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Mail/Shipping

The weight of first class mail sent in the U.S. is about half the weight of the copy paper we use (see below for details).  While most of this mail is not copy paper, the amount of copy paper that is mailed  is still considerable.  For a letter between 1 and 11 ounces, the extra ounces (23 cents per ounce) cost about $7,000 per ton, or seven times the cost of buying paper.  The first ounce is about $10,000 per ton.  Thus, avoiding mailings or reducing the weight can be a significant cost savings.  The following table presents two examples of reduced paper and postage costs from duplexing.  In the last column, the number of sheets is reduced enough so that the mailing can be folded into thirds, and thus use a smaller, lighter envelope.
 

The following table shows the savings from duplexing a document sent in First Class mail

 
FIFTY PAGES
THIRTY-FOUR PAGES
 
Simplex
Duplex
Simplex
Duplex
Duplex & 
Envelopes
IMAGES
50
50
34
34
34
SHEETS
50
25
34
17
17
WEIGHT (oz)   
Paper   
Envelope
8.0
0.6
4.0
0.6
5.44
0.6
2.72
0.6
2.72
0.14
Total
8.9
4.6
8.04
3.32
2.86
COSTS (cents)  
Paper   
Postage   
Envelope
25
216
7
13
124
7
17
170
7
9
101
7
9
78
2
Total
248
144
194
117
89
SAVINGS  
cents   
Percent   
cents/sheet		  
104
42%
4.2
 
77
40%
4.5
105
54%
6.2
 

How much mail?

The U.S. Postal Service reports 1993 first class mail as 1.8 million tons—2.4 million tons if you include Priority Mail.
 
 
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