A facing identification mark (FIM) is a pattern of vertical bars printed in the upper-right portion of a mailpiece, to the left of the postage area. The FIM tells automated processing equipment some of what it needs to know to do its job. The FIM allows automatic facing (orientation) of letter-size mail for cancellation (postmarking). The FIM also identifies reply mail that bears preprinted barcodes, and the automated processing equipment routes barcoded mail directly to high-speed barcode sorters.
