Direct Mail Acronyms

Browse the list of acronyms or jump to a specific one using these letter shortcuts:

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A
AADC Automated Area Distribution Center, a Post Office distribution center that processes automated mail.
ABE Automated Barcode Evaluator, software that verifies barcode readability by translating it into an address.
ACE Address Correction & Encoding, A service of CCI where your addresses are corrected and standardized. Then enhancements such as Carrier Route, Zip+4, and barcode are added for additional postage savings. See MCAP.
ACS Address Change Service, a program available to mailers that maintain electronic copies of their mailing lists. Automatic readers catch addresses that will be forwarded to a new address and send an updated address back to the mailer in electronic form.
ADC Area Distribution Center, a facility that distributes mail to specific ZIP codes.
ADD, ADDR Address, one or more lines of information needed to identify a specific mail recipient.
AE Additional Entry, a secondary facility where a publisher may mail periodicals other than the original entry.
AEC Address Element Correction, computer process to correct an incomplete or incorrect address so that ZIP+4 and CART information can be attached.
AMC, AMF Airport Mail Center/Facility, facility located at an airport that receives and distributes mail by air.
AMS Alternate Mailing System, a procedure to allow permit imprint mail to be accepted without verification by weight.
APO Army Post Office, a post office, either in New York or San Francisco, that serves the Army and/or Air Force, see FPO.
ARM Accelerated Reply Mail, service provided by USPS to ship Business Reply mail back to the mailer via Express Mail.
ASF Auxiliary Service Facility, a satellite mail processing facility usually serving a Bulk Mail Center.
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BC Bar Code, vertical bars and spaces that graphically represent a series of numbers (ZIP Code).
BCR Bar Code Reader, machine that can read and interpret a barcode.
BMC Bulk Mail Center, a plant that processes bulk mail using optical-readers, sorters and other machinery.
BMEU Business Mail Entry Unit, the area at which mailers deposit bulk mail, see CRM and MRM.
BPM Bound Printed Matter, Standard mail weighing between 1 and 15 pounds consisting of bound sheets of which 90% must be a combination of advertising, directory or promotional information.
BPRS Bulk Parcel Return Service, service that returns undeliverable Standard parcels to the mailer for a fee.
BRM Business Reply Mail, service that allows mailers to receive First-Class mail back from customers. The mail is delivered to the mailer and fees and postage are collected.
BRMAS Business Reply Mail Accounting System, now known as Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM), means of processing and accessing fees and postage for Business Reply Mail.
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CART, CARR, CR Carrier Route, geographical area covered by a postal carrier, the route a carrier travels to deliver mail.
CASS Coding Accuracy Support System, a service and rating system for mailers that measures and helps to improve address accuracy.
CFS Computerized Forwarding System, system that catches and forwards mail incorrectly addressed or addressed to people that have moved.
CIN Content Identifier Number, identifies the sorting level and class of mail for a container of mail.
CMRA Commercial Mail Receiving Agency, private business responsible for receiving mail for specific clients.
CMRS Computerized Mail Resetting System, electronic system allowing postage meter users to reset the meter at their place of business.
COD Collect/Cash On Delivery, service for mailers where postal employees collect payment from recipient for merchandise and return it to mailer.
CPP Centralized Postage Payment, a system that allows periodical mailers to pay postage for a multi-post office mailing at one post office.
CRM Courtesy Reply Mail, business reply mail that is not postage-paid, see BRM and MRM.
CSBCS Carrier Sequence Barcode Sorter, machine that sorts mail into delivery order for an individual carrier route.
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DAL Detached Address Label, paper or card that carries the address that corresponds to an un-addressed periodical, flat or bound printed matter.
DBMC Destination Bulk Mail Center Rate, special postage rate for mailers that ship mail directly to the BMC that serves the addresses on that mail, see DDU.
DDU Destination Delivery Unit Rate, special postage rate for mailers that ship mail directly to the Delivery Unit that serves the addresses on that mail, see DBMC.
DMM Domestic Mail Manual, published by the USPS, contains all the standards, description and services of the USPS, see IMM.
DMU Detached Mail Unit, area set aside in the mailer's place of business where postal employees can verify, accept and dispatch mail.
DOT U.S. Department of Transportation, government agency charged with identifying hazardous materials.
DP Data Processing, the CCI department offering unique programming and expertise that allows us to offer the special MCAP plan that could save you 20% of your mailing costs. See MCAP, ACE and MPG.
DPBC Delivery Point Barcode, a POSTNET barcode that allows mail to be automatically sorted in walk sequence for each carrier.
DPO Designated Post Office, post office at which mailers maintain an account for the Centralized Postage Payment system.
DSCF Destination Sectional Center Facility Rate, special postage rate for mailers that ship mail directly to the SCF that serves the addresses on that mail, see DBMC.
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EMMS Express Mail Military Service, expedited delivery service between personnel at APO and FPO addresses and US addresses.
EPO Entry Post Office, post office at which mailers deposit mail for which postage is paid from the Centralized Postage Payment system.
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FCM First-Class Mail, mail for which the First-Class postage rate has been paid. First-Class is a trademark of the USPS.
FIM Facing Identification Mark, five or six vertical bars used by sorting machines to identify and sort mail.
FLTS Flats, abbreviation identifying mail that is larger than a letter and smaller than a parcel, see LTRS, MACH.
FPO Fleet Post Office, a post office, either in New York or San Francisco, that serves the Coast Guard, Navy and/or Marine Corps, see APO.
FR Federal Register, publication by the Office of the Federal Register which contains certain government documents.
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GMF General Mail Facility, a plant that receives, processes and distributes all classes of mail.
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HCR Highway Contract Route, formerly known as star route, a route serviced by a postal contractor to carry mail between designated points.
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IMM International Mail Manual, list of standards and regulations for mail destined outside the United States, see DMM.
IPP Irregular Parcels and Pieces, parcels that are not of the size and/or shape to be sorted by machines.
ISBN International Standard Book Number, a number issued by the Library of Congress to identify a book or other non-periodical, see ISSN.
ISSN International Standard Serial Number, a number issued by the Library of Congress to identify a periodical, see ISBN.
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LOT Line Of Travel Sequence, presorted in the order the carrier delivers mail.
LTRS Letters, abbreviation identifying mail that is of letter size, see FLTS, MACH.
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MACH Machineable, code to identify mail that can be sorted by machines, see FLTS, LTRS.
MCAP Exclusive program offered to CCI clients to save up to 20% of mailing costs using our unique data processing services. Visit the data processing page for more info or see ACE and MPG.
MM Managed Mail Tray, a stackable container used to transport mail to or between post offices.
MMS Manifest Mailing System, system allowing the USPS to verify and accept permit imprint mailings containing pieces or different weight and/or size.
MOM Military Ordinary Mail, special Defense Department Mail that is carried by surface and air to expedite delivery.
MPG Merge/Purge, A service of CCI that removes duplicate addresses from your mail list by any matching criteria thus saving postage and printing costs. See MCAP.
MPO Military Post Office, a branch of the USPS that is operated by a military branch to serve personnel abroad or on ships at sea..
MRM Meter Reply Mail, a return envelope that has the postage paid by meter imprint, see BRM and CRM.
MXD Mixed, abbreviation identifying mixed mail destined for different facilities.
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NCOA National Change Of Address, address correction service provided through USPS licensees to match addresses to the CFS entered for people that have moved.
NMO Non-machineable Outside, mail that cannot be sorted by machine because of its size, weight and/or shape, see MACH, IPP.
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OBMC Original Bulk Mail Center Presort Rate, special Parcel Post postage rate for parcels properly prepared and deposited at the designated facility.
OCR Optical Character Reader, computer controlled mail sorting machine that reads and interprets the address and prints a corresponding Zip Code information onto the piece as a barcode.
OEL Optional Endorsement Line, line printed at the top of an address that identifies that mail's level of sortation.
OMAS Official Mail Accounting System, tracking system used to properly bill and report postage use for various government agencies.
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P&DC/F Processing & Distribution Center/Facility, a facility that processes and distributes mail for a particular service area.
PAL Parcel Airlift, air transportation for parcels to and from military bases outside the continental Unites States.
PAVE Presort Accuracy Validation and Evaluation, testing program in which the USPS determines the accuracy of a mailer's presorting software and ability to produce presort documentation.
POSTNET Postal Numeric Encoding Technique, a barcode system for coding the ZIP code and delivery point of mail, see DPBC.
PVDS Plant-Verified Drop Shipment, procedure for accepting and verifying mail that will be shipped by the mailer to the destination post office.
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QBRM Qualified Business Reply Mail, procedure for tracking postage and fees for business reply mail, see BRM, BRMAS, CRM, MRM.
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RCSC Rate and Classification Service Center, an office that provides guidance to mailers on classification, rates, and more.
RR Rural Route, route served by a rural carrier.
RVE Remote Video Encoding, machine that prints address corrections directly on the mail before it is sorted, see CFS, OCR.
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SAM Space Available Mail, military mail transported by surface that does not require expediting.
SCF Sectional Center Facility, facility that processes mail for an area designated by the first 3 digits of the ZIP code.
SPF Shipper Paid Forwarding, address forwarding system where the forwarding postage is tracked by approved ACS codes.
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UAA Undeliverable As Addressed, mail that cannot be delivered for various reasons and is returned to the sender.
USC United States Code, the laws of the United States, Section 39 contains laws relating to the USPS.
USPS United States Postal Service, originally known as the Post Office Department and reorganized in 1971 as an establishment of the government's Executive Branch.
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WKG Working, code identifying mail that needs further sorting.
WS, WSEQ Walk Sequence, the order in which a letter carrier delivers mail for a carrier route.
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ZIP Zone Improvement Plan, system of 5 digit numbers identifying a particular post office or area, created in 1963. ZIP Code is a trademark of the USPS.
ZIP+4 Expanded ZIP Code consisting of an additional 4 digits designating an area and a building within that area, created in 1981. ZIP+4 is a trademark of the USPS.

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