Information Based Indicia
Encyclopedia
Information Based Indicia refers to a system used by the United States Postal Service
(USPS) for labels or marks to be applied to the mail item to indicate electronic postage payment.
Information Based Indicia is a 2-dimensional Data Matrix
or bar code combined with visually identifable characters and symbols. The data matrix contains such information as amount of postage, origin zip code
, destination, mail
class, weight, confirmation/tracking numbers. Some indicia have more information than others. Endicia
and Stamps.com
are two major vendors of online indicia services that sell information based indicia that can be printed ahead of time on labels to be used like stamps in the future.
At its introduction by the USPS, many providers such as Pitney Bowes
, Neopost
, and estamp entered the online postage market but left if after it proved not to be profitable to them. Pitney Bowes and Neopost have developed postage meters that contain some aspects of information based indicia in their meter impressions.
Currently the major providers Endicia.com and Stamps.com have developed full-featured software packages that include support for Certified Mail
, other special services, a hidden postage feature, and shipping with other carriers such as UPS
.
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
(USPS) for labels or marks to be applied to the mail item to indicate electronic postage payment.
Information Based Indicia is a 2-dimensional Data Matrix
Data Matrix
A Data Matrix code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode consisting of black and white "cells" or modules arranged in either a square or rectangular pattern. The information to be encoded can be text or raw data. Usual data size is from a few bytes up to 1556 bytes. The length of the encoded data...
or bar code combined with visually identifable characters and symbols. The data matrix contains such information as amount of postage, origin zip code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, destination, mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
class, weight, confirmation/tracking numbers. Some indicia have more information than others. Endicia
Endicia
DYMO Endicia is a Palo Alto, California-based company that provides Internet-based mailing and shipping services for any domestic or international mail class available at the U.S. Postal Service retail counter, including delivery to army post offices and military post offices and Post Office Boxes...
and Stamps.com
Stamps.com
Stamps.com is a Los Angeles, California-based company that provides Internet-based mailing and shipping services. Stamps.com is a public company and trades on the NYSE exchange under the symbol STMP.- History :On April 13, 1998, the U.S...
are two major vendors of online indicia services that sell information based indicia that can be printed ahead of time on labels to be used like stamps in the future.
At its introduction by the USPS, many providers such as Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes Inc. is a Stamford, Connecticut-based manufacturer of software and hardware and a provider of services related to documents, packaging, mailing, and shipping, collectively referred to as mailstream. The company has approximately 36,000 employees worldwide. It is one of 87 existing...
, Neopost
Neopost
Neopost is a manufacturer of postage meters and mailroom equipment. It claims to rank number one in Europe and number two worldwide in mailroom equipment and logistics systems....
, and estamp entered the online postage market but left if after it proved not to be profitable to them. Pitney Bowes and Neopost have developed postage meters that contain some aspects of information based indicia in their meter impressions.
Currently the major providers Endicia.com and Stamps.com have developed full-featured software packages that include support for Certified Mail
Certified Mail
Certified Mail is a type of Special Service mail offered by the United States Postal Service and other postal services that allows the sender proof of mailing, as well as proof of delivery. Certified Mail also provides the sender with a copy of the recipient's signature, which is obtained at the...
, other special services, a hidden postage feature, and shipping with other carriers such as UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
.