Docmail hybrid mail. Online print, personalisation and post for 25p*.
The low cost, easy, online way to create, personalise, print and mail all your post!
Using Docmail is easy! Let's take a look...
Assuming you've set up your account, once logged in, this is the first screen you arrive at. Start in the large blue area.
1. Edit mailing options
Give your mailing a name.
Choose your printing options:
- Black and white or colour
- Printed single sided or double sided
- Choose your despatch date or leave as ASAP
The default selection is standard class (which is a second class service). You are able to upgrade to First Class if you prefer.
Address name format:
Docmail automatically puts the address in the correct position to show through the envelope window. You therefore need to tell us what format you would like the name to appear. This must correlate with the information in your data.
2. Select mail pack document
Either upload a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file, a file in Rich Text format (.rtf) or an Adobe PDF. You can only use a .pdf if it is not personalised and only requires the address to be added to it.
Remember:
Docmail automatically adds your recipients address to your letter so you do not need to.
If you are using an existing template that you have stored on your docmail library, you can search for the template name and then click on the image.
3. Edit mailing list
This is where you upload a Microsoft Excel file or CSV that contains all the addresses of the recipients you wish to send your letter to.
Click on ‘Upload addresses’ and browse for the file on your PC.
To add yourself to the mailing list you can select ‘Add self to list’. Docmail will automatically upload your contact details from your account admin and add it to the mailing list for you.
The ‘Sheet Name’ field must match that of the sheet name on your data file. This enables you to use any sheet on a spreadsheet.
You need to map your data onto Docmail so that it knows how to merge it on your document. If you have column headers, these are displayed on the left hand side of the screen. On the right hand side select from the drop-down menu options as to how you would like this to be used in docmail.
Once your file has been uploaded you have to validate the addresses to see if they are deliverable. Docmail then checks the Royal Mail database to see if they are complete and correct. If they are deliverable they will have a green tick.
If you have an orange question mark, then your address may be incomplete or incorrect and will incur a 10p surcharge. You have an option to 'Edit' these.
For overseas mail you will be shown a blue aeroplane.
4. Order approval
At this stage you will be able to download a pdf file showing how your letter will look when printed.
Please make sure that you check the proof including address and barcode position before approving the order.
If you are not happy with how your letter looks then you have an option to 'Make changes' to your order. Amend your original document (letter) and then follow steps 1, 3 & 4. You will not need to re-upload your data list as it is already saved to the order.
Once you are happy that the proof is suitable click on the red 'Approve' button and you will be directed to payment.
Follow the payment options to complete the order. Your order will not be submitted for production until your order has been paid for.
Logging in to Docmail
You can log in to docmail at the website address https://cfhdocmail.com/login.aspx using the username and password supplied to you when you signed up. We recommend you change your password to something more memorable to you, and this can be done by accessing “My Account Administration”. See section changing my password.
Manage mail packs & templates
In this section you can set up your letter documents (we’ll call them templates from now on) and put your templates into something called a mail pack. Think of a mail pack as a paperclip, holding different templates that you may want to use together. Each mail pack will therefore always contain at least one template.
Manage mailings lists & addresses
In this section you control the name and address data used in your mailings. You can add names and addresses into docmail which you can then use again and again. You can even sort your names and addresses into what we call mailing lists. When you create a mailing you can then just select a mailing list name and docmail will know who to send the mailing to.
My account administration
In this section you can change and update all your Account details, as well as viewing old mailings and invoices, and setting up letterheads and signatures to use in your mailings.
Printing options
There are a couple of options to set here - they boil down to "do you want colour" and "do you want duplex printing".
If you want your mailing to be printed in colour, then tick the box.
If you want us to print on both sides of the paper (duplex printing), then tick this box.
Delivery type
The default selection is standard class. This is the same as second class, so your mailing will be delivered 2 - 3 days after posting. You can choose first class postage, but the mailing will cost more than the normal prices.
Despatch date
The earliest possible date we can despatch your mailing will show. If you want a later date, click on the calendar icon to change it.
About Word™ templates
All templates that are either to be used as an addressed letter or require personalisation need to be Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) files. Below you will find some guidelines to help you set up your templates.
Margins
To enable us to put your documents into an envelope, docmail will apply a barcode in the left hand margin on the front of each sheet of paper. We therefore recommend that you ensure all your templates have at least a 1.5 cm left hand margin, as using a margin less than this may mean some of your template content gets overprinted with a barcode. You final proof will show you the barcodes.
For any template set to be an addressed letter, docmail will apply the mailing name and address in the required position. The left margin that docmail uses when it applies the name and address will be 2.54 cm. To ensure that any text you have in an addressed letter lines up with the name and addresses, we recommend you use a margin of 2.54 cm on all templates which you intend to use as addressed letters.
We also recommend that you start your letter at least 9 cm down from the top of the page to allow room for the name and address to be printed.
To set the margins in Microsoft Word, open the document in Microsoft Word, and go to File from the top menu, and then go down to Page Setup.
Adjust the margins as required and click OK.
Creating a .csv address file
All templates that are either to be used as an addressed letter or require personalisation need to be Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) files. Below you will find some guidelines to help you set up your templates.
Following these guidelines will ensure you supply your data in the best possible format for docmail to use. This preparation is vital to ensure your data is correct and ready to be imported into your personal docmail database.
Remember, you only need to do this once and then import your names and addresses into docmail.
Your personal docmail database
You can keep all your names and addresses stored in docmail. Once they are imported, they will be available to add into mailing lists and use in mailings.
3 address lines is the minimum number of address lines which can form a valid address as defined by Royal Mail, so those are mandatory fields.
Tips for data preparation
There are a few tips to ensure your data is presented in the best possible way.
Address format
Always try to ensure the postcode is the last address field in each address in your data. This will help to ensure we can offer you the lowest postal prices. They don’t all have to be in the same column for all your records, but they do need to be in the last populated column of the 5 address permitted fields.
If you don’t know the postcode, or would like to double check any, you can use a free service on the Royal Mail website. Simply go to www.royalmail.com, and click any of the red customer buttons on the right hand side. You'll see another button "Postcode finder" on the next page. This takes you to instructions on how to use this facility. The site will allow you to check 15 postcodes a day for free. This service will also give you the recommended address format to use for any UK address, and updating your database to use the addresses as given here is recommended.
For example, Counties are not a required part of the address, so you may have:
Twickenham Stadium
Rugby Road
Twickenham
Surrey
TW1 1DZ
If you check this address with the Royal Mail website above, it will give you:
Rugby Football Union
Rugby Road
TWICKENHAM
TW1 1DZ
This is the preferred address format, and if possible you should use this.
Don’t worry, because docmail will check if your addresses are suitable for the best prices, and will tell you which addresses may attract a postage surcharge. You will have a chance to check those if you need to.
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