My advertiser prefers mailed affidavits. Do I still need to submit the affidavit through Column?

Column understands that many clients may still prefer mailed affidavits. We've built Column with this preference in mind and have developed a few ways to make this process easier.

In short: Yes, you still must submit a digital affidavit through Column in addition to mailing the affidavit. Column aims to be your newspaper's affidavit management system, containing a comprehensive digital repository of affidavits. Our goal is for newspapers to replace their cabinet filing affidavit systems with a digital file affidavit system, now or at some point in the future.

That said, Column has designed software with mailed affidavits in mind, and we hope to enhance the mailing process. Three key features help publishers with mailed affidavits:

• When an advertiser places a notice and requests a mailed affidavit, the advertiser must enter their mailing addresses and number of copies requested. This information is presented to the newspaper so that you always know where to send your affidavits.

• Column has implemented technology that programmatically sends mail. With this feature, you can send snail mail with the click of a button. Learn more here.

• Column presents advertisers with the option to request a mailed affidavit. We've found that many advertisers might not need a mailed affidavit and that digital is sufficient for them. With this in mind, Column hopes to reduce the number of snail mail affidavits a newspaper needs to send—saving you time and money.