Label — the address-bearing strip of paper, usually affixed by machine, that allows direct mailers to address many envelopes quickly.

Late charge — A charge imposed by list owners for list rentals not paid by the agreed date.

Layout — A sketch of a proposed piece, the first step in the design process.

Lead generation — A method of getting responder names without getting a payment, such as by sending away for a free gift, or calling an 800 number. A mailer who uses a lead generation package will often be required to pay a surcharge.

Length of residence — A selection feature on many lists compiled from vehicle registration or telephone directory data.

Library lists — Lists of private, public, university, school and special libraries, selectable by type, size and budget.

Lifestyle selectivity — Lists based on surveys that offer information on consumer's interests and hobbies, to ensure well-targeted mailings.

List — See Mailing list.

List affinity — Matching a promotion's offer to the available mailing lists.

List broker — A go-between who matches list owners and list renters for a commission paid by the list owner.

List building — The process of compiling a list through data collection, acquisition, entry and processing.

List bulletin — An announcement of a newly-available list or of changes to an old list.

List card — See Data card.

List catalog — Directories of lists, including selects and prices.

List cleaning — Updating a list by killing out-of-date records and undeliverable addresses.

List compilation — Creating lists from directories and other sources.

List count — The number of addresses on a segment of a mailing list, or the universe of names available for certain selects.

List criteria — The types of selects available on a list, including demographic, psychographic and geographic data.

List, custom compiled — A hand-typed list created to the renter's exact specifications.

List enhancement — Adding data elements to a list through an overlay of information either from inside or outside sources.

List exchange — See Exchange.

List franchise — An agreement by a major list compiler to provide copies of files to list wholesalers and mailshops on a fee or royalty basis.

List key — See Code.

List maintenance — The long-term upkeep on a list, keeping files up-to-date and deleting undeliverable addresses.

List manager — A person or agency working on behalf of the list owner, who handles promotion, rental and control of lists.

List monitoring — A list owner's means of ensuring that a mailing conforms to the agreed-upon maildate, package description and rental agreement, using decoys or seed names.

List payment — The amount paid for rental of a list, either directly to the list owner or through a broker.

List performance — The response rate for a given segment of a list.

List protection — Guarding the value of a list with seed names and single-use guarantees.

List rental — A mailer's means of obtaining a list, usually for a one-time use only, at a cost per thousand names.

List segment — A group within a list that can be more responsive for a mailer than the entire list.

List select — See List segment.

List source — How names were generated that were put on a mailing list. This could be from direct mail, TV ads, space ads or any other media. When mailing to lists of responders to the same product, the source of a list can influence returns.

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