OTTAWA—Canada Post has devised new minimum specifications for business reply mail, following a proposal last year that caused some concern.

The Crown corporation wanted to institute a minimum base weight requirement for business reply mail (including subscription cards) in place of paper thickness, citing standard cards were getting jammed in Canada Post's mail processing equipment.

National Association of Major Mail Users (NAMMU) has announced that Canada Post's Business Reply Mail customers "may continue using paper with a weight lower than 160 gram per square metre (GSM), but not less than 111 GSM." Canada Post has recommended using a card size of 108 mm x 165 mm (4.3 in x 6.5 in) with grain direction long, added NAMMU.

The mail association said Canada Post's new requirement "looks like a very positive resolution" to the business reply mail situation, and that "Canada Post has also advised that its engineering teams are continuing to enhance the machinability specifications and more good news may be coming shortly."

The original changes were slated to come into effect January. But in September 2011, NAMMU invited a Canada Post manager to express concerns and the corporation agreed to delay the new requirements.

This article originally appeared on PrintCAN sister site Masthead.