USPS Adopts New Addressing Standards
The U.S. Postal Service has formally adopted new address requirements for automation, presorted, and carrier route flat-size (catalog) mail.
The new standards will be published soon in the Federal Register and will take effect on March 29, 2009. Specifically, these standards apply to address placement and formatting of standard mail, periodicals, , bound printed matter, media mail and library mail flat-size pieces sent at automation, presorted or carrier route prices. The USPS has also revised standards for automation and presorted first-class mail flats.
The USPS developed these standards to automate delivery of flats which it said is made possible by its new flats sequencing system technology.
Under the new standards, mailers may place the address parallel or perpendicular to the top edge of an envelope but not upside down as read in relation to the top edge, according to the USPS.
Mailers must also address all presorted, carrier route and automation flat-size mail pieces using a minimum of 8-point type or, if the mail piece bears a Postnet or Intelligent Mail barcode with a delivery point routing code, a minimum of 6-point type in all capital letters.
In addition, for all automation price pieces, the address characters must not overlap, address lines must not touch or overlap and each address element may be separated by no more than five blank character spaces
