Intelligent Mail® for Small Business Mailers (IMsb)
Intelligent Mail® for Small Business Mailers (IMsb) is a free online tool which will allow you to produce the presorted Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMb) for your mail pieces, tray labels and submit an electronic postage statement to the acceptance units.
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Industry Training Sessions – Business Customer Gateway (BCG) / Postal Wizard (PW) and Intelligent Mail for Small Business Tool
The Postal Service will host bi-weekly webinars to educate our Industry customers on USPS programs aimed to ease the mailing process. The topics will include using the Business Customer Gateway (BCG) / Postal Wizard (PW) and Intelligent Mail for Small Business Tool (IMsb Tool) applications, as well as Automated Certificate of Mailing.
Join us for the next session – BCG/PW – held on Tuesday, December 3, at 1:00 PM EST.
• Meeting URL: https://usps.zoomgov.com/j/1603767418?pwd=TTFONWNVMXQ2UW1wcUVCcEt5WFllZz09
o Meeting ID: 160 376 7418
o Password: 996767
• If requested, enter your name and email address.
• Enter meeting password: 996767
• Join Audio by the options below:
o Call using Internet Audio
o Dial: 1-855-860-4313, 1-678-317-3330 or 1-952-229-5070 & follow prompts
A recording of the IMsb Tool Industry Call is available here: Intelligent Mail Small Business (IMsb) Tool Industry Session Recording
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Who is IMsb for?
First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail permit holders mailing cards, letters and flats.
First Class Mail
Standard Mail
Description
To use the IMsb, no special software or installation is required. Users simply access the application via a web browser. The IMsb Tool has been specifically developed for small business mailers to meet Full-Service requirements. The IMsb Tool generates a unique Intelligent Mail barcode within the address block. The IMsb tool is designed for First-Class and Standard Mail permit holders.
The IMsb tool supports generation on the following:
- Labels
- Envelopes
- 8.5" x 11" insert
- Mail Merge option
For complete information on how to use the IMsb, please refer to the IMsb User Guide.
Before using the IMsb tool, you need to make sure the following 3 prerequisites are completed:
- Mailing Permit: Mailers must have a postage permit, which can be obtained by visiting your local BMEU
- Registration: Mailers must be registered on Business Customer Gateway and have a linked postage permit.
- Have a Database/Address list in one of the following formats: Microsoft Excel 2010, Microsoft Excel 2007, Microsoft Excel 2003, Comma Separated Value (CSV).
Featured Resources
06/01/2023
Intelligent Mail® for Small Business (IMsb) Fact Sheet
This fact sheet contains an overview of the IMsb Tool, its benefits, and how it works.
05/28/2024
02/17/2023
12/08/2023
IMb Font Download
Instructions for obtaining the IMb font required in order to be able to use Mail Merge with the IMsb Tool.
Related Products
Mailer Identifier (MID)
The Mailer Identifier (MID) is a field within the Intelligent Mail barcode that is used to identify mailers. MIDs are assigned by the USPS® to a Mail Owner, Mailing Agent or other service providers who request them.
Electronic Documentation (eDoc)
To participate in Full-Service Intelligent Mail®, mailers must submit information electronically. This computer-consumable version replaces existing hardcopies and includes the following: postage statement and qualification report.
Intelligent Mail® Tray Label Certification
To ensure accuracy, optimal bar code quality and readability of the Intelligent Mail® Tray Label, the USPS® offers a voluntary label certification process of the Intelligent Mail Tray Label for software vendors that generate tray label software. This certification process will validate the Intelligent Mail Tray Label design specifications, technical barcode requirements for the tray barcodes, placement of the barcode and human-readable data elements on the label, as well as the ability to generate accurate label content.
Seamless Acceptance
Seamless Acceptance automates the entry and verification of commercial mailings by leveraging electronic documentation, Intelligent Mail barcodes (IMbs), and information collected from handheld sampling devices and mail processing equipment scans.
eInduction
The electronic Induction (eInduction) process simplifies the induction of drop shipments and expedited plant load mailings by leveraging existing eDoc, Intelligent Mail Container barcode (IMcb), and handheld scanner technologies to verify payment and preparation of commercial mail containers.
OneCode ACS®
OneCode ACS allows customers mailing First-Class Mail®, Standard Mail®, and Periodical flats or letters to receive electronic or automated address corrections using the Intelligent Mail® barcode.