Direct Mail 5.4 was just released today, and we’re excited to share with you some of the improvements that we have been working on…

Mojave and Dark Mode

“Mojave” is the name of Apple’s latest update to macOS, scheduled to be released later this month. If you’re planning on upgrading to Mojave, you’ll want to make sure you upgrade Direct Mail, too. One of the most eye-catching features in Mojave is an all-new “dark mode”. We have reworked Direct Mail top-to-bottom to make sure it looks great in this new mode, and we hope you’re as pleased with the results as we are:

Improved Design Test Browsing

Direct Mail Design Tests are a way for you to see pixel-perfect screenshots of what your email looks like in a variety of email clients (including mobile, web, and Windows email clients). Design tests are a great way to spot potential issues with your email design, or gain confidence that your email will look great when your recipients open it. In previous updates, we improved the process of ordering new design tests. In this update, we have improved the experience of browsing test results. Screenshots now fill more of the available screen space, and navigating between results is faster than ever. We’ve also made it easier to export the screenshots out of Direct Mail.

Sample Project and Tour

We wanted to make it easier for first-time users to learn about the powerful features packed into Direct Mail. New in Direct Mail 5.4 is a sample project that shows off some of the things you can do in Direct Mail. A guided tour at the top of the project window helps new users find their way around the app. The sample project and tour is available in the “Welcome to Direct Mail” window that appears on first launch, or at any time from the “Help” menu at the top of the screen.

More Than Meets the Eye

The improvements in Direct Mail 5.4 are more than just skin deep. We have squashed several bugs and streamlined the user interface to help you work more efficiently. We hope you to enjoy these new improvements, and look forward to your feedback! The Direct Mail 5.4 update will download to your Mac automatically over the next few days. If desired, you can update immediately by choosing “Direct Mail > Check for Software Update” from the menu bar at the top of your screen. Mac App Store customers will receive the update as soon as it is approved by Apple. Update: It has been approved, and Mac App Store customers can now download the update, as well.

Last month, Apple previewed the next big update coming to the Mac this fall: macOS 10.14 “Mojave”. We are hard at work getting Direct Mail ready for the new operating system, and will have an update ready before Mojave becomes generally available.

Please note that if you choose to install beta versions of macOS 10.14, you may encounter bugs that could interrupt your workflow. For business-critical tasks, we recommend remaining on macOS 10.13 until the public release version of 10.14 is available.

Update (August 3rd): The latest public beta of macOS 10.14 is not compatible with the current release version of Direct Mail. If you need to run Direct Mail, please do not install the public beta, and instead remain on macOS 10.13 or earlier.

Dark Mode Sneak Peek

One of Mojave’s headlining features is a brand new “Dark Mode”. We think Direct Mail looks great in dark mode and wanted to share a sneak peek of what you can look forward to in the fall!

Mojave and Apple Mail Stationery

Direct Mail has long been compatible with Apple Mail stationery (where it appears in the “Legacy” section of Direct Mail’s template chooser). However, Apple is removing Apple Mail stationery from macOS 10.14. This will not present a problem for most customers, since stationery is rarely used these days. If you are, however, using stationery in Direct Mail and wish to do so after upgrading to macOS 10.14, click here to learn what you can do to prepare. Hint: upgrade to Direct Mail 5.3 before upgrading to macOS 10.14.

Our latest free update to Direct Mail began rolling out today, and we’re excited to share with you some of the improvements you can look forward to!

Personal Data Reports

New data privacy laws around the world mean that our customers may find it necessary to respond to personal information access and erasure requests that they receive from their mailing list members. In order to make it easier for you to respond to these requests, Direct Mail now includes the ability to generate and print (or save) a formatted personal information report. If necessary, you can also now easily erase all personal information related to an individual. These features can be found by choosing Window > Personal Data from the menu bar.

Improved Performance

Updated database technology under the hood means that you should enjoy a smoother, faster Direct Mail experience, with less waiting on a spinning cursor. In addition, campaign deliveries now start 2× faster!

…and More

A new emoji button in the toolbar ?, a new “Starter” template, and a host of bug fixes are just some of the additional improvements you will find in Direct Mail 5.3. To get a full list, check out the release notes (or see them in-app by choosing Help > What’s New in Direct Mail from the menu bar).

How to Update

Your copy of Direct Mail will update automatically over the next few days. If you want to grab the update right away, open Direct Mail and choose Direct Mail > Check for Software Update from the menu bar.

This is a technical blog post for consumers of our Direct Mail API. If you would like to receive email notifications each time our API is updated, please sign up here.

If you currently use our API, we want to make you aware of some minor, non-breaking changes that rolled out this week in conjunction with our Direct Mail 5.3 update. In order to help our users comply with lawful data erasure requests that they may receive from EU citizens, Direct Mail is now able, upon user request, to delete and anonymize campaign report data specific to a particular individual. This has implications for consumers of our API:

• The JSON object that represents a campaign report recipient now has an additional boolean property named anonymized. If this property is true, it means that the information for the recipient has been anonymized/deleted, and you will find that other properties on the JSON object (e.g. email, bounce reason, etc.) are null or false, so as not to reveal information about the recipient.
• The JSON object that represents a campaign report recipient has always included links to resources related to that recipient, including archived-address, live-address, opens, and clicks. If the recipient has been anonymized, those linked resources will be anonymized (as in the case of archived-address), return 404 not found (as in the case of live-address), or return empty data sets (as in the case of opens and clicks)
• It is now possible for the number of reported opens, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, etc. for a campaign to decrease over time. This is only possible in the case that the Direct Mail user chooses to delete data for a particular individual.

We do not anticipate that the above changes will break anyone’s use of the API. This information may be useful as you update your own business processes and software to be compatible with privacy law changes around the world.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team.

A new European privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is set to take effect later this year, and its requirements are something that all email marketers should be familiar with, even if you live outside the EU. This law places new obligations on anyone that processes the personal data of EU citizens, and limits the ways in which personal data can be used. Since the definition of “personal data” includes information like names and email addresses, the GDPR very much applies to email marketing and your use of Direct Mail. You’re encouraged to familiarize yourself with the new law, and, if necessary, update your business practices to comply with the new requirements.

You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers

We have put together a guide to the GDPR, including information on how it specifically applies to your use of Direct Mail, and how Direct Mail can help you meet the requirements of the new law. For our customers in the EU who require it, we also have a Data Processing Addendum available.

Yes, Direct Mail is compatible with the GDPR

As outlined in our guide to the GDPR, Direct Mail is compatible with the requirements of the new law and can be used to process the personal data (i.e. email addresses, names, etc.) of your mailing list subscribers. It is important to remember, however, that you control the personal data that is being inputted into Direct Mail and, as such, should only do so in a manner compatible with the requirements of the GDPR. Among other things, this means making sure you obtained consent from the people on your mailing list, or have another legal basis for emailing them. Please see our guide for more detail.

Yes, you can use Direct Mail if you are located in the EU

You can lawfully use Direct Mail even if you are located in an EU member state. As explained in our guide to the GDPR, we have certified to the cross-border Privacy Shield framework, which provides you a recognized legal basis for using Direct Mail to process the personal data of EU citizens.

How Direct Mail can help

There are many ways that Direct Mail can help you meet the requirements of the new law—our guide explains them all—but one of the best is our easy-to-use subscribe forms. You can use Direct Mail’s subscribe form editor to create attractive email sign-up forms that can be placed on your website, Facebook page, iPad, and more. When people join your mailing list via these forms, you’ll have a full record of their consent that meets the requirements of the GDPR.

Another easy way Direct Mail can help is through the use of our built-in “unsubscribe” and “update email address” links. These links allow your subscribers to easily withdraw their consent or update their personal data at any time, without requiring any work on your part. Direct Mail’s built-in templates already include these links by default, but if you are using a custom template (or a “Plain” template), then you can add them by following these instructions: adding an “unsubscribe” link, adding an “update email address” link

Conclusion

The new GDPR law is set to take effect soon, and it’s important to be aware of its requirements. Our guide to the GDPR is a great place to start to familiarize yourself with the new rules. Luckily, Direct Mail is fully compatible with the GDPR for users inside the EU and out, and includes tools you can use to bring your own business into compliance. Our support team stands ready to answer any questions you might have, and, as always, welcomes your feedback.