Post Rates
by Andrew Wineberg

Post Rates displays the correct postage rates to any destination in the world, applicable from 1-Nov-93. Inland, it is possible to choose between 1st and 2nd class postage; worldwide, surface or airmail may be chosen, as may the delivery service (letter service, small packet service and printed paper service).

Using Post Rates
Post Rates can be loaded by double-clicking on its icon in the directory display or click on the icon at the top of this window. It will install an icon on the icon bar from which a menu is available. Choose Quit from this menu to exit the program.

To gain access to the main program window, click Select on the icon bar icon. Click on the icon to the right of the destination icon and Select the destination country from the menu. Now enter the weight of the mail in grams. The current (from November 1993) postage will appear in the bottom icon.

Clicking Select on one of the option icons will select that option, and recalculate the correct postage. Additional destinations and weights may be entered and the correct postage will again automatically be calculated.

Post Rates will not allow the entry of a weight which is greater than the maximum weight allowable to a particular destination (for more information on weight limits see notes 2 and 3 below).

Important notes
     1) There is no surface letter service to Europe.

     2) For the air/surface mail printed papers service, there is a maximum weight limit of 2kg except for books and pamphlets which may weigh up to 5kg.

     3) Small packets to Cuba, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea are subject to a weight limitation of 500g.

     4) There are no airmail services to the French, Southern and Antartic Territories.

     5) Don't forget - it may be necessary to attach a customs declaration to foreign mail!

The Rates file
The contents of the Rates file (in the !PostRates application directory) are easily decipherable with the aid of a Royal Mail publication of postage rates. The first section details inland postage rates. Then follows a list of all countries in the EU, Europe (non-EU) and Worldwide Zone 2. Lastly are the rates for airmail letters, airmail small packets, airmail printed papers, and surface mail prices. These were compiled with the aid of the Royal Mail International booklet: The easy way to mail abroad for businesses.


Note: Throughout this program, the word Weight has been preferred to Mass as in all Royal Mail publications. If this is disliked, the Messages file can be altered.

 Copyright RISC User 1994