand, but it is increasingly sorted by automatic sorting machines.[77] The main dilemma faced by postal operators when organizing the sorting stage is whether to have a smaller number of large, centralized sorting centers (aspoke–hub distribution paradigm) or a larger number of smaller sorting centers along with a larger number of direct connections between all of them (point-to-point transit).[77]
Transportation is the process of carrying mail from one place to another.[77] A mailpiece usually has to be transported from one sorting center to another sorting center, where it is often sorted to another transportation segment headed towards its destination address, until it reaches the sorting center that directly serves that address.[77]
Delivery is the process of carrying mail to final destinations such asletter boxes.[77] Sorting centers sort mailpieces destined for addresses in their immediate vicinity tocarriers serving those addresses.[77] Transporting mail to final destinations is the most labor-intensive stage and accounts for up to 50% of postal operators' expenses.[77] Depending upon the final destination, carriers often use vehicles, their own feet, or a combination of both.[77] Postal operators try to control costs by presorting mail for carriers, so that they receive mail already arranged in the correct sequence for their designated routes; reducing the frequency of deliveries; or retiming deliveries so that they are spread throughout the day.[77]
^In Australia, Canada, and the U.S., the term "mail" is commonly used for the postal system and for the letters, postcards, and parcels it carries; in New Zealand, "post" is more common for the postal system and "mail" for the material delivered; in the UK, "post" prevails in both senses. However, the British, American, Australian, and Canadian national postal services are called, respectively, the "Royal Mail", the "United States Postal Service", "Australia Post", and "Canada Post"; in addition, such fixed phrases as "post office" or "junk mail" are found throughout the English-speaking world.
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