http://www.printweek.com/archive/index.cfmRoyal Mail agreed with the PPA's proposal that items 10mm thick should be classified as packages rather than large letters with a tolerance of 5mm. The Royal Mail had proposed a uniformity measure of 2mm.

The agreement was announced at the PPA's CEO Conference last week and Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier urged all parties to put the issue behind them and focus on service. He said that it was a good example of Royal Mail amending its proposals to reflect customers' concerns.

"We recognise that publishers will always want value for money," said Crozier. "We also need to make it easier for publishers to do business with us."

The issue of uniformity was considered a stumbling block by the PPA as it was felt it would hamper the use of covermounts. The association added that the measure would have caused a "substantial increase in costs".

It is the second time the PPA has reached agreement with the Royal Mail over its amendments to size-based pricing. During the summer the PPA reached agreement with the Royal Mail over flexibility. Measures which would have resulted in cost increases due to rigid items hampering the delivery process, were scrapped in July. See earlier story here or search our news archive. 

Story by Philip Chadwick