indiciaYes.  The United States Postal Service has initiated a new program that will allow mailers to use the permit imprint area, known as the indicia, for marketing purposes.  This upper right hand corner of your mail piece can now be used to further brand your organization.

The process to get started will take some time and there is a small addition to the cost for each mail piece.  The first step is to  submit the initial form to the USPS for approval.  Once approved you will then be able to go online to register and complete an additional form, submit your proposed design of the indicia in a PDF format and receive approval to move on to the next step.

The next part of the approval process will take about 30 to 45 days to complete.  When you have received the approval from USPS for your design, you will be provided instructions on how to produce a test mailing of 500 pieces.  The USPS will then use these pieces to test the electronic readability and reliability of the permit imprint.  After this step, just supply the mailing schedule and estimated number of pieces to the postal service and you will be free to use your new marketing resource.  Be aware that there is an additional cost of 1-2 cents per mail piece to use this service.