Do Not Obliterate the Barcode

The Intelligent Mail® barcode contains important data that is used to provide mailers — including the Census Bureau — with information, such as when the mailing entered the mailstream and undeliverable or address cor­rection information. But technology cannot reliably pro­duce this information if it can’t read the barcode.

That’s why the Postal Service™ is telling employees to make sure they don’t obliterate the barcode as mail moves through the system. Specifically, employees should not mark through, obliterate, or affix any labels over the Intelli­gent Mail barcode.

Also, the Postal Service wants to make sure that when employees mark up First-Class Mail® items, they use only clear space on the front of the envelope, being careful not to mark over any address or barcode information.