Application for Mailing Periodicals (USPS Form 3500)

Although you must meet specific standards for your chosen qualification category when mailing periodicals, four basic criteria apply to all Periodicals:

1. Periodical Publication (DMM E211.2)
   You must show intent to publish issues of a publication indefinitely with continuity from issue to issue. The purpose of the publication must be to transmit information of a general or specific nature.
2. Frequency of Publication (DMM E211.5)
   Periodicals publications must be published (not necessarily mailed) at a regular frequency of at least four times a year. You must adopt a statement of frequency showing how many issues are to be published each year and at which regular intervals, and must adhere to this stated frequency. Some examples of acceptable frequencies are as follows:
   a. Quarterly.
   b. Four times a year. Publication patterns must be identified.
   c. Monthly.
   d. Bimonthly (every other month).
   e. Daily except Sunday.
   f. Weekly.
   g. Monthly wit pre-identified combined issue exceptions.

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• Known Office of Publication (DMM E211.4)
  You must maintain a known office of publication at the location where the original entry Post Office for Periodicals mailing privileges is authorized. The known office of publication is a public office where normal business of the publication is conducted during normal posted business hours. You must keep circulation records of the publication at the office or make them available upon request at that office for review by Postal Service personnel.
• Printed Sheets (DMM E211.3)
  Periodicals publications must be formed of printed sheets. You may not reproduce them by stencil, mimeograph, or hectograph. However, you may reproduce them by any other process.

Mailpiece Construction

Bound Publications

There are a number of ways to create a bound publication. Bound publications are held together by two or more staples or in a wire binding process known as “saddle stitching.” Heavier bound publications may also be glued together at the spine edge in a process called “perfect binding.” Although rare, spiral binding is considered an eligible means of creating a bound publication.

Unbound Publications

Unbound publications are made of sheets forming pages that are nested, one within the other, to form an issue. Unbound publications may contain one staple to hold them together. Pamphlet-style publications may be a single or a folded sheet.

Source: US Postal Service, Handbook DM-204