The United States Postal Service has adopted new address placement and formatting requirements for Periodicals, Standard Mail, Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail flat-size pieces sent at Automation, Presorted, or Carrier Route prices.

The new standards, effective March 29, 2009, require the delivery address to be placed in the upper portion of each of these types of pieces. The upper portion is defined as the top half of a mail piece but the Postal Service encourages mailers to place the address as close to the top edge of the piece as possible while still maintaining a required 1/8" clearance on all sides between the address and the edge of the piece. The delivery address may appear on the front or the back of the mail piece but must be on the side bearing postage (if applicable), and the address must run parallel or perpendicular to the top edge but cannot be upside down in relation to the top edge. (See diagram of proper orientation below.)

The new regulations also require that all imprinting of addresses be done in a minimum of 8 point type.

Although this regulation doesn't take effect until March of 2009, designers, printers, and mailers should start incorporating these standards into pieces now so as to be in conformity by next March. One thing to keep in mind is that more space may be needed for the imprinting of addresses in order to conform with the 8 point type minumum ruling. Please check with us if you have any concerns about whether your mailing piece will be in conformity.