Word/Phrase
Meaning
4 State Barcode This barcode comprises four types of bars (the four states), printed on pre-sort articles. This barcode is allocated to each individual article based on it matching to The Postal Address File (PAF)®, The PAF is a database which contains a unique 8-digit number (Delivery Point IDentifier, or DPID) for each address maintained within the file. The DPID is essential in creating the unique barcode for your finished mailpiece. The PAF is maintained and updated every quarter by Australia Post, and is only available through AMAS-approved software. Your AMAS provider will supply you with the latest version of PAF each quarter.
4 Station Inserter Intelligent and selective mechanical mail inserter allowing up to five items (including the live pieces) to be inserted into an envelope up to C5 in size.
6 Station Inserter Intelligent and selective mechanical mail inserter allowing up to eight items (including two streams of live pieces and cross fold three way matching) to be inserted into an envelope up to C5 in size.
A0 ISO paper size - 841mm x 1189mm (A Series).
A1 ISO paper size - 594mm x 841mm (A Series).
A2 ISO paper size - 420mm x 594mm (A Series).
A3 ISO paper size - 420mm x 297mm (A Series).
A4 ISO paper size - 210mm x 297mm (A Series).
A5 ISO paper size - 210mm x 148mm (A Series).
Barcode Direct Tray A Barcode Direct Tray is a tray set containing 300 or more barcoded letters where all addresses belong to a single sort plan number (postcode range) as defined in the Barcdode Sort Plan. Barcode Direct Trays for delivery within the same state as the lodgement attract a lower price than Barcode Direct Trays delivered to other states.
Barcode Sort Plan When an address is validated, a BSP number, ranging from 1 to 54, is assigned to each postcode. To benefit from Barcoded PreSort mail discounts, mail must be sorted by the BSP number.
Barcoded Residue Tray Residue trays contain letters not included in a Barcode Direct tray. For example if you have 800 letters from a variety of locations then you may not have enough in any single sort plan to lodge a Barcode Direct tray. Instead they should be lodged in Barcode Residue trays and attract the residue tray price.
Binding Attaching sheets of paper to one another (e.g. attaching paper sheets together to form a book, booklet or multipage brochure).
Bleed When any image or element on a page touches the edge of the page, extending beyond the trim edge, leaving no margin it is said to bleed.
Book Shuttle Feeder This is a hopper on the plastic wrap machine that is capable of feeding very thick publications or books.
BRE Business Reply Envelope is a marketing tool for business to encourage responses. The Reply Paid service, included in an external mailing, with the mail generators address pre printed onto it from artwork supplied by Australia Post. (http://www.auspost.com.au/IXP/0,1465,CH2043~MO19,00.html). It is postage free for your respondents, and you only pay for the replies you receive. The Reply Paid service can also be used with television, radio and print advertising by including the Reply Paid address in your advertisement.
Bulk Mail Partner BMP is a program that recognises mail houses who have invested in processes to make mail lodgement more efficient and effective.
C4 Envelope which is 229mm wide x 324mm high and fits an A4 sheet of paper.
C5 Envelope which is 162mm wide x 229mm high and fits an A5 or folded in half A4 sheet of paper.
Carbonless Paper/Books Carbonless copy paper, non-carbon copy paper, or NCR paper is an alternative to carbon paper, used to make a copy of an original, handwritten (or mechanically typed) document without the use of any electronics. The process was invented by chemists Lowell Schleicher and Barry Green, working for the NCR Corporation, as a biodegradable, stain-free alternative to carbon paper. Early product literature piggybacked on NCR's corporate name by calling the paper No Carbon Required paper.
Celloglazing A process whereby a fine clear film is adhered to the paper using heat and pressure. Celloglazing can be matt or gloss and can be single sided or double sided. It is a relatively slow process, and is more expensive than machine varnishing. The process tends to add depth to colours, robustness, and produces a rather luxurious, classy, 'expensive' look to the product.
Charity Mail A pricing category that provides lower prices for mailings from income tax exempt charities through the PreSort Letters Service for small letters only.
Clean Mail The Clean Mail Service is available to customers who prepare a minimum of 300 letters of a standard suitable for processing by mechanised letter sorting equipment at Australia Post.
CMYK The CMYK color model, referred to as process color or four color, is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in most color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key black. Though it varies by print house, press operator, press manufacturer and press run, ink is typically applied in the order of the abbreviation. The "K" in CMYK stands for key since in four-color printing cyan, magenta, and yellow printing plates are carefully keyed or aligned with the key of the black key plate.
Coated Paper Paper that has a layer of coating applied to one or both sides (e.g. a gloss, dull or matt finish).
Colour Printing Standard colour printing, called four-colour printing (CMYK), employs magenta, yellow, cyan, and black toner (see CMYK above).
Cross Fold A secondary fold whose axis is perpendicular or oblique to the axis of another fold eg Folding A3 size down to DL.
Data The term data means groups of information that represent the qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data can come in all different formats ranging from text files(.txt), excel spreadsheets (.csv,.xls), PDF's, Post Script (PS) files, XML etc etc.
Data Cleansing Data cleansing or data scrubbing is the act of detecting and correcting (or removing) corrupt or inaccurate records from a record set, table, or database. Used mainly in databases, the term refers to identifying incomplete, incorrect, inaccurate, irrelevant etc. parts of the data and then replacing, modifying or deleting this dirty data.
Data De Duplication (De-Duping) Data deduplication essentially refers to the elimination of redundant data. In the deduplication process, duplicate data is deleted, leaving only one copy of the data to be stored.
Data processing The standard operations of sorting, merging, input/output, and report generation.
Database An integrated collection of logically related records or files consolidated into a common pool that provides data for one or more multiple uses. Commonly supplied in Excel.
Database Management The task of storing data in a database and retrieving information from that data.  This includes: 1) Entering the data  2) Modifying or Updating data  3) Reporting or Manipulating the Data to provide useful information.
Database Maintenance Modifying, updating and removing data from a database.
Digital Document Storage Scanning of documents and storing on a hard drive.
DL 110 x 220 mm Envelope.
DLX 120 x 235 mm Envelope.
Document A document (noun) is a bounded physical representation of a body of information designed with the capacity (and usually intent) to communicate. A document may manifest symbolic, diagrammatic or sensory-representational information.
DocuColor 252 Digital colour printer that can print copy and scan. Prints on most stocks up to 300gsm in weight and up to SRA3 (450mm x 320mm) in paper size. The highest resolution (2400 x 2400 dpi) in its class, enhanced gloss modes, and exclusive emulsion aggregation high grade toner. 2400 x 2400 dpi resolution in both copy and print modes delivers razor sharp details and smooth color transitions.
DocuColor 8000AP Digital colour printer. Prints on most stocks up to 300gsm in weight and up to SRA3 (450mm x 320mm) in paper size. DocuColor 8000 prints up to 80 pages per minute (8.5" x 11" or A4). Outstanding 2400 dpi resolution and digital halftone screens are achieved through a number of engineering advancements. Sophisticated features enhance productivity - supports faster turnarounds, large and small print runs, and complex mixed-media and variable-information jobs.
DocuSP Digital front-end solution delivers unparalleled flexibility and powerful processing across the Xerox line of production printers.
DPID A DPID (Delivery Point Identifier) is an unique eight-digit number which has been randomly allocated to each address maintained in Australia Post's National Address File (NAF). The NAF is the source database for the Postal Address File (PAF) used in AMAS-approved address matching software. The DPID is the key component of the printed barcode that makes the barcode unique.
Drill Making even, equal holes in paper using a metal drill bit (for use in a ring binder). Drills can neatly perforate a much greater thickness of paper than the office hole-punch.
Dual Stream The ability to run two streams of live pieces on the one inserting machine. This allows us to match two personalised pieces into the one mail pack.
Duplex Printing on both sides of a sheet of paper.
Electronic Archival Computerised storage of data and documents.
Envelopes An envelope is a packaging product, usually made of flat material such as paper or cardboard, and designed to contain a flat object, which in a postal-service context is usually a letter, card or bills. The traditional type is made from a sheet of paper cut to one of three shapes: the rhombus (also referred to as a lozenge or diamond), the short-arm cross, and the kite. These designs ensure that in the course of envelope manufacture when the sides of the sheet are folded about a delineated central rectangular area, a rectangular-faced, usually oblong, enclosure is formed with an arrangement of four flaps on the reverse side, which, by virtue of the shapes of sheet traditionally used, is inevitably symmetrical.
Flysheet A printed personalised sheet containing address information usually for plastic wrapped items.
Follower A plain or printed sheet that usually 'follows' the letterhead in multi-page print jobs.
FTP The File Transfer Protocol, or FTP, allows computers to speak to one other. FTP is used to make files available for transfer safely over the Internet from computer to computer.
Full Rate Standard letter mailing price, with no valid discounts due to small quantity (less than 300 items) or poor address information.
Gate Fold A paper fold where both sides fold inwards so the edges come together.
Gloss A shiny coating on paper. Gloss coatings allow very little ink to be absorbed by the paper. This results in the printed material having excellent colour definition (richer colours) and contrast.
Grams per Square Metre (GSM) The thickness of a sheet of paper is indicated by its weight, measured in grams per square meter (gsm).
Half Fold A type of fold where the brochure is folded once, forming two halves.
Handline Managed principally by hand (manual processing line for C4 insertion, labelling etc).
Hardcopy Scanning

Converting a physical document to an image file such as PDF, TIFF, Jpeg, etc.
HTML An acronym for HyperText Markup Language. The internationally agreed-upon language for writing documents for the World Wide Web.
Image Resolution Image resolution describes the detail an image holds. The term applies equally to digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail.
Inkjet A printing system that produces images directly on paper from digital data using streams of very fine drops of dye which are controlled by digital signals to produce images on paper. An inkjet printer is a type of computer printer that reproduces a digital image by propelling variably-sized droplets of liquid or molten material (ink) onto a page.
Insert An item which is to be inserted into another piece. Can include a small single sheet being inserted into a flyer, or sheets inserted into an envelope.
InTelMail A world leader in the design, manufacture, and supply of innovative solutions for intelligent mail production.
Invoice An invoice or bill is a commercial document issued by a seller to the buyer, indicating the products, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the seller has provided the buyer. An invoice indicates the buyer must pay the seller, according to the payment terms. The buyer has a maximum amount of days to pay these goods and are sometimes offered a discount if paid before.
Jiffy Bag A padded envelope ideal for mailing breakable, delicate items or items too large for C4/B4 envelopes.
Job Number A number assigned to a printing job, and used for record keeping and job tracking. Also used to retrieve old jobs for reprints or reworking by customer.
Laminate A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and glueing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an adhesive.
Large Letter A large letter is a piece of mail that has a maximum length of 360mm, a width of 260mm and a thickness of 20mm. It can weigh up to a maximum of 500 grams. Examples of this would be a C4 envelope that might contain multiple brochures, catalogues, company reports and/or magazines. Large letters are split up into 3 weight catagories: less than 125 grams, 126 grams to 250 grams and 251 grams to 500 grams.
Laser Printing A high quality printing method which prints directly from a computer onto paper or labels. Laser printing can be colour or black. A laser beam projects an image of the page to be printed onto an electrically charged rotating drum coated with selenium. Photoconductivity removes charge from the areas exposed to light. Dry ink (toner) particles are then electrostatically picked up by the drum's charged areas. The drum then prints the image onto paper by direct contact and heat, which fuses the ink to the paper.
Letterhead Paper printed with the company details including address and logo.
Mail Lodgement The process of sending processed mail to Australia Post for delivery. This process includes mail presentation with complete postal paperwork (manifests) and also lodgement documents which can either be done electronically (eLMS) or manually (completed handwritten form).
Manifest An itemised product list in sequence for completed mailing jobs for mail lodgement. A mailing manifest contains information about the specific contents of a mailing lodgement.
Matt A coated paper finish that is not shiny like a gloss, and does not have a sheen like satin, but still keeps much of the ink from being absorbed by the paper and provides an excellent image.
Mechanical Folding Folding paper using mechanical devices. Be it either online or off line. Most common fold is A4 to DL.
Mechanical (or machine) Insertion To insert or place in an envelope by machine. Please see descriptions for 4 Station Inserter and 6 Station inserter.
MICR Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, or MICR, is a character recognition technology used primarily by the banking industry to facilitate the processing of cheques. The technology allows computers to read information (such as account numbers) off printed documents. Unlike barcodes or similar technologies, however, MICR codes can be easily read by humans. MICR characters are printed in special typefaces with a magnetic ink or toner, usually containing iron oxide. As a machine decodes the MICR text, it first magnetizes the characters in the plane of the paper. Then the characters are then passed over a MICR read head, a device similar to the playback head of a tape recorder. As each character passes over the head it produces a unique waveform that can be easily identified by the system.
MIL A MIL is a Mail Identification Label that is placed on an Australia Post ULD for identification purposes.
Monochrome Laser Printers Single colour (black) laser printers.
Monochrome Meaning "one color", is one whose range of colours consists of shades of a single colour or hue; monochrome images in neutral colours are also known as grayscale or black-and-white.
MRS A Manifest Report (MRS) is the supporting documentation that provides dispersions, volumes, and weight per sort plan for PreSort letter lodgements.
Multi Channel Distribution Various forms of distribution that cater to a clients specific requirements e.g mail, sms, email or fax.
Nesting Where another brochure or piece of paper is inserted in to another piece (as opposed to on top of - Onserting). This is common with plastic wrapping projects.
Nuvera 120 DC A Xerox laser printer which has black and white laser capabilities. Copies, prints, scans, and finishes concurrently at up to 120 images per minute. Provides the power and speed needed to produce complex jobs while supporting your everyday print/copy needs.
Nuvera 120 MX A Xerox MICR (ability to print cheques/deposit slips) laser printer which has black and white laser capabilities. Prints and finishes concurrently at up to 120 images per minute. Provides the power and speed needed to produce complex jobs while supporting your everyday print/copy needs.
Nuvera 288 The Xerox Nuvera 288 boasts total productivity as the fastest (288 duplex impressions per minute) digital duplex monochrome cut-sheet printer in the industry. It delivers exceptional, offset-level image quality with a smooth matte finish and the cost and time efficiencies associated with digital printing. Nuvera 288 keeps jobs moving with a 2.6GHz Dual Core Processor that supports Parallel RIP Capabilities. The Nuvera 288 produces outstanding sheet flatness, providing exceptional stack quality and optimal performance of inline finishing options.
Newsletter A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Many newsletters are published by clubs, churches, societies, associations and businesses, especially companies, to provide information of interest to their members, customers or employees.
Online Inkjet This is an inkjet system that allows us to print addresses or different personalisation details onto a media piece or plain piece of paper whilst the material is running through the mail inserting machine.
Onsert Where another brochure or piece of paper is placed on top of another (as opposed to inside - Inserting).
Paper Handling Physical handling of any type of paper or brochures.
Paper Stock All types of paper that can be used for processing through laser machines, plastic machines, folders, inkjetters and inserters.
Parcels A parcel is a mailing package or envelope that weighs over 500 grams or the outer envelope dimensions are larger than a large letter size (360mm x 260mm).
Personalisation The process of personalising a letter, coupon or postcard with the receiver's name and / or address detail.
Photocopying A copy of something printed, written or drawn that is produced almost instantly by a photographic process in a machine designed for this purpose.
Plastic Bind The binding of material with a plastic binding comb to create a book or calendar. Plastic teeth are fitted into a stack of pages.
Plastic Wrapping The process where flat polythene is wrapped around a mailing piece or generic piece and sealed. All plastic wrapping are run on the Sitma C80 750 plastic wrap machine and has the capability to run up to six items mechanically. Inserts can be either inserted or onserted. Degradable plastic is also available.
Post Post is a method for transmitting information and tangible objects, wherein written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes and also small packages are delivered to destinations around Australia and the World. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.
Postage Discount A discount on postage is offered to customers when lodging mail into Australia Post. Set criteria must be met in order to achieve maximum postage discounts.
Postscript Postscript is a turing-complete programming language, belonging to the concatenative group. Typically, postscript programs are not produced by humans, but by other programs. Postscript became commercially successful due to the graphical user interface (GUI), allowing designers to directly lay out pages for eventual output on laser printers.
Pre Sort Letters The PreSort Letters Service is available for customers who lodge 300 or more barcoded letters. The service offers reduced prices to those customers who can sort letters into a particular order, place them into appropriately labelled trays, complete documentation prior to posting at a designated postal outlet, and comply with relevant mailing conditions. When customers prepare their lodgement according to the conditions of the PreSort Letters Service, Australia Post can more efficiently process and deliver mail, in return offering customers lower postage prices. The service is available for small, small plus, medium and large letters.
Print Post An Australia Post service that provides reduced postal prices for anyone who has a publication distributed via post periodically throughout the year. Subscribers must be approved by Australia Post and issued with a Print Post Number. Any publication that is produced and distributed on a continuing basis a minimum of twice per year may qualify for Print Post, and attract substantially reduced postal rates.
Proof A general term for a variety of options for seeing what your file will look like when printed is a proof. Printing proofs are used for checking that all text and graphics and colors come out as expected before going to print.
Reports A report is a document characterised by information or other content reflective of inquiry or investigation, which is tailored to the context of a given situation and audience. Reports range from a simpler format with headings to indicate topics, to more complex formats including charts, tables, figures, pictures, tables of contents, abstracts, summaries, appendices, footnotes, hyperlinks and references. Various reports are generated throughout the mailing process to ensure consolidation throughout.
Return Mail Management The management of return mail that does not reach it's correct recipient and the subsequent management of the information that is returned via a data base or an archival system.
Emulsion Aggregation Emulsion Aggregation (EA) is a process of growing 1-15 micron size particles from smaller, nanometer size constituents. The process is environmentally advantaged in that it is water based and does not use organic solvents commonly required to make particles in this size range. The process begins with the preparation of polymer particles in the nanometer size range emulsified in water. These particles and other desired components are then brought together in an aqueous based environment. Through control of the required chemical and physical conditions, the constituent particles are aggregated together to form larger particles. Once the particles reach their target size, the growth mechanism is halted and the particles are heated to achieve the desired shape. Particles can be completely spherical or somewhat irregular in shape. Since the mechanism of particle formation is one of controlled growth, rather than mechanical breakage, there is effective control of the particle size distribution and excellent geometric standard deviations are achieved.
Saddle-stitch binding The use of one or more staples on the fold of the document.
Scanning The process whereby an original is analysed and captured line by line to convert the analogue image information from an original into digital data. This can be further processed in a computer.
Score To press a channel into paper to facilitate folding and prevent cracking of ink or toner.
Script Programming The process of writing, testing, debugging / troubleshooting, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. A scripting language, script language or extension language is a programming language that allows control of one or more software applications. "Scripts" are distinct from the core code of the application, which is usually written in a different language, and are often created or at least modified by the end-user.Scripts are often interpreted from source code or bytecode, whereas the applications they control are traditionally compiled to native machine code. Scripting languages are nearly always embedded in the applications they control.
Side-stitch binding Stapling the signatures together on the side rather than the fold.
Simplex Printing on one side only of a sheet of paper.
Single Stream An inserting machine that has only one feeder for the prime document to be run through.
SITMA C80 750 A Collation and Plastic Wrapping machine that can comprise of a shuttle feeder with first page opener and five rotary hoppers with a cycle speed of 12000 per hour.
SRA3 International paper sizes that are slightly larger that the "A" series of sizes and used by printers to create A-sized products.SRA3 equals 320mm x 450mm.
Stapling To fasten something to something else or in position with staples.
Statements A printed record of all transactions that have taken place over a period of time.
Toner Toner is a powder used in laser printers and photocopiers to form the printed text and images on the paper. In its early form it was simply carbon powder. Then, to improve the quality of the printout, the carbon was melt-mixed with a polymer.Toner particles are melted by the heat of the fuser, and bind to the paper.
Trade Only Ethics of business only allow for dealings with companies within the printing industry, for example advertising agencies, print management companies, printing companies, major mail houses, call centres and copy shops.
Transactional Document Transaction documents refers to legally relevant documents that are either printed, inserter and mailed, or electronically presented.They consist of a mixture of fixed and variable data. These documents are usually created by organizations through their financial computing system and then delivered to other parties (such as clients) through the post office or through an electronic billing system. Common examples of transaction documents are:
  • invoices and statements;
  • bank statements (and credit card, financial services, etc.);
  • insurance policies;
  • notices;
  • other legally relevant correspondence, etc.
TransPromo Transpromo is a compound expression formed from the words "transaction" and "promotional". By adding relevant messages, companies can piggyback promotion or even advertising onto existing transaction-related documents, such as statements, invoices, or bills. Transpromotional documents combine CRM (Customer relationship management) and data mining technology with Variable data printing and location intelligence.
Unbarcoded Residue Residue trays contain letters not included in a Barcode Direct tray that don't have a Barcode. For example if you have 800 letters from a variety of locations then you may not have enough in any single sort plan to lodge a Barcode Direct tray. Instead they should be lodged in Unbarcoded Residue trays and attract the residue tray price.
Window Faced Envelope Envelopes with a transparent window which allow an address to show through when it's been printed directly on to an address carrier eg letterhead.
Wire Bind A method of wire binding books along the binding edge that will allow the book to lay flat using double loops.
Xerox Suppliers/Manufacturers of digital laser printers. In Australia, Fuji Xerox Printers has a reputation of market-leading research and development and provide a range of quality colour and black and white printers for organisations of all sizes. Fuji Xerox Printers is the only printer vendor authorised to carry the Good Environmental Choice Award (GECA) logo.
Xerox 700 Digital Color Press The Xerox 700 Digital Color Press can copy, scan and print in full colour at 70 pages per minute. It can handle coated, heavyweight, transparencies, DocuMagnet®, labels and tabs. All Trays on this device will run coated stock. This device has exceptional image quality with the highest resolution available – 2400 x 2400 dpi – produces smooth color sweeps, sharp, high-resolution photographs, crisp, clean text, outstanding gradients and fine detail. The device can output in sheet or booklet format and will suit all digital colour applications. With a tight back-to-front registration of 1.0mm and superior halftones due to the newest Emulsion Aggregation (EA) toner this device will suit all large office and low production requirements.
XLS Microsoft Excel (full name Microsoft Office Excel) is a spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables and a macro programming language called VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). It has been the most widely used spreadsheet application available for these platforms since version 5 in 1993. Excel is part of Microsoft Office.
Z Fold A paper fold where a piece of paper is folded inwards once and outwards once in a Z shape.