Getting Started with Docmail

Docmail is a print-and-post API. You send us documents and addresses; we print, envelope, and post them via Royal Mail.

Quick Orientation

What you want to do	Where to go
Send your first test letter	Quickstart guides
Understand test vs live mode	Test Mode
Set up your account	Account Setup
Go live with real mailings	Going Live

The 60-Second Version

1. Create account at https://www.cfhdocmail.com (free, instant)
2. Enable API access - visit Admin, then My Login Details and ensure "Allow web service access?" is checked
3. Send test mailing - prefix the name in the CustomerApplication field with [Test]
4. Check status - poll GetStatus until you receive a response of Mailing submitted
5. Go live - Complete the approval questionnaire, configure payment and remove [Test] prefix

How Docmail Works

Every mailing follows the same lifecycle:

Key concept: Docmail processes asynchronously. When you submit a mailing, you get a tracking ID immediately. The actual processing (validation, proof generation, pricing) happens in the background. You must poll GetStatus or use callbacks to know when it's complete.

Two Ways to Submit

Approach	Best for	Calls needed
Zip file (recommended)	Most integrations, batch processing	3 calls
Individual calls	Fine-grained control, conditional logic	6+ calls

The zip approach bundles your document, address list, and configuration into a single file. Docmail unpacks and processes it asynchronously. Simpler, faster, fewer round-trips.

It's a SOAP API

Docmail uses SOAP over HTTPS, not REST. If you're used to REST APIs:

REST concept	SOAP equivalent
Endpoint per resource	Single endpoint, operation in payload
HTTP status codes	Always 200; check response body for errors
JSON	XML (with JSON option in response payload)
OpenAPI spec	WSDL at https://www.cfhdocmail.com/LiveAPI2/DMWS.asmx?WSDL

Most languages have SOAP client libraries that handle the XML for you. See the quickstart for your language.

Environments

Environment	Purpose	Endpoint
Live	Real mailings, real money, real post	https://www.cfhdocmail.com/LiveAPI2/DMWS.asmx
Test	Same endpoint, [Test] prefix triggers test mode	Same as above

There is no separate sandbox server. Test mode is activated by prefixing your CustomerApplication parameter with [Test]. See Test Mode.

Next Steps

First time? Pick your language and follow the quickstart:

• cURL - test from terminal, no setup
• Java
• C#
• Python
• JavaScript/Node.js

Already explored? Read about going live when you're ready for production.