Hybrid mail
Encyclopedia
Hybrid mail is mail that is delivered using a combination of electronic and physical delivery. Usually, it involves digital data being transformed into physical letter items at distributed print centres located as close as possible to the final delivery addresses. An email letter (also L-mail and letter mail is a letter which sent as an email
using a computer then printed out and delivered as a traditional (physical) letter. It is a communication means between the virtual
cyber- and the material
real world.
The printer
or mail transfer agent
prints the electronic mail on paper, the mail transport agent packs it into an envelope
and the mail delivery agent
or postman delivers it to the receiver's mailbox. Generally there is a fee
for this service; however very small amounts and single email letters may be free of charge depending on the service provider
.
In the developing world there is some evidence that posts are increasingly using hybrid mail solutions to leapfrog historic lack of investment in up to date infrastructure and service quality. It is somewhat similar to a country without an extensive landline phone network moving directly to a mobile phone network.
Developments in technology are often used by private companies to fill gaps in public postal service. In the UK, there has been a mushrooming of service providers because of the particular regulatory conditions which require Royal Mail to offer advantageous downstream access postal rates to providers of hybrid services.
There are also reverse systems, where handwritten letters can be delivered as email. This mail scanning service, sometimes called letter email, is increasingly popular with businesses and individuals who wish to access their mail from another country. However, special care must be taken to inspect local laws and the service provider's scanning practices to ensure that they are not reading the mail or acting on behalf of the client from a legal standpoint.
.
An L-Mail system typically enables individuals and companies to send mail
internationally directly from their computers, requiring only Internet
access and a browser
. In a first step, the user defines the letter format and then composes the text. Subsequently, the data is transmitted via a network
to a printing centre chosen by the user, preferably in the vicinity of the addressee, where the letter is printed, put in an envelope and fed into the postal system.
Because letters are posted locally to the recipient, a faster speed of delivery can be achieved than by traditional air mail. With only local postage being paid, costs can also be less than an equivalent air mail letter.
In parallel there is a need to improve standards of data security, simplifying the use of accredited digital signatures and so on. In consequence, both the European Union (through its CEN group) and the Universal Postal Union are taking an increasing interest in hybrid mail standards, both for physical and digital delivery.
The UPU has recently launched .post, which is an initiative to take the core postal attribute of trust and extend it from the physical to the virtual world.
offered the services email letter and letter email (postbutler) until 7 December 2008 20:00 when the email letter was shut down because of small usage and negative customer feedback. Letter email (postbutler) was shut down without notice but is going to be back under yet another different name.
Hotsnail is an Australian online postal mail management service.The services provided include reading, scanning, forwarding, shredding and secure storage for the original documents. Scanning is performed on an automated production line to ensure privacy, and clients identies are verified to prevent misuse.
E-Snailer is a service that allows internet users to send short letters through the US Postal Service for free, after being subjected to advertisements. A postscript
is added to each letter, telling the recipient that it was sent via E-Snailer. "A scam".
The Taiwan post office maintains an 'epost' service.
PostGreen is an online Hybrid Mail service. PostGreen allows the sending of post, registered post, email and fax using a PostGreen print driver , a email client, upload on the PostGreen Web site or deposit from a network directory. Users can therefore send post, registered post, email or faxes directly from their business applications, from their word processing software on PC, Mac, Linux, Smartphones or tablets. All documents sent are archived
L-mail is a web-based system providing commercial letter mailing services.
NetGram provides email to postal mail conversion using a unique email alias system for postal recipients. Hard copy recipients are given email addresses which can be repeatedly used to simultaneously transmit physical mail in an email stream.
Other providers e.g., FedEx Office
, serve various markets, including military mailing, personal telegram services, business mailing, certified mailing and others.
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
using a computer then printed out and delivered as a traditional (physical) letter. It is a communication means between the virtual
Virtual
The term virtual is a concept applied in many fields with somewhat differing connotations, and also, differing denotations.The term has been defined in philosophy as "that which is not real" but may display the salient qualities of the real....
cyber- and the material
Material
Material is anything made of matter, constituted of one or more substances. Wood, cement, hydrogen, air and water are all examples of materials. Sometimes the term "material" is used more narrowly to refer to substances or components with certain physical properties that are used as inputs to...
real world.
The printer
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
or mail transfer agent
Mail transfer agent
Within Internet message handling services , a message transfer agent or mail transfer agent or mail relay is software that transfers electronic mail messages from one computer to another using a client–server application architecture...
prints the electronic mail on paper, the mail transport agent packs it into an envelope
Envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card....
and the mail delivery agent
Mail delivery agent
A mail delivery agent or message delivery agent is a computer software component that is responsible for the delivery of e-mail messages to a local recipient's mailbox...
or postman delivers it to the receiver's mailbox. Generally there is a fee
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.Traditionally, professionals in Great Britain received a fee in contradistinction to a payment, salary, or wage, and would often use guineas rather than pounds as units of account...
for this service; however very small amounts and single email letters may be free of charge depending on the service provider
Service provider
A service provider is an entity that provides services to other entities. Usually, this refers to a business that provides subscription or web service to other businesses or individuals. Examples of these services include Internet access, Mobile phone operators, and web application hosting...
.
In the developing world there is some evidence that posts are increasingly using hybrid mail solutions to leapfrog historic lack of investment in up to date infrastructure and service quality. It is somewhat similar to a country without an extensive landline phone network moving directly to a mobile phone network.
Developments in technology are often used by private companies to fill gaps in public postal service. In the UK, there has been a mushrooming of service providers because of the particular regulatory conditions which require Royal Mail to offer advantageous downstream access postal rates to providers of hybrid services.
There are also reverse systems, where handwritten letters can be delivered as email. This mail scanning service, sometimes called letter email, is increasingly popular with businesses and individuals who wish to access their mail from another country. However, special care must be taken to inspect local laws and the service provider's scanning practices to ensure that they are not reading the mail or acting on behalf of the client from a legal standpoint.
L- or Letter Mail
L-Mail, Lmail or "letter mail" is a method of sending a real physical letter via a web pageWeb page
A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext...
.
An L-Mail system typically enables individuals and companies to send mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
internationally directly from their computers, requiring only Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
access and a browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
. In a first step, the user defines the letter format and then composes the text. Subsequently, the data is transmitted via a network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
to a printing centre chosen by the user, preferably in the vicinity of the addressee, where the letter is printed, put in an envelope and fed into the postal system.
Because letters are posted locally to the recipient, a faster speed of delivery can be achieved than by traditional air mail. With only local postage being paid, costs can also be less than an equivalent air mail letter.
In parallel there is a need to improve standards of data security, simplifying the use of accredited digital signatures and so on. In consequence, both the European Union (through its CEN group) and the Universal Postal Union are taking an increasing interest in hybrid mail standards, both for physical and digital delivery.
The UPU has recently launched .post, which is an initiative to take the core postal attribute of trust and extend it from the physical to the virtual world.
Service providers
The Swiss PostSwiss Post
Swiss Post is the postal service of Switzerland. A public company owned by the Swiss Confederation, it is the country's second largest employer...
offered the services email letter and letter email (postbutler) until 7 December 2008 20:00 when the email letter was shut down because of small usage and negative customer feedback. Letter email (postbutler) was shut down without notice but is going to be back under yet another different name.
Hotsnail is an Australian online postal mail management service.The services provided include reading, scanning, forwarding, shredding and secure storage for the original documents. Scanning is performed on an automated production line to ensure privacy, and clients identies are verified to prevent misuse.
E-Snailer is a service that allows internet users to send short letters through the US Postal Service for free, after being subjected to advertisements. A postscript
Postscript
A postscript, abbreviated P.S., is writing added after the main body of a letter . The term comes from the Latin post scriptum, an expression meaning "written after" .A postscript may be a sentence, a paragraph, or occasionally many paragraphs added, often hastily and...
is added to each letter, telling the recipient that it was sent via E-Snailer. "A scam".
The Taiwan post office maintains an 'epost' service.
PostGreen is an online Hybrid Mail service. PostGreen allows the sending of post, registered post, email and fax using a PostGreen print driver , a email client, upload on the PostGreen Web site or deposit from a network directory. Users can therefore send post, registered post, email or faxes directly from their business applications, from their word processing software on PC, Mac, Linux, Smartphones or tablets. All documents sent are archived
L-mail is a web-based system providing commercial letter mailing services.
NetGram provides email to postal mail conversion using a unique email alias system for postal recipients. Hard copy recipients are given email addresses which can be repeatedly used to simultaneously transmit physical mail in an email stream.
Other providers e.g., FedEx Office
FedEx Office
FedEx Office is a chain of stores that provide a retail outlet for FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipping, as well as printing, copying, and binding services...
, serve various markets, including military mailing, personal telegram services, business mailing, certified mailing and others.
See also
- Mail forwardingMail forwardingPost offices and other mail service providers typically offer a mail forwarding service, commonly known as hybrid mail or virtual post office box services, to redirect mail destined for one location to another – usually for a given period of time. In the case of the United States Postal Service's...
- Email forwardingEmail forwardingEmail forwarding generically refers to the operation of re-sending an email message delivered to one email address on to a possibly different email address...
- Online post officeOnline post officeAn online post office is a commercial mail receiving agency that implements the concept of hybrid mail, enabling conventional mail to become electronic, or electronic correspondence to be printed and mailed at a remote location...
- Personal letterPersonal letterA personal letter is a type of letter which provides communication between a small number of people, usually two. There are many types of personal letters and they are written for a wide variety of reasons:...
- Postal historyPostal historyPostal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...
- Print-to-mail
- V-mailV-mailV-mail, short for Victory Mail, is a hybrid mail process used during the Second World War in America as the primary and secure method to correspond with soldiers stationed abroad...
- Webmail