      File README.TXT for PreSort Pro by MCS Version 2.44
                          (09/17/94)


This file contains corrections, clarifications and additional 
information not included in the PreSort Pro User's Guide.

WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 2.4
-------------------------

    1.  PreSort Pro now prints a facsimile of Postal Service Form
3602 or 3600 on plain paper, with all information completed.  All
you have to do is sign it!

To print the Mailing Statement, just choose the "Print PS Form 3602"
button (or "Print PS Form 3600" button) from the Bulk Presort
Printing dialog box.  Then choose the "Help" button for detailed
information.

When you print the form, a plain ASCII text file is also saved to 
disk, which can be edited with NOTEPAD or another editor if needed.

    2.  Two new commands have been added to the Edit menu:

    Assign Record ZIP+4        (shortcut key F7)
    ZIP+4 Assignment Options

These commands are used to lookup ZIP+4 and standardize the
address for the current record, using the optional USPS AMS CD-ROM.

Select the ZIP+4 Assignment Options command first to choose what fields
you want updated when you press the F7 hot key.  From the dialog box,
choose the "Help" button to get details on what options do.

You MUST have the optional USPS AMS CD-ROM, properly installed, to use 
the Assign Record ZIP+4 command (on the Edit menu).

To look up the ZIP+4 and standardize the address for the current 
record, just press the F7 key.  PreSort Pro uses the address data 
in the record to find the correct ZIP+4, in the same way as the Assign 
Addresses command does.  If the address is "found", the ZIP+4 and 
standardized address information will be immediately inserted.
If the address was not found, a message will be displayed.  There 
is no "undo" for this command.

Note that the ZIP+4 Assignment Options command (on the Edit menu)
only applies to future SINGLE RECORD address assignment using the
Assign Record ZIP+4 command (or F7 hotkey).  The Assign Addresses
command (on the Manage menu) displays a similar dialog box for
choosing options for multi-record (batch mode) address assignment.

You may also notice that the checkbox "Convert #### to CR##" for 
Carrier Route has been removed from this dialog box because it is 
no longer meaningful since the format of Carrier Route data has
changed (see Manual correction #1 below).

    3.  The Bulk Mail Printing dialog box has been enhanced.  The
"Print Postage Report" button has been replaced with four separate
buttons to give you finer control over report printing:

    Print Presort Report         (Prints essential summary information)
    Print PS Form 3602           (See new feature #1 above)
    Print Package List           (Prints a list of package and trays)
    Print Required Documentation (Prints USPS documentation)

ALWAYS print and check the Presort Report first, before printing labels
or other reports.
    
    4.  The "Export Presort" button in the Bulk Mail Printing dialog
box has also been enhanced with new functionality.  When you export
a presort, you may now include a field containing the Optional
Endorsement Line (OEL), as well as the Package and Sack or Tray
number.  

The Export Fields dialog box will have the following three "fields"
listed at the end when you export a bulk presort:

    PACKAGE           (Package number)
    SACK              (Tray or sack number)
    ENDORSE           (Optional Endorsement Line)

If you choose to export these fields, the values will be included
in every record in the generated file.  For convenience in 
printing the OEL with other software, the ENDORSE field will be
formatted as a 24 character field with the text right-justified
and padded with leading asterisks.  Except for the number of
asterisks, the result will be the same as what would be printed
using a {Pkg,A} command in the Template.  Examples:

    ******CAR-RT-SORT**C-012
    ***********5 DIGIT 27619
    *****************WORKING

    5.  The Assign Addresses command has been improved to be 
"smarter" about updating fields, especially when the standardized
street address or city name is too large to fit in the fields
defined by your Layout.  For more information, choose the 
Assign Addresses command and then choose the "Help" button in
the "Address Assignment Options" dialog box.

    6.  Some error messages have been modified for better clarity,
all known problems have been corrected, and other minor improvements 
have been made.  The default sack and tray sizes for presorting 
have been changed to conform with the new USPS PAVE recommendations.

MANUAL CORRECTIONS
------------------
    1.  The chart of data formats for Carrier Route Information 
Codes on page 148 has been rendered obsolete by the new formats
announced by the Postal Service in the June 9, 1994 Postal Bulletin.
These changes are supported by the June 1994 USPS AMS CD-ROM.
The format changes are:

    Old format       New format     Meaning
    ----------       ----------     -------
    CR##             C###           Carrier Route
    GD##             G###           General Delivery Unit
    HC##             H###           Highway Contract Route
    B###             B###           Post Office Box (unchanged)
    RR##             R###           Rural Route
    

    2.  The "Match Addresses" command referred to in the User's
Guide has been renamed "Assign Addresses" for greater clarity.
This is the first command on the "Manage" menu, and is used to
obtain ZIP+4, Carrier Route and Delivery Point data from the
optional USPS Address Matching System CD-ROM, as described in
Chapter 11.

    3.  Page 126, last paragraph: omit the words "at least 85% of".
(You do not have to have 85% with CRRT data).

RECENT POSTAL RULE CHANGES SUPPORTED
------------------------------------

Version 2.44 supports the Postal Service postage rate changes
for Special (non-profit) Third Class letters effective 10/02/94,
and the labeling list changes given in the 09/15/94 Postal Bulletin.

This version supports the extensive presorting rule changes
announced in the 03/31/94 and 04/14/94 Postal Bulletin
(that are required after 06/12/94).

Version 2.4 supports the US Postal Service rate changes of
11/21/93 and the mail preparation changes announced in the
01/21/94 Postal Bulletin.  In addition, DMM references in
the Postage Report have been updated to reflect the newer
nomenclature for DMM sections and exhibits (e.g., "L002" 
replaces "122.63b").

WHAT WAS NEW IN VERSION 2.3 (If you don't already have it)
----------------------------------------------------------

    1.  The most exciting and important addition for Version
2.3 is direct support for encoding your mailing list with ZIP+4,
Delivery Point, and Carrier Route data from an optional US
Postal Service Address Matching System CD-ROM, available
at extra cost.

By using the new Assign Addresses command from the Manage menu,
you can update your mailing list with the ZIP+4 and Delivery Point
data you need to cash in on Barcode and automation discounts.
You don't have to send diskettes to your Post Office for updating; 
you can do it all right at your computer from within PreSort Pro.

Address assignment can also "standardize" your street address and
city fields to official Postal Service recommendations (including
standardizing abbreviations).  PreSort Pro 2.4 is fully CASS
certified by the US Postal Service, and automatically prints the
required CASS Report (USPS Form 3553) for your mailing.  All you 
have to do is sign and date it.

To purchase the optional USPS AMS CD-ROM, or for more information
on a special introductory offer, contact your dealer or:

     MCS Inc, 19225 Orbit Dr., Gaithersburg MD  20879
     Phone (301) 990-6500
     Fax (301) 990 3155

For detailed information on the Assign Addresses command, from 
PreSort Pro's Help menu choose Procedures, and then choose 
the "Address assignment with CD-ROM" topic.

Do not confuse the USPS AMS CD-ROM with the optional ZIP-City lookup
database.  They are entirely different.  The ZIP-City database is
supplied on diskette and automatically enters the correct city and
state for any ZIP code with a single keystroke - a real productivity 
aid for data entry.  The USPS AMS is supplied on CD-ROM and is used 
to fill in the ZIP+4 (or 5-digit ZIP) for your mailing list.

    2.  A new Print Form and Template command has been added to the
Print menu for Version 2.3.  This makes a printed copy of the 
current Template and Form you have chosen.  This command is useful
for documenting your mailings for future reference.  This information
is also now automatically printed as part of the Postage Report
after performing a bulk presort.

    3.  The last item on the Edit menu is a Date/Time Stamping 
command.  This command will be grayed (disabled) unless your
record layout contains a DATESTAMP or TIMESTAMP field.  If
so, then you can use this command to selectively enable or
disable automatic time stamping.  If this menu item is checked,
the time and/or date stamp will be updated automatically any
time the record changes, including:
 
    a.  Any change to any field contents
    b.  Deleting or un-deleting a record
    c.  Copying a record (stamped in target record)
    d.  Moving a record (stamped in source and target record)
    e.  Adding or importing records (or assigning addresses or merging 
        USPS or NCOA diskettes)
    f.  Changing the layout (except for adding or deleting 
        indexes or changing field names).

To inhibit stamp updating, simply choose the Date/Time Stamping
command to remove the check from the menu.  If this menu
item is not checked, the DATESTAMP and TIMESTAMP fields will
not be updated when the record changes.

    4.  The four most-recently-used file names will automatically
be displayed at the bottom of the File menu (after "Exit").  You 
can open any of these files by simply choosing the desired name 
from the menu.

OTHER CHANGES FOR VERSION 2.3
-----------------------------

The dimensions of some of the pre-defined Forms for dot matrix
printers have been changed slightly from previous versions to
improve compatibility with printer drivers lacking precise 
clipping and printhead movement capabilities, such as the 
Standard / Text Only printer driver.

AMPLIFICATIONS
--------------

    1.  If you use the File Layout command to change the record
layout of an existing data file (for example, by adding a new
field or changing a field size or type, or changing a duplicate
matching code), PreSort Pro will do the following:

        a.  Restore the default screen layout;
        b.  Discard any default field values previously
            saved (using the F8 key);
        c.  Update any TIMESTAMP or DATESTAMP fields present
            for all records to reflect the change (see 
            enhancement # 3 above to bypass this step);
        d.  Rebuild the index file.

    2.  If you have existing Version 1 files (with a file extension 
of .SM), please read the CONVERT.TXT file for information on how to 
open these files with PreSort Pro version 2.

    3.  PreSort Pro can directly import mail-merge data files
(secondary files) from WordPerfect version 4.2 through 5.1.  If you 
Wordperfect 6.0 or later, you must first save your file using the 
use WordPerfect "Save As" command with a Format of "WordPerfect 5.0/5.1".  
When you import this file, the PreSort Pro Associate Fields 
dialog box will show the first record as a single "field"
containing all field names separated by tilde characters (for example,
"First~Last~Street~City~State~Zip~~").  This is a dummy record added
by WordPerfect.  Choose the Next Record button to see the actual
first record of the file and choose the target fields as usual.

    4.  The Standard / Text Only printer driver included with 
PreSort Pro only works with a printer initialized to print
6 lines per inch using a 10 cpi fixed-width font.  Attempting
to print with other settings will have unpredictable results.  This
driver does not support the {Spacing} template command, and does
not support bar code except on printers with a native (built-in)
Postnet bar-code font.  For additional important information,
please see files PRT_INFO.TXT and BAR_INFO.TXT.

    5.  If you use a direct impression printer (e.g., Datatech,
Rena, or Bryce), please see file PRT_INFO.TXT for additional
information.
    
RECOMMENDATIONS:
----------------

    1.  As noted in the User's Guide, we STRONGLY recommend that 
you do NOT use the Windows Print Manager when printing labels.  
The Print Manager will spool the entire print file to disk before 
it actually starts to print anything.  This means you may have 
to wait a LONG time before your printer does anything, and you 
might even run out of disk space since a large file can generate 
hundreds of pages of output.

    To disable the Print Manager, from the Windows Program Manager
in the Main Group choose the Control Panel (by double clicking on 
its icon).  In the Control Panel window, choose the Printers icon.
At the bottom of the Printers dialog box, if the Use Print Manager
checkbox has an X in it, click on it to remove the X.  Then Choose 
the OK or Close button, and exit from the Control Panel.

    2. Always make sure you have PLENTY of free hard disk space.
Disk compression and caching schemes may make it impossible for 
PreSort Pro to recover gracefully from disk-full conditions under
some circumstances.  If your data files reside on a network server, 
make sure your local Temp drive has adequate disk space available.
PreSort Pro creates several temporary files on this drive during
presorting and other operations.  You may determine the present 
available disk space by choosing the About PreSort Pro command
from the Help menu.  Do not use a floppy disk for your working 
mailing lists.  Floppies should only be used for backups.

    3. PreSort Pro requires a computer with at least 4 Megabytes 
of memory (RAM).  Microsoft also recommends a minimum 4 Megabytes
for Windows 3.1.  Additional RAM will increase performance.
Although may be possible to run PreSort Pro on a machine with only
two megabytes of memory, operations may be VERY slow.  When Windows 
runs out of physical memory, it starts swapping pieces of programs
and data to disk.  Since accessing data on hard disk typically takes
more than 1,000 times as long as from RAM memory, your application 
may seem stalled when this happens.  Also, the probability of a 
system problem occurring with Windows is greatly magnified in 
low-memory situations.  With the cost of RAM memory typically 
being about $150 to $300 per 4 megabytes, there is no economic
justification to having a machine with inadequate memory.  If
you have a 2 MB 386 machine and think you need a 486 chip transplant
to increase performance with Windows, you may be better off just
buying memory.  If you're buying a new 486 machine, don't buy
one with less than 8 MB of RAM; the extra $100 to $200 for 8 MB
versus 4 MB will be money well spent no matter what Windows
programs you run.

Always close any un-needed Windows applications when running
PreSort Pro.  This will keep the maximum amount of free
memory available and therefore will increase performance.

    4. Be sure to keep backup copies of all your important PreSort
Pro data files you create, as well as any file you import into 
PreSort Pro.  See Appendix A for recommendations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR "POWER" USERS
----------------------------------------

    1.  If you want PreSort Pro to open a certain file
automatically every time you start the program, you may do this
by using the Program Manager's Properties command (in the File menu)
to change the command line for the PreSort Pro icon to include
the desired complete file name after the command.  For example, the
following command line will always open the MYLIST.MDF file, 
assuming you installed PreSort Pro in the default directory:

    C:\PSP\PSP C:\PSP\MYLIST.MDF

    2.  If desired, you can change the colors for the data entry
window of PreSort Pro.  To find out how to do this, from
the Help menu choose "Procedures", and then choose "Changing Screen
Colors".

    3.  If you would like PreSort Pro to use the full screen on 
startup, use an ASCII text editor (such as Windows NOTEPAD)
to add the following line at the end of the [Options] section 
in the MAILER.INI file:

       Maximize=1

    4.  PreSort Pro ordinarily uses bold and underlining in
reports (such as the 3600/3602 form information) for emphasis and 
clarity.  If you would like to disable all underlining and bold
in reports, use an ASCII text editor (such as Windows NOTEPAD)
to change the line in the [Options] section of file MAILER.INI
to:
       NoEffects = 1
    
    5.  By default, PreSort Pro uses a Courier New 10 point font
as the initial (default) font when you create a new mailing list.
You can specify a different default font by changing the font
name and point size specified in MAILER.INI:

       [Font]
       Typeface=Courier New
       Points=10

HP LASERJET 4 SERIES USERS
--------------------------

The HPPCL5 printer driver supplied with Microsoft Windows 3.1
has known bugs.  If you use an HP LaserJet IV series printer
with this driver, we suggest you install an updated driver.  An
improved driver is available from Microsoft or can be downloaded
by modem from CompuServe and other on-line services.  You can also
download this driver from the MCS Bulletin Board at
(301) 990-3149 (8N1).

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
-----------------

Technical support information is provided on the "Support Services"
card included with PreSort Pro.  Please have all the 
requested information available prior to calling the number
listed on the card.  This will greatly expedite service.

QUESTIONS ABOUT BULK PRESORTING
-------------------------------

    1. People sometimes ask us questions about the results of a 
bulk presort, for example:

    "Why does the Postage Report show a package in a Residual tray
     that is going to the same 3-digit ZIP as other packages that
     went at a lower postage rate in 3-digit or SCF trays?"

    "Why does the Postage Report show some 5-digit packages in a
     3-digit tray?  Shouldn't they be in a 5-digit tray?"

    "Why does the Postage Report show some pieces going at the 
     Non-presorted ZIP+4 rate when I do a ZIP+4 presort?"

    "Why do some 3-digit packages wind up in the residual tray
     at the full 19.8 cent rate when others go at a lower rate
     in a 3-digit tray?"

     "When I do an SCF entry discount, some of the packages are
      shown as eligible for the SCF entry rate but others in 
      ZIP codes served by the SCF are not.  Why?"

The short answer to all these questions is "Because the DMM 
(Domestic Mail Manual) requires it!"  The DMM contains nearly 
900 pages of complex, convoluted, and frequently inconsistent 
rules with countless exceptions, special cases and references to 
other sections.  The rules and terminology are frequently non-
intuitive.  If you're not an expert in the DMM rules and the 
results of a presort aren't quite what you expected, don't be 
surprised!  The rules are so complex and have undergone so many 
changes in the past few months that very few people (including 
many if not most of the USPS clerks at bulk mail receiving 
sections) really don't understand them all.  

We have worked very hard in close cooperation with the U.S.
Postal Service to assure that the DMM regulations are followed 
by the presorter.  Because the regulations are so complex, 
answering a question such as the examples above often requires 
the entire mailing statement plus hours of research.  Tech support 
for PreSort Pro does NOT include providing telephone training 
on the intricacies of the DMM.  Your Postal Service Business Center 
can provide you with courses to learn more about the rules in the 
DMM, and we encourage you to take these courses, which are usually 
excellent.

WHAT WE WON'T DO: We cannot and will not answer questions requiring 
us to teach you the DMM regulations or provide research or 
interpretation of the DMM, such as is required by the questions 
above.  PLEASE DO NOT ASK US TO!

WHAT WE WILL DO:  If you think that PreSort Pro is not presorting
something correctly, we WILL investigate a question for any registered
user with a CURRENT VERSION of the program IF you provide us with ALL 
the following items: (1) the EXACT section of the DMM you believe 
is in doubt (for example "DMM Issue #46, section M815.2.1"); 
(2) a copy of the first two pages of the Postage Report printed by 
PreSort Pro, plus any other portion of the Mailing Statement 
pertinent to your question; (3) your name, phone number and fax number; 
(4) your PreSort Pro serial number from the License agreement 
card.
     
Finally, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you keep your PreSort Pro
up to date.  Postal regulations change fairly frequently, so if you
don't have the most recent version, you may not be complying with
the rules!  We cannot over-emphasize the importance of this!

Please send us your signed Registration Form so we can let you
know when new versions are available.

Because Postal Service rules change frequently and because we are
constantly improving PreSort Pro, upgrades are available
exclusively through an annual Maintenance Subscription.  By
subscribing you will automatically receive ALL updates to PreSort
Pro as soon as they are released (a minimum of two per year;
usually more).  One year free telephone technical support is
also included with each subscription.  For more information, 
contact MCS at (800) 536-1674.

Thanks for your cooperation.

-----------------------
        
PreSort Pro is a Registered Trademark of MCS Inc.
Other product names mentioned are trademarks of their respective
trademark holders and are used for identification purposes only.
The PreSort Pro program, User's Guide, and accompanying files are:

   Copyright (C) 1992-1994 SoftSpoken Inc.
   All rights reserved worldwide

                         --- End ---

