Co-mingling (referred to as co-mailing) has become extremely important to catalogers as a way to reduce postage costs. This is the process of “co-mingling” catalogs together with other catalogs in order to create more discounts for the catalog companies who participate. It is a complicated topic to comprehend. This month, I want to discuss what co-mingling is, the advantages as well as the disadvantages and what you can expect in terms of net savings.

Ways To Co-Mingle

There are two ways to co-mingle. In-line is one method which occurs during the stitching and ink-jetting stage on the bindery line. This is where multiple catalog titles are combined into one mail stream. The other way to co-mingle is off-line after the catalogs have been bound. This involves combining bundles from different catalog titles and creating more SCF, carrier route pallets that have a better discount. The number of catalogs you mail at one time will determine which method is right for you.

Advantages and Disadvantages

I want to review both the positive and negative points with regard to co-mingling your catalog with other catalogs. The chart below provides a comparison of in-line vs. off-line co-mingling. In most cases, the postal savings from co-mingling will more than off-set the disadvantages.