What is Bulk Mailer?

Bulk mailing rates are cheap for a reason: you perform the time-consuming task of presorting the mail. Mail must be sorted by zip code, then sorted again into bundles of like zip codes. If the mailing includes magazines, the post office requires labeled mail bags for each regional mail facility Satori Software's Bulk Mailer is a mailing list management program that streamlines the sorting and printing required for mailing of up to 4400 names. (On a Mac Plus with an external drive, the ceiling is 8600 names. A new version of die program that we haven't tested, Bulk Mailer+, can handle up to 90,000 names if you have the 13 megabytes of harddisk storage required.

While a hard disk may be more practical for large mailings. Bulk Mailer can be used on a 512K Macintosh with an external drive. With a 512K Mac, Bulk Mailer's link feature lets you combine and print the data from two disks in alphabetical or zip code order. The link feature also gives you the option to link mailing lists for a larger mailing and unlink them when the mailing is completed.

Entering Information

Bulk Mailer has a predefined format for data entry A record includes fields for name, company address, city, state, zip, phone number, and two search codes. You can’t add fields or change the length of a field. This inflexible format can cause problems. For example, the total number of characters for city state, and zip code can’t exceed 28; this size could prove insufficient for long city names or foreign addresses. The record format does offer some flexibility, however: any field that doesn’t contain information can he used for comments.

If you are building a large mailing list, entering data quickly and accurately is essential. Bulk Mailer’s record layout makes it easy to enter data, but there is no way to back up to an earlier field without using tite mouse. To quickly enter repetitive data, you can use the program s default entry feature for city, state, and zip and for the two search fields. After setting a default, you can fill fields by pressing the Return key.

Maintaining Lists

Although not extensive, Bulk Mailer's searching and sorting capabilities are flexible. One option sorts a list alphabetically by client or company name, another by zip code, and a third by record number The program sets aside two search fields-one for customized codes and the other for setting ranges such as maximum and minimum zip code or date.

Part of the job of maintaining a mailing list is finding duplicate entries and deleting records for clients who have moved. You can search for duplicates by address, company, or name. The program automatically eliminates identical records hut lets you view similar records before deleting.

Since the post office does not forward mail after 12 months, managers rely on returned mail to clean up their mailing lists.

To help you easily identify returned mail. Bulk Mailer prints record numbers on the labels. Bulk Mailer lets you clear and reuse a record rather than purging the file and changing the record numbers associated with each client. Unfortunately the program does not provide a listing of the reusable records.

Labels

Bulk Mailer is currently the only mailing list program that prints four kinds of labels, from one-up (single) labels to four-up (four across a page) labels, With single labels you can choose to pause between labels to change envelopes or labels that are not tractor fed. A test print option lets you adjust the vertical spacing between labels.

Bulk Mailer prints a five-line address on labels. A sixth line is reserved for printing greetings, the record number, a search code, or carrier route information. Unfortunately, Bulk Mailer is not designed for overseas addresses, if your mailing list contains overseas addresses, check to see if the data entry structure can accommodate the addresses.

The program doesn't give you a choice of fonts; it uses the printer’s native font. However, Bulk Mailer does provide a number of style options, including ultra-condensed, condensed, extended, pica, elite, bold, and normal. The program has been upgraded to work with the LaserWriter.

Bulk Mailer includes a mail-merge module that works with Microsoft Word, but since the program is primarily an address list manager, the merge variables are limited to name, address, and salutation.

Bulk Mailer could be used by any organization with a mailing list of up to 90,000 addressees. The program simplifies list maintenance with features such as the linking, elimination of duplicate records, default entry, and flexible sorting. Bulk Mailer's impressive record capacity, combined with the availability of memory upgrades for the Mac, make using the Macintosh for mailing list maintenance increasingly practical.

McCandless, Janet. (July 1986). Bulk Mailer. Macworld. (pg. 153-155).

Download Bulk Mailer for Mac

Architecture

Motorola 68K

Compatibility notes

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Mini vMac