The U.S. postal service is weeks away from defaulting on a legally required $5.5 billion payment into a health benefits fund for future retirees, according to an article in the Federal Times.

While Congress has stepped in before, either to reduce the legally required amount or to push back the deadline, House leaders have showed no sign of intervening until at least this fall. A schedule laid out in the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act says the organization is to make a $5.6 billion payment into the retiree health fund at the end of September.

In addition, the USPS is making changes to uphold network optimization and delivery standards by closing select facilities to save money. An article in the July edition of Quick Printing magazine stated that after decades of expansion, in order to keep pace with the demand for mail services, there is now an excess of mail processing facilities, pieces of equipment, vehicles, and employees.

However, the USPS reassured mailers that there will be no major consolidations during the election mailing period in the fall and there will be no changes to retail services and business mail acceptance at any of the Area Mail Processing (AMP) study facilities.

While the USPS is having financial difficulties, the benefits of print in a digital world are still great. Individuals still desire to have an outlet for communication that is not necessarily on a computer screen. For example, as reported by Printing Impressions, Tukaiz, a marketing services production company, launched an application that allows consumers to create and send an actual printed postcard through the mail – with the option to create one through text message, email or Facebook as well.

Businesses and organizations will continue to find ways to cater to customers who wish to send and receive physical copies of letters, postcards and greeting cards. Investing in custom presentation binders is an ideal way to not only preserve, but also creatively organize and store the original form of written communication.