Postal Encyclopedia
Plain-English USPS and direct-mail terms for customers planning print, mail, and print-and-mail jobs. This is a practical Plavidian guide; final mail classification, postage, and preparation are confirmed after list processing and production review.
How to Read Common Permit Indicia
Marketing Mail / Presorted Standard
PRSRT STD means USPS Marketing Mail, not First-Class. ECRWSS indicates every carrier route walk-sequence saturation. U.S. POSTAGE PAID, the entry city/ZIP, and permit number identify how postage was paid and where it was accepted.
Presorted First-Class
PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL indicates a First-Class presort mailing. It should not show PRSRT STD or ECRWSS. The indicia includes postage-paid language, entry office, and permit number.
Phoenix Flats Machine + Stacker Bundle Sortation
How Plavidian protects sort order
The Kirk-Rudy Phoenix is a flats-only production/addressing system. For flats work produced on the Phoenix with stacker, Plavidian uses machine tracking, output order, and stacker handling to preserve the list/output sequence used for USPS bundle and pallet preparation. The system keeps bundle breaks, top-piece OELs, ZIP sections, production counts, and pallet-preparation order aligned with the final print file.
Verified recovery of bad pieces
Unlike traditional mail-shop workflows where jams or misprints may be manually pulled and guessed back into sequence, the Phoenix workflow tracks pieces through production, detects unreadable, jammed, or bad pieces, auto-diverts failed pieces out of the live stream, and queues them for controlled reprint/recovery. The job is reconciled so the confirmed job list is printed completely while protecting bundle sortation and avoiding duplicate or out-of-order mailpieces.
MCS Eagle Letter / Booklet Addressing
The MCS Eagle is used for letters, #10 envelope packages, booklet addressing workflows, and similar non-flat mailpieces. It supports Cognex Camera Verification for jobs where Plavidian needs additional variable-data production verification.
This production note describes Plavidian's internal flats/addressing workflow. Final USPS preparation is still confirmed from the processed list, final addressing output, production count, bundle/pallet documentation, and mail acceptance requirements.
AADC
Automated Area Distribution Center
A USPS processing facility sort level used for automation mail prepared to groups of ZIP Codes served by an area distribution center.
ACS
Address Change Service
USPS electronic address-correction service that can return move and undeliverable information instead of relying only on physical returned mail.
Address Block
Delivery address area
The area containing recipient name, delivery address, city, state, ZIP Code, and often the Intelligent Mail barcode.
Alternative Address Format
Current resident / occupant addressing
An addressing method such as “OR CURRENT RESIDENT” used when a mailer wants delivery to the address even if the named recipient is no longer there.
Ancillary Service Endorsement
Forwarding/return instructions
Printed instructions such as Address Service Requested or Return Service Requested that tell USPS what to do with undeliverable mail.
Automation Rate
Barcode/readability discount
A discounted rate for qualifying mail prepared with readable barcodes, proper addressing, and USPS automation-compatible design.
BMEU
Business Mail Entry Unit
The USPS unit where commercial mailings are accepted, verified, and paid.
CASS
Coding Accuracy Support System
USPS-certified address matching software that standardizes addresses and appends ZIP+4, carrier route, and delivery-point data when available.
Carrier Route
Route-level sort
Mail prepared by the USPS carrier route that delivers it. Carrier-route preparation can qualify for lower postage when density and preparation rules are met.
CRID
Customer Registration ID
A USPS identifier for a business location or mail owner in PostalOne!/Business Customer Gateway workflows.
DDU
Destination Delivery Unit
The destination post office or delivery unit responsible for final delivery to the addressed route or ZIP Code.
DSCF
Destination Sectional Center Facility
Destination entry at the SCF serving the delivery ZIP Codes, often used to improve timing and reduce postage for qualifying mail.
eDoc
Electronic documentation
Electronic postage statements and mailing documentation used for Full-Service, Seamless, eInduction, and PostalOne! workflows.
EDDM
Every Door Direct Mail
A USPS service for mailing to entire carrier routes without a named address list. Retail EDDM does not support Informed Delivery ride-along campaigns because it does not use an IMb on each piece.
eInduction
Electronic drop-shipment induction
USPS electronic verification of destination-entered mailings and containers, reducing paper forms and supporting destination-entry logistics.
Facing Identification Mark
FIM
A pattern of vertical bars printed near the postage area on certain reply mail pieces to support USPS processing.
Flat
Large envelope/catalog-sized mail
A mailpiece larger than letter dimensions that remains flexible and meets USPS flat-size standards.
Folded Self-Mailer
FSM
A folded mailpiece sent without an envelope. Fold orientation, final size, tabs, and address placement must meet USPS rules.
Full-Service IMb
Full-Service Intelligent Mail
A USPS program using unique Intelligent Mail barcodes, electronic documentation, and mail visibility data for qualifying commercial mail.
High Density
HD
A carrier-route pricing category based on delivering enough pieces per route to qualify for a density discount.
High Density Plus
HD Plus
A deeper carrier-route density category for higher saturation of a carrier route.
IMb
Intelligent Mail barcode
A USPS barcode that can encode tracking, routing, mailer identification, and service information for letters and flats.
Indicia
Permit imprint postage marking
The printed postage/payment block usually located in the upper-right corner of a mailpiece.
Informed Delivery
USPS email preview program
A free USPS consumer program that allows eligible campaigns to add a digital ride-along image and clickable URL to Daily Digest email previews.
LACSLink
Locatable Address Conversion
USPS data used to convert old rural-style or changed addresses to current city-style addresses when available.
Letter
Letter-size mail
A machinable letter generally falls between 3.5 x 5 inches and 6.125 x 11.5 inches and within thickness/weight limits.
Mail.dat
Mailing documentation file format
A standardized file set used to submit commercial mailing documentation electronically to USPS.
Mailer ID
MID
A USPS-issued number used in Intelligent Mail barcodes and electronic documentation to identify the mailer or mail owner.
Marketing Mail
Advertising/promotional mail class
A USPS class for advertising and promotional mail. It has lower postage than First-Class but different forwarding/return treatment by default.
Move Update
Address-update requirement
USPS requirement to update addresses within the required timeframe using approved methods such as NCOA Link for many commercial mailings.
NCOA Link
National Change of Address processing
USPS-licensed processing that checks addresses against change-of-address records to identify moves and forwarding addresses.
Nonautomation
Non-barcode/non-automation pricing
Mail that does not qualify for automation prices, often due to preparation, addressing, barcode, or machinability limitations.
Nonprofit Marketing Mail
Authorized nonprofit rates
Reduced USPS Marketing Mail prices available to qualifying organizations with USPS nonprofit authorization.
OCR Read Area
Letter address read area
The lower portion of a letter-size mailpiece where USPS equipment expects to read the delivery address and barcode.
Permit Imprint
Permit postage payment method
Postage paid through a USPS permit account and shown by printed indicia rather than stamps or meters.
Phoenix Flats Stacker
Plavidian flats-only verified flats workflow
The Kirk-Rudy Phoenix is used for flats only. The Phoenix production workflow tracks each piece through the flats addressing run, uses camera/print verification to detect unreadable, jammed, or bad pieces, auto-diverts failed pieces out of the live stream, and queues them for controlled reprint/recovery. This gives Plavidian a 100% confirmed printed list while preserving bundle breaks, top-piece OELs, ZIP sections, and pallet preparation order.
Track and Trace / Piece Tracking Reports
IMb scan reporting
One service name for USPS IMb scan visibility reports as mail moves through processing.
Postage Statement
USPS mailing statement
The USPS form or electronic statement summarizing mail class, counts, sortation, entry, and postage due.
Presort
Sorting before USPS entry
Sorting mail by ZIP, route, or facility before entry to qualify for USPS workshare discounts.
PRSRT STD
Presorted Standard
A common indicia marking for USPS Marketing Mail, formerly Standard Mail.
Return Service Requested
Return endorsement
An ancillary endorsement that directs USPS to return undeliverable mail with the new address or reason for nondelivery when applicable.
Ride-Along Image
Informed Delivery campaign image
The color image shown in a subscriber Daily Digest email for an eligible Informed Delivery campaign, typically linked to a campaign URL.
SCF
Sectional Center Facility
A USPS processing facility serving groups of ZIP Codes. SCF entry can affect postage and delivery timing.
Seamless Acceptance
Automated USPS verification
USPS acceptance program that uses electronic documentation and scan data to evaluate mail quality rather than relying only on manual acceptance checks.
Seed List
Monitoring addresses
Additional addresses included in a mailing so the mailer, client, or campaign can verify delivery and timing.
Single-Piece
Nonpresorted individual postage
Postage price used for pieces not qualifying for presort/automation discounts, such as First-Class nonpresorted/single-piece machinable letters.
Saturation
Route coverage level
A high-density carrier-route category where most delivery points on a route receive the mailpiece.
Tabbing
Wafer seal closure
Applying tabs or wafer seals to folded self-mailers/booklets so they stay closed during USPS processing.
UAA
Undeliverable As Addressed
Mail USPS cannot deliver as addressed because of issues such as moves, incomplete addresses, vacancies, or no mail receptacle.
ZIP+4
Enhanced ZIP Code
A nine-digit ZIP Code that identifies a smaller delivery segment and supports accurate routing, barcoding, and automation.