Summary
M012 describes the standards for markings, endorsements, and placement on First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, and Package Services. It also covers the placement of endorsements for delivery services and ancillary services.
Except for single-piece First-Class Mail, mailpieces must be marked under the corresponding standards to show the class of service and/or rate paid:
a. Single-piece First-Class Mail may be identified under M110.
b. Presorted First-Class Mail and Standard Mail must be marked under 2.0.
c. Package Services must be marked under 3.0.
d. Priority Mail must be identified under E120.
e. Periodicals must be identified under E211.
f. Express Mail is identified with the Express Mail mailing label (Label 11 or Form 5625) without any other required class or rate marking.
g. All mailable hazardous materials must be labeled and/or marked as required in C020.
Enclosures, attachments, and mixed rate mailpieces must be marked under the applicable standards in E070, M070, and P070.
Required markings may be printed by a postage meter or other means that ensures a legible marking. A marking may not include or be part of a decorative design or advertisement.
[8-10-03] Markings must be placed as follows:
a. Basic Marking. The basic required marking that indicates the class or subclassFirst-Class, Presorted Standard or PRSRT STD, or Nonprofit Organization (or Nonprofit Org. or Nonprofit)must be printed or produced as part of, or directly below or to the left of, the permit imprint indicia, meter stamp or impression, or adhesive or precanceled stamp.
b. Other Markings. The rate-specific markings AUTO, AUTOCR, Presorted (or PRSRT); Single-Piece (or SNGLP) (First-Class Mail only); and ECRLOT, ECRWSH, ECRWSS, and Customized MarketMail (or CUST MKTMAIL or CMM) (Standard Mail only) may be placed as follows:
(1) In the location specified in 2.1a.
(2) In the address area on the line directly above or two lines above the address if the marking appears alone or if no other information appears on the line with the marking except optional endorsement line information under M013 or carrier route package information under M014.
(3) If preceded by two asterisks (**), the AUTO, AUTOCR, PRESORTED (or PRSRT), CUSTOMIZED MARKETMAIL (or CUST MKTMAIL or CMM), or Single-Piece (or SNGLP) marking also may be placed on the line directly above or two lines above the address in a mailer keyline or a manifest keyline, or it may be placed above the address and below the postage in an MLOCR ink-jet printed date correction/meter drop shipment line. Alternatively, the AUTO, AUTOCR, PRSRT, or SNGLP marking may be placed to the left of the barcode clear zone (subject to the standards in C840) on letter-size pieces.
c. Additional Requirements for Carrier Route. AUTOCR, ECRLOT, ECRWSH, and ECRWSS (Standard Mail only) must appear in their entirety wherever placed, except ECR may be placed in the postage area if LOT, WSH, or WSS, as applicable, is placed in the line above or two lines above the address, as specified in 2.1b. Pieces not mailed at ECR rates must not bear these markings.
Exceptions are as follows:
a. Automation Letters: Non-carrier route First-Class Mail and Standard Mail letters do not require an AUTO marking if they bear a DPBC in the address block or on an insert visible through a window. Non-carrier route First-Class Mail letters not marked AUTO must bear both the Presorted or PRSRT and First-Class markings. Non-carrier route Standard Mail letters not marked AUTO must bear the appropriate basic marking in 2.1a.
b. Automation Flats: First-Class Mail and Standard Mail flats do not require an AUTO marking. First-Class Mail flats not marked AUTO must bear both the Presorted or PRSRT and First-Class markings. Standard Mail flats not marked AUTO must bear the appropriate basic marking in 2.1a.
c. Manifest Mailings. The basic marking must appear in the postage area on each piece as required in 2.1a. The two-letter rate category code required in the keyline on manifest mailing pieces prepared under P910 meets the requirement for other rate markings (e.g., on a First-Class piece mailed at automation carrier route rates, the AC code may replace the AUTOCR marking).
d. MLOCR Prepared Automation Mailings. The basic marking must appear in the postage area on each piece as required in 2.1a. The other AUTO marking described in 2.1b must be replaced by the appropriate identifier/rate code marking described in P960 on those pieces that have the marking applied by an MLOCR. This seven-character marking provides a description of the Product Month Designator, MASS/FASTforward System Identifier, postage payment method, and the rate of postage affixed for metered and precanceled stamp mail or other postage information for permit imprint mail.
The basic required Package Services subclass markingParcel Post or PP, Bound Printed Matter or BPM, Media Mail, or Library Mailmust be printed on each piece claimed at the respective rate. For Parcel Post destination entry rate mail, the marking Parcel Select may be used as the basic required marking instead of Parcel Post. The basic required marking must be placed in the postage area (i.e., printed or produced as part of, or directly below or to the left of, the permit imprint indicia or meter stamp or impression). Optionally, the basic required marking may be printed on the shipping address label as service indicators composed of a service icon and service banner (see Exhibit 3.1):
a. The service icon that will identify all Package Services subclasses will be a 1-inch solid black square. If the service icon is used, it must appear in the upper left corner of the shipping label.
b. The service banner must appear directly below the postage payment area and the service icon, and it must extend across the shipping label. If the service banner is used, the appropriate subclass marking (e.g., PARCEL POST, BOUND PRINTED MATTER) must be preceded by the text USPS and must be printed in minimum 20-point bold sans serif typeface, uppercase letters, centered within the banner, and bordered above and below by minimum 1-point separator lines. There must be a 1/16-inch clearance above and below the text.
Exhibit 3.1Package Services Indicators
Each piece in a Parcel Select (destination entry Parcel Post) mailing must bear a marking to indicate it was mailed at a destination entry rate. If the Parcel Select marking is used as the basic marking in the postage area on such pieces under 3.1, no additional marking is required because the Parcel Select marking identifies the mail as destination entry rate mail. If the Parcel Post (or PP) marking is used as the basic marking in the postage area under 3.1, one or both of the following markings also must appear on each piece in the mailing to identify it as destination entry rate mail: (1) Drop Ship (or D/S); (2) Parcel Select. These additional destination entry rate markings must appear in either the postage area described in 3.1 or in the address area on the line directly above or two lines above the address if the marking appears alone (i.e., if no other information appears on that line). The Parcel Select and Drop Ship (or D/S) markings must not appear on Parcel Post mail that is entered at rates other than DBMC, DSCF, or DDU destination entry rates.
In addition to the basic marking in 3.1, each piece of Bound Printed Matter mailed at a presorted or carrier route rate must bear additional rate markings. The additional markings may be placed in the postage area as specified in 3.1. Alternatively, these markings may be placed in the address area on the line directly above or two lines above the address if the marking appears alone, or if no other information appears on the line with the marking except postal optional endorsement line information under M013 or postal carrier route package information under M014. The additional rate markings are:
a. For Presorted rate mail, the additional required marking is Presorted (or PRSRT). For presorted flats claiming the barcoded discount prepared under M820, the optional marking AUTO may be used in place of Presorted (or PRSRT). If the AUTO marking is not used, the automation rate flats must bear the Presorted (or PRSRT) rate marking.
b. For carrier route rate mail, the additional required marking is Carrier Route Presort (or CAR-RT SORT).
Each piece of Media Mail mailed at a presorted rate must bear the required marking Presorted or PRSRT in addition to the basic marking specified in 3.1. This additional marking may be placed in the postage area as specified in 3.1. Alternatively, these markings may be placed in the address area on the line directly above or two lines above the address if the marking appears alone, or if no other information appears on the line with the marking except postal optional endorsement line information under M013.
Each piece of Library Mail mailed at a presorted rate must bear the required marking Presorted or PRSRT in addition to the basic marking specified in 3.1. This additional marking may be placed in the postage area as specified in 3.1. Alternatively, these markings may be placed in the address area on the line directly above or two lines above the address if the marking appears alone, or if no other information appears on the line with the marking except postal optional endorsement line information under M013.
The mailer must place the correct endorsement on each mailpiece to provide delivery instructions (retention period under F030 or carrier release under D042) or to request an ancillary service (forwarding, return, or address correction under F010), subject to the corresponding standards for use and availability.
A domestic return address as presented in A010 must be used and placed in the upper left corner of the address side of the mailpiece or the upper left corner of the addressing area. If the return address is a multiple delivery address, it must show a unit designator (e.g., an apartment number).
The placement of the endorsement on the mailpiece is determined as follows:
a. The carrier release endorsement must be placed directly below the return address. If any other endorsement is used, the carrier release endorsement must be separated by the equivalent of one blank line of the type size used.
b. A retention period specified by the mailer must be placed directly above the return address.
c. Any ancillary service endorsement must be placed in one of these four positions:
(1) Directly below the return address.
(2) Directly above the delivery address area (which includes the delivery address block and any related nonaddress elements such as a barcode, keyline, or optional endorsement line).
(3) Directly to the left of the postage area and below or to the left of any rate marking.
(4) Directly below the postage area and below any rate marking.
The endorsement or, if combined, endorsements must meet these physical standards:
a. The type size of the endorsement must be at least 8 points.
b. The read direction of the endorsement and return address must be the same as the read direction of the delivery address.
c. The color contrast between the endorsement and the mailpiece background must be kept at a reasonable degree. A brilliant colored background or reverse printing is not permitted.
d. A clear space of at least 1/4 inch around (above, below, and both sides) the total area containing the endorsement(s) is required. This 1/4-inch clear space is not required for an endorsement that is applied with a multiline optical character reader (MLOCR) inkjet and placed in the location directly below the postage area and any rate marking under 4.3c(4) if the endorsement is clear and legible.
DMM Issue 58 (8-10-03)