Desktop designers should be aware of postal requirements

Campus "designers" should be aware, however, that when designing envelopes, artistic license doesn't apply.

U.S. Postal Service regulations require that certain areas of business envelopes have no imprint, and campus units that fail to adhere to these restrictions run the risk that their mailings will be returned.

A common problem is placement of the return address, which can run no lower than two and three-quarters inches from the bottom edge of the mail piece. On a No. 10 envelope, for instance, the entire return address must be printed within one and three-eighths inches of the top edge. Allowing three-eighths of an inch for the top margin, the entire return address can be no deeper than one inch.

Other restrictions apply to barcode location, FIM location, and OCR read area.

Mississippi State Postmaster Mayo Whitten requests that patrons who are unsure of the regulations contact him at 323-5772. A helpful guide to envelope regulations is USPS Publication 25, which is available at the Mississippi State Post Office.

Anyone who would like assistance with envelope or other publication design may contact Becky Smith, University Relations publication manager, at 325-3442.