1. Business Letter Services
Tray Labels
Business Letter Services

2. Introduction
Tray labels are used to direct mail from the customer, through processing and delivery, to the end recipient. One label can be used from start to finish.
In this module:
This module covers the use of tray labels for Bulk Mail Services products.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
describe the purpose of a tray label
understand the significance and use of correct tray labelling
understand the importance of choosing the right label in mail preparation and lodgement
understand information displayed on a tray label
identify the differences between preprinted and Print on Demand Labels

3. Advanced: Tray labels Why use letter trays
Letters need to be presented in trays for processing and transporting.
The correct type of tray depends on the letter category used:
For Small and Small Plus letters, use Small letter labels and Small Letter trays
For Medium and Large letters, use Large letter Labels and Large Letter trays.
Once the appropriate tray size has been selected, the correct label needs to be
affixed to the tray.
This module covers the information you need to know to choose and prepare
labels to meet Australia Post’s bulk mail requirements.

4. Tray Labels at a glance What is a tray label
Tray labels identify the final destination and contents of each tray. Different labels are needed for different products and tray sizes.
Correct tray labels are essential to ensure the timely delivery of mail – without them, the mail can’t go anywhere fast.
For bulk mailers, the mail tray label plays a surprisingly important role in ensuring that mail gets to its intended destination correctly and on time.

5. Tray Labels at a glance Features of a tray label
A lot of information is contained on mail tray labels and in their barcodes. This information is crucial to ensure bulk mail gets to its correct destination.
Labels specify important details including:
product (PreSort Letters, Unaddressed Mail, Clean Mail, Print Post or Impact Mail)
destination state and mail centre
appropriate sort plan (Barcode, Print Post or Impact Mail)
whether it is a Large or Small letter tray
mailer details
mailer’s job reference number
selected service type (e.g. Off-Peak or Regular PreSort Letters)

6. Tray Labels at a glance Basic labelling rules Do: Don’t:
Use correct label product (service) size and category
Use the current version of labels
For Visa Print on Demand customers the current version can be verified via to
Correct version of PrePrinted labels will be supplied from your lodgement point.
Don’t:
Amend labels by writing on them with pen, pencil or whiteout
Photocopy labels
Stamp over the barcode on tray labels
Just use any label, use the one appropriate for the service and the letter size category
Apply a wrong category or size label to your tray

7. Tray Labels at a glance More information
More detailed information is available in the Tray Label Fact Sheet, the Mail Label Specifications booklet and at the Australia Post website (auspost.com.au).

8. Advanced: Tray Labels Choosing a Label Label options
There are two label options:
Preprinted labels - identical preprinted labels, with spaces for manual entry of customer and lodgement details. They are available for customers who prefer not to print their own labels.
Print on Demand labels - typically used by bulk mail customers printing their own labels. 
Each type of label and the process for obtaining them is covered on the following pages.

9. Advanced: Tray Labels Choosing a label Preprinted labels
Australia Post provides preprinted tray labels at no cost. Tray label versions are available for Small trays and Large trays – there are 144 different variants, depending on product and destination.
You can order these labels using the approved stock order forms available from their local lodgement facility. Order forms may also be printed or downloaded from Australia Post’s website at and forwarded electronically to lodgement centres.
Each tray label stock has a unique code number for ordering purposes. These codes are available in the order forms:
Small letter order form
Large letter order form
Print Post order form
example of a pre-printed tray label

10. Advanced: Tray Labels Choosing a label Print on Demand labels
Australia Post offers tray labelling software (TLMS (VISA) Labelling Software) to bulk mail customers at no cost.
Software order forms and platform requirements can be found on Australia Post’s website at auspost.com.au/traylabels, or by contacting the Technical Support Centre on
You may also purchase third party software to generate tray labels. These labels must conform to specifications, which are subject to periodic review.
Specifications may be obtained by contacting the Technical Support Centre or by downloading documentation from Australia Post’s website. Third party software must be approved by Australia Post prior to use.
Blank label stock is also provided free of charge by Australia Post. The labels stock has a special layer of heat sensitive material to print labels with superior contrast for clearer barcodes and text. It is suitable for use only in direct thermal label printers.
example of a print on demand tray label

11. Advanced: Tray Labels Choosing a label Print on Demand labels
Use of the Tray Label Management System (TLMS) software is subject to licensing conditions and the allocation of a unique six-digit Application ID for each installation. 
Application support is provided by our Technical Support Centre, so the ID is used to track customers' queries and requests and to respond to individual customers if label quality is affecting the processing of their bulk mail.
TLMS software consists of three components:
VisaCustomer: Creates or imports, edits, exports, saves and prints label plans and reports using customers' validated data or the Australia Post database
Touchscreen: Provides a simple screen for unskilled operators to print tray labels
Command line:
Checks appropriately formatted mail-run data from the customer's own data file against Australia Post reference data.
Generates log files to identify errors in data, and where correct generates output data for printing or saving as label plans within TLMS applications

12. Advanced: Tray Labels Preparing labels Basic labelling rules
The following basic rules apply when preparing tray labels:
Observe maximum tray weights
The maximum acceptable weight of a tray, including its contents, is 16kg. This is to comply with OH&S requirements.
Use the correct label
If you use the wrong label your mail may be directed to the wrong destination. For instance, when the contents of the tray is for ‘WA’ but a ‘NSW’ label is used mail will be directed to ‘NSW’, causing delivery delays.
Do not amend a label
No pen amendments are recognised by TMS. Therefore, amended labels may impact the readability of the label by machinery, or be sent to the wrong processing area, potentially causing delivery delays.
Use clean trays
Tray hygiene means ensuring that letter trays are clean, free of old labels and are in good working order. Tray hygiene is important because there is a risk that old labels on trays may result in mail being missorted to the wrong destination, potentially causing delivery delays.

13. Advanced: Tray Labels Preparing labels Tray label compliance
It is important that labels generated by customers are compliant to published standards.
If labels are non-compliant the result can be that the TMS is unable to read the tray label barcode, resulting in processing delays.
The Tray Label Check Template is a tool that can be used to measure compliance for Visa Print on Demand labels.
This tool:
measures appropriate Quiet Zones on label
checks barcode minimum height and length
Tray Label Check Templates are available by contacting the Technical Support Centre on

14. Advanced: Tray Labels Preparing labels
Sort Plans and tray label updates
Every six months in March and September, Australia Post updates Sort Plans due to changes in destinations, postcodes, and products.
Visa Tray label software is also updated to coincide with these Sort Plan changes, to ensure labels produced match Sort Plan details.
You should ensure that all labels preprinted in advance from a previous version of a Sort Plan are destroyed. This ensures obsolete versions are not accidentally used in mail preparation.
If obsolete labels are used there is a likelihood of mail being directed to the wrong location, therefore causing delivery delays.

15. Advanced: Tray Labels Preparing labels Barcodes
In major mail centres, letter trays are directed to the correct sorting areas by the Tray Management System (TMS). The TMS reads the barcode on the tray label and determines where to send the tray.
The format used for Tray Label Barcodes is Code 128 type C.
This is different to the structure and look of a 4 State barcode that is used in the PreSort Letters Service.
More information about barcodes is covered in the Advanced: Barcoding module.

16. Summary You have now completed this module.
The key points covered were:
Tray labels identify the final destination and contents of each tray.
Different labels are needed for different products and tray sizes.
Correct tray labels are essential to ensure the timely delivery of mail.
The information contained on mail tray labels is crucial to ensuring that bulk mail gets to its correct destination.
A lodgement condition for domestic Bulk Mail Services is that articles must be placed into correctly labelled Australia Post letter trays.
There are two options for obtaining labels: Preprinted Bulk Labels and Customer Printed on Demand Labels
Australia Post offers tray labelling software (TLMS (VISA) Labelling Software) to customers at no cost.
Every six months in March and September Visa Tray label software has updates to coincide with Australia Post Sort Plans updates to ensure labelling requirements always match sort plans.
The format used for Tray label Barcodes is Code 128 type C, which is different to the structure and look of a 4 State barcode that is used in the PreSort Letters Service.

17. Assessment
You now need to complete a short assessment to check your understanding of the information covered in this module.
This assessment consists of 5 multiple-choice questions and should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.
To pass the assessment, you need to answer at least eight of these questions correctly.
Attempt this assessment as many times as you need to. If you do not pass, it is recommended that you review this module again.

18. Assessment 1 Which type of barcode format is used on tray labels?
a. Code 128 Type C
b. 4-State barcode
Correct answer = A
The format used for tray label Barcodes is Code 128 type C.

19. Assessment
What is the maximum weight of a tray including its contents? 2
a. 14 kg
b. 16 Kg
c. 18 Kg
d. 20 Kg
Correct answer = B
The maximum acceptable weight of a tray including its contents is 16kg. This is to comply with OH&S requirements.

20. Assessment 3 Why is the information on the tray label important?
a. It helps the customer check they have sorted their lodgement
b. If the tray gets lost, Australia Post knows who to charge
c. It identifies the size of the mail in the tray
d. It is crucial to ensure the bulk mail gets to its correct destination
Correct answer = D
The information contained on mail tray labels is crucial to ensure the bulk mail gets to its correct destination.

21. Assessment 4
What types of information can be obtained from a Print on Demand label?
a. Customer job number
b. Service and category used
c. Destination
d. Name of mailer
e. All of the above
Correct answer = E
Customer job number, Service and category used, Destination and Name of mailer can all be obtained from a Print on Demand label

22. Assessment 5 Why is the labelling software updated regularly?
a. To change the format of the tray label
b. To coincide with Sort Plan changes
c. To change the font of the label print
d. Because it is an activity that should be done regularly
Correct answer = B
Every six months in March and September, Australia Post updates Sort Plans due to changes in destinations, postcodes, and products. Visa Tray label software is updated to coincide with these changes.