In May 2011, the USPS will be discontinuing the Postnet barcode in favor of he Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB).  The IMB allows more information to be encoded in a similar amount of space, allowing the USPS to offer more versatility in the barcode.

Post Masters has already made the transition to the IMB for all of the mail we address and barcode.  The situation our customers need to be aware of is that their pre-printed reply envelopes will need to be re-designed to this new standard.

If you are using a Business Reply Envelope, Courtesy Reply Envelope, Metered Reply Envelope, or Permit Reply Envelope, make sure you have your envelopes re-designed prior to your next re-order.  You will no longer be able to use reply envelopes with a Postnet barcode beginning in May 2011.

A Postnet barcode is a series of tall and short bars with a common baseline. 

An Intelligent Mail barcode is made of four types of bars, ascenders, descenders, full bars and tracking bars, with a baseline in the center of the barcode.

The United States Postal Service has Mailpiece Design Analysts to assist you in obtaining the correct camera-ready artwork for your reply envelopes.  To find the MDA in your area, go to http://pe.usps.gov/mpdesign/mpdfr_mda_lookup.asp.  As always, don’t hesitate to use Post Masters as a resource if you have any questions.