Effective November 1, 2010, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 507.9 to permit customers producing letter-size (including cards) Business Reply Mail® (BRM) pieces with Intelligent Mail® barcodes the option to omit the horizontal bars that are printed below the postage imprint.
Business mailers have requested design changes, such as removing the horizontal bars, on BRM letters and cards to provide additional space on the mailpiece. The Postal Service reviewed this request and determined that while the horizontal bars are easily recognizable and help to ensure postage is collected for this mail, it is feasible to make the bars optional when using an Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb™), without risk to postal revenue.
Mailers may design BRM letters and cards that bear an IMb with or without the horizontal bars. The Postal Service–preferred BRM design includes the horizontal bars.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
500 Additional Mailing Services
* * * * *
507 Mailer Services
* * * * *
9.0 Business Reply Mail (BRM)
* * * * *
9.7 Mailpiece Characteristics
* * * * *
9.7.5 Window Envelopes
The following standards apply to BRM prepared in an open-panel or a covered window envelope:
* * * * *
b. Covered window envelopes:
[Revise text in 9.7.5b1 by inserting a new last sentence as follows:]
1. ***Horizontal bars may be omitted only on letter-size BRM bearing Intelligent Mail barcodes.
* * * * *
c. Open panel window envelopes:
[Revise text in 9.7.5c1 by inserting a sentence at the end as follows:]
1. ***Horizontal bars may be omitted only on letter-size BRM bearing Intelligent Mail barcodes.
* * * * *
9.7.9 Labels for Letter-Size Pieces
The following standards apply to BRM labels for use on letter-size pieces:
[Add a new second to last sentence to 9.7.9a as follows:]
a. ***Exception: The vertical series of horizontal bars must be at least 3/4-inch high. Horizontal bars may be omitted on BRM letter-size pieces bearing Intelligent Mail barcodes.***
* * * * *
9.8 Format Elements
* * * * *
9.8.7 Horizontal Bars
[Add new last sentence to 9.8.7 as follows:]
***Horizontal bars may be omitted on BRM letters and cards bearing Intelligent Mail barcodes.
* * * * *
We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the DMM and into the monthly update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Mailing Standards,
Pricing, 10-21-10
