NOTE: COMMENTS REGARDING ANY FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE MUST BE SENT TO THE ADDRESS INDICATED IN THE DOCUMENT. ANY COMMENTS ON THE RAPID INFORMATION BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM (RIBBS) ABOUT ANY FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES WILL NOT BE USED OR CONSIDERED IN THE COURSE OF ANY RULE MAKING. ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTAL SERVICE Automation Compatibility of Glassine AGENCY: Postal Service. ACTION: Notice of inquiry. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Postal Service requests comments on the issuance of a haze value guideline for glassine envelope window-covering material. This guideline would be advisory only; it would not affect the existing Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) standards concerning mail prepared with glassine windows. DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 5, 1994. ADDRESS: Written comments should be mailed or delivered to the Manager, Business Mail Acceptance, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 8430, Washington, DC 20260-6808. Copies of all written comments will be available for inspection and photocopying between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, in Room 8430 at the above address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George T. Hurst, (202) 268-5232, or John J. Mampe, (703) 280-7031. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Postal Service automation-compatibility standards for envelope window-covering material focus on a measurement that combines the window material's transparency and the print quality of the address or barcode that appears behind it. Measuring the transparency and the print quality in concert provides the most relevant data to determine whether Postal Service automated sorting equipment will be capable of successfully reading the address and/or barcode during processing. Thus, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) standards for letter-size mail in automation-rate mailings require that addresses viewed through a glassine window covering must provide a print contrast ratio (PCR) of at least 45 percent and that barcodes viewed through the material must provide a print reflectance difference (PRD) of at least 30 percent. (These percentages pertain to both the red and the green portions of the optical spectrum, when measured using a USPS or USPS- licensed envelope reflectance meter.) Although these readability standards identify useful performance criteria for window-covering material, some glassine manufacturers have complained that it is difficult to translate them into production criteria for their products. It is impractical for glassine manufacturers to know, in advance of production, the quality of the printing that will show through the window of an envelope using their product, yet this information becomes critical in determining whether the material meets USPS automation-compatibility specification. Accordingly, to help glassine manufacturers establish appropriate criteria for the glassine itself in isolation from the printing that will be used with it, the Postal Service conducted a series of laboratory and operational tests on a variety of materials. The laboratory test method used was the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) D 1003, Standard Test Method for Haze and Luminous Transmittance of Transparent Plastics. Test measurements were taken with a MacBeth Color-Eye 7000 Spectrophotometer and Optiview software set for correlated haze. Environmental conditions, material thickness, dimensional stability, gloss, and haze were carefully measured and monitored during testing on both the Postal Service multiline optical character reader (MLOCR) version A and the wide area barcode reader (WABCR). (A detailed description of testing methods and criteria is available on request.) As a result of these tests, the Postal Service proposes that glassine window-covering material be evaluated for automation compatibility by measuring its haze value. Correlated (transmitted) haze is defined as the percentage of transmitted light that deviates from the incident beam by forward scattering when passing through a specimen. Any specimen with a haze value greater than 30 percent, when tested in accordance with ASTM D 1003 is considered diffusing or translucent. This can affect readability on the OCR or WABCR by diffusing the image of the printed insert as read through the window- covering material. Most plastic window-covering materials evaluated in these tests were considered to be nondiffusing or transparent materials and exhibited hazes in the range of 1 to 25 percent. All glassines tested were considered to be diffusing or translucent materials and exhibited haze values from 64 to 97 percent. Although readability was significantly affected by the quality of the printing on the inserts as well as the spacing between the glassine and the printed insert, those materials that measured no more than a 70-percent correlated haze performed best. In accordance with these results, the Postal Service proposes recommending, as a general guideline, that glassine when used to cover the windows of mailpieces intended for automation-based rates, have a correlated haze value of no greater than 70 percent (using ASTM D 1003, standard test criteria). This proposed guideline is intended specifically for manufacturers to aid in the production of glassine window-covering materials capable of satisfying Postal Service automation-compatibility requirements. It will not affect the application of the current standards for print contrast ratio or print reflectance difference because those remain the relevant measurements when evaluating the ability of Postal Service automated sorting equipment to read an address or barcode appearing through a window covering. Accordingly, in some cases a mailpiece may be determined not to qualify for automation-based rates based on failure to meet the PCR or PRD standard, even though the glassine measured alone would comply with the haze value guideline. Mailers concerned about the acceptability of their mailpieces should note that Postal Service mailpiece design analysts are equipped to assist customers in determining whether their envelopes meet PCR or PRD standards but are not equipped to evaluate correlated haze. The Postal Service does not intend to publish this guideline in the Domestic Mail Manual. Because this guideline is intended primarily for the small number of manufacturers that produce glassine and will not affect rate eligibility, it does not appear that wide dissemination will be necessary. Instead, the Postal Service plans to issue the guideline in a Customer Support Ruling (CSR). CSRs were created to assist postal personnel and customers with interpreting, clarifying, and applying the meaning of the standards contained in the DMM. The rulings are intended to be used in conjunction with the DMM standards. These rulings are issued by the Manager, Business Mail Acceptance, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, DC. Mailers can request copies of rulings that specifically address certain topics through a local Postal Service manager of business mail entry. In addition, the final standard would be incorporated in a future issue of Postal Service Publication 25, Designing Business Letter Mail. Interested parties are invited to comment on the proposed guideline as well as the proposed means for its issuance. Stanley F. Mires, Chief Counsel, Legislative. [FR Doc. 94-19683 Filed 8-11-94; 8:45 am]