| The Intelligent Mail® Tray Label | ||||
| What is the Intelligent Mail® Tray Label? | ||||
| The Intelligent Mail Tray Label is a new label format that will be used on all trays, tubs, and sacks. These new labels will include a unique 24-digit Intelligent Mail Tray barcode instead of the legacy 10-digit barcode currently in use. These labels will allow the Postal Service to uniquely identify each tray, tub, and sack as well as the originator of each handling unit as it makes its way throughout the Postal Service’s mail processing and transportation networks. | ||||
| To give mailers and the Postal Service time to transition their equipment and processes to print and process the new 24-digit label prior to May 2009, the Postal Service and mailers will initially print and use the 10/24 transitional Intelligent Mail Tray labels. These transitional labels will contain both the 10-digit and 24-digit tray barcodes. | ||||
| • View a fact sheet that summarizes the specifications for the Intelligent Mail Tray label formats ( PDF/84K or Word/368K). For additional details, view the detailed 10/24-digit tray label specifications, (USPS-L-3191), (PDF/321K or Word/892K) or view the detailed pure 24-digit tray label specifications, (USPS-L-3216), (PDF/194K or Word/633K) | ||||
| In addition to the ZIP Code and Content Identification Number (CIN), the 24-digit Intelligent Mail barcode allows for a unique Serial number and a unique Mailer ID (MID), which provide a range of benefits to mailers. The MID is an optional 6- or 9-digit Postal-assigned identifier offered to Postal customers. Contact PostalOne!® Customer Care at (800) 522-9085 or see www.usps.com/postalone/contact.htm with questions regarding the use and/or assignment of a MID. | ||||
Intelligent Mail® Tray Label Certification Guide | ||||
Intelligent Mail® Tray Label Sample Brochure | ||||
Intelligent Mail® Tray Label Vendors List (RTF) (PDF) | ||||
| What is the Customer Label Distribution System? | ||||
| The Customer Label Distribution System (CLDS) is a new Web-based system that will soon be made available to mailers. CLDS will allow mailers to submit online label orders to the Label Production Center at Topeka, KS. Mailers will also be able to save and reuse orders as well as track active orders. | ||||
| What are the benefits of the Intelligent Mail Tray Label? | ||||
The Intelligent Mail Tray label will improve the way that mailers do business with the Postal Service by:
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| When will mailers begin to use the Intelligent Mail Tray label? | ||||
| This newly defined IM™ tray label program is seen as a long-term strategy, which ideally recommends the adoption of the pure 24-digit IM tray label format with a “one-time,” network-wide switchover. However, the transition from the legacy 10-digit tray and sack barcode label format to the 24-digit IM tray label involves two major areas. The first area is the conversion of all label production systems. The second area is the extensive conversion of all mail acceptance systems and material handling systems that currently scan the tray labels. While the Postal Service and mailing community get prepared to begin using the pure 24-digit IM tray label, the Postal Service has already implemented an interim label format - the transitional 10/24 Intelligent Mail tray label. This interim label format will be in use while the migration to the pure 24-digit IM tray label format is underway. The transitional 10/24-digit IM tray label format provides many of the additional data elements (and related benefits) associated with the 24-digit IM tray label without changing or negatively impacting standard operating practices. While the size of some human readable text is sacrificed in the new 10/24-digit IM tray label, the two barcodes are necessary to make a smooth transition to the pure 24-digit IM tray label format. | ||||
| Note: The pure 24-digit tray label specifications, (USPS-L-3216), are only being provided as a courtesy. Mail cannot be tendered with the pure 24-digit IM Tray label until May 2009. Manufacturers and providers of software that will be capable of producing the pure 24-digit IM Tray label must warn their users that they cannot use the pure 24-digit labels for production mailings until May 2009. | ||||
| Policy guidelines on the adoption and usage of the IM tray label formats shall be as stipulated in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal service, Domestic Mail Manual - DMM® (DMM). | ||||
| How does the Intelligent Mail Tray Label fit into the bigger picture? | ||||
| Our vision for Intelligent Mail is to provide end-to-end visibility by identifying and tracking letters, flats, and packages, and then using this visibility to enable a seamless approach for accepting mail. With Intelligent Mail and Seamless Acceptance, your mail will be visible throughout the mail processing and transportation networks. Based on scanned data, mail volume will be more predictable and processing will be more efficient. The Intelligent Mail Tray label is the first step in providing information to mailers about larger units of mail. | ||||
| How will the Intelligent Mail Tray label improve Postal operations? | ||||
| Intelligent Mail products and services will allow us and our customers to follow the progress of mail through the stages of Postal processing to delivery. This will help us improve our operational efficiencies and enhance our service performance. The Intelligent Mail Tray label will increase visibility into Postal operations and standardize Postal label operations. | ||||
| Where Can I Find Additional Information? | ||||
| To learn more, contact one of the individuals listed below: | ||||
| Robert Galaher robert.i.galaher@usps.gov (202) 268-7018 | ||||
| Karen Magazino karen.magazino@usps.gov (202) 268-8078 | ||||
| Gregory Dudley (CLDS) gregory.n.dudley@usps.gov (202) 268-3157 | ||||
| Daryl Hamilton daryl.s.hamilton@usps.gov (703) 280-7293 | ||||
| Balu Forna mbalu.m.forna@usps.gov (703) 280-7406 | ||||