Presorted Standard is the marking for USPS Marketing Mail sent at presort prices, and Presorted First-Class Mail is First-Class Mail sent at the lower commercial prices USPS offers mailers who sort a large mailing before drop off. The class once called Standard Mail became USPS Marketing Mail in January 2017, yet the Domestic Mail Manual still accepts "Presorted Standard" and "PRSRT STD" on the envelope. Below: the meaning, the markings, the minimums, the indicia and what a stamp can print.
Engineer Seal Stamps compliance desk. Checked against the USPS Domestic Mail Manual and Postal Explorer. Sources read September 2026.
Presort mail at a glance
| Term or rule | What USPS says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Presorted | Mail the mailer has prepared, sorted to the finest level the standards call for at the price being claimed | Business Mail 101, Glossary |
| Name of the class | Standard Mail was rebranded as USPS Marketing Mail in January 2017 | DMM Advisory, December 22, 2016 |
| Marketing Mail volume floor | 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail in each mailing | DMM 243; Business Mail 101 |
| Presorted First-Class Mail volume floor | 500 pieces for presort and automation prices | DMM 233 |
| What Marketing Mail carries | Printed matter, flyers, circulars, advertising, newsletters, bulletins, catalogs and small parcels, each under 16 ounces | Business Mail 101, USPS Marketing Mail |
| What has to go First-Class | Bills, statements of account, personal information, and handwritten or typewritten material | DMM 233; DMM 243 |
| Marketing Mail class markings | "Presorted Standard" or "PRSRT STD"; the newer "Presorted USPS Marketing", "PRSRT MKTG" or "PRSRT MKT" is also accepted | DMM 202.3.5.1 |
| Presorted First-Class markings | "First-Class", and on letters not marked "AUTO", "Presorted" or "PRSRT" as well | DMM 202.3.5.1; DMM 202.3.10 |
| Where the class marking sits | Inside the permit imprint, directly below it, or to its left; the same goes for a meter imprint or stamp | DMM 202.3.5.1 |
| Permit imprint contents | Class marking, "U.S. Postage Paid", city and state, and permit number | DMM 604.5.3.6; DMM 604.5.3.7 |
| Mailing date in the indicia | Optional on First-Class Mail; not allowed on USPS Marketing Mail | DMM 604.5.3.6; DMM 604.5.3.7 |
| Annual mailing fee | Due once each 12 months at every Post Office where presorted mail is entered; full-service mailings can be exempt | DMM 233; DMM 243; Business Mail 101, Annual Mailing Fee |
What does Presorted Standard mean on an envelope?
It means the piece went out as USPS Marketing Mail at a presort price. The sender sorted the mailing to the level USPS requires for that price, paid with a permit imprint, a meter or precanceled stamps, and marked each envelope to show the price claimed.
USPS Business Mail 101 describes presorting as preparing mail sorted to the finest extent the standards require for the claimed price. The pricing logic is work sharing: in USPS words, "The more up-front work you do, the lower the postage you'll pay." Sorting by ZIP Code and entering mail closer to where it will be delivered are two ways a mailer takes on that work.
Marketing Mail is the class for printed matter, flyers, circulars, advertising, newsletters, bulletins, catalogs and small parcels, and each piece must weigh less than 16 ounces. The word Standard on the envelope is a holdover from the old class name, covered in the next section.
When did Standard Mail become USPS Marketing Mail?
USPS renamed Standard Mail as USPS Marketing Mail in January 2017. A DMM Advisory dated December 22, 2016 announced the rebrand, and Postal Bulletin 22463 records that the final rule revising the Domestic Mail Manual (81 FR 93606) was published December 21, 2016.
The class has changed names before. USPS's own history of advertising mail traces it from third-class mail, to Standard Mail (A) in 1996, to Standard Mail in 2001, and to USPS Marketing Mail in 2017, which the Postal Service called the more descriptive name.
Envelope wording trailed the rename. The 2016 advisory said new indicia and postage markings should not be used on letters or flats before January 2018 at the earliest, and Postal Bulletin 22463 told mailers to keep the Standard Mail markings until USPS announced a date. The current DMM 202.3.5.1 accepts both styles and says both may appear in the same mailing. That is why envelopes printed years apart can read "PRSRT STD" or "PRSRT MKTG" and both be correct.
What does presorted First-Class Mail mean?
It is First-Class Mail sent at commercial presort or automation prices instead of the single-piece price. DMM 233 opens those prices to mailings of 500 or more pieces, and each letter shows "First-Class" plus "Presorted" or "PRSRT" unless it carries the "AUTO" marking.
First-Class Mail is the class that must carry certain content. DMM 233 requires bills, statements of account, mail containing personal information, and handwritten or typewritten material to go First-Class. Business Mail 101 adds invoices, credit cards, personalized business correspondence and anything sealed against inspection to that list. So a bill mailed at a presort price carries First-Class markings, never "Presorted Standard".
Two service differences matter to senders. First-Class Mail postage includes forwarding and return, per Business Mail 101, while Marketing Mail is neither forwarded nor returned unless the mailer asks for it with an ancillary service endorsement. First-Class letters also top out at 3.5 ounces and flats at 13 ounces under DMM 233.
How many pieces does a presorted mailing need?
A USPS Marketing Mail mailing needs at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds. Presorted and automation First-Class Mail needs at least 500 pieces. Mailings paid by permit imprint also face a 200 piece or 50 pound floor in DMM 604.5.1.2, with a short list of exceptions.
Those exceptions cover cases such as the tail end of a large mailing that runs over consecutive days, certain occasional small First-Class Mail mailings, and some parcel and Bound Printed Matter mailings. The 500 piece threshold for presorted First-Class prices is a separate rule in DMM 233.
Business Mail 101 boils the job into four steps: get supplies, sort the mail, prepare the containers, and fill out a postage statement. It also warns that international pieces may not be mixed into a domestic commercial mailing.
Is presorted standard mail junk mail?
Junk mail is not a USPS mail class. Presorted Standard mail is USPS Marketing Mail, which USPS defines by content and price: advertising, flyers, circulars, newsletters, catalogs and other printed matter. Much of it is advertising, but the label says nothing about whether a piece matters to you.
The content rules tell you what a Presorted Standard envelope cannot be. DMM 243 keeps bills, statements of account, personal information, and handwritten or typewritten matter out of Marketing Mail apart from narrow exceptions, so those go First-Class. A nonprofit appeal can travel as Marketing Mail at nonprofit prices once the group is authorized, which our page on permit imprint and nonprofit indicia explains.
The phrase has its own history. USPS's account of advertising mail says newspaper publishers had popularized "junk mail" by 1954 while lobbying against a form of advertising mail they called patron mail. The same history puts USPS Marketing Mail at about 52 percent of the Postal Service's mail volume in 2017 and nearly a quarter of its revenue.
Which markings go on presorted mail, and where?
Each piece needs a basic class marking, such as "Presorted Standard", "PRSRT STD", "Presorted USPS Marketing", "PRSRT MKTG" or "First-Class". DMM 202.3.5.1 places it as part of the permit imprint, directly below it, or to its left, and the same placement applies beside a meter imprint or stamp.
Other markings follow the price claimed:
- Nonprofit prices: "Nonprofit Organization", "Nonprofit Org." or "Nonprofit" in the class marking position.
- Price markings such as "AUTO", "Presorted" or "PRSRT" may sit with the class marking, or in the address area on the line directly above or two lines above the address when the marking stands alone.
- Enhanced Carrier Route markings "ECRLOT", "ECRWSH" and "ECRWSS" must appear in full wherever placed, and pieces not mailed at those prices must not bear them.
- Automation letters with an Intelligent Mail barcode carrying the delivery point routing code in the address block may drop "AUTO" (DMM 202.3.10).
DMM 202.3.2 lets required markings be printed by a postage meter or any other means that produces a legible marking. It also bars a marking from being part of a decorative design or an advertisement, so keep the class words plain and apart from artwork.
What does "U.S. Postage Paid" mean in a presort indicia?
It means the postage was prepaid through the mailer's permit imprint account, not with stamps on each piece. Business Mail 101 says the mailer deposits money into an account at the Post Office and USPS deducts the postage when the mailing is dropped off.
The indicia wording differs by class:
- "First-Class Mail U.S. Postage Paid" is a First-Class Mail permit imprint. Under DMM 604.5.3.6 it shows the class, "U.S. Postage Paid", the city and state, and the permit number. The mailing date, postage amount or ounces may be added, and a mailer may print "Mailed from ZIP Code" with a 5-digit ZIP Code instead of the city and state.
- "Presorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid" is the Marketing Mail version. DMM 604.5.3.7 calls for the class, "U.S. Postage Paid", the city and state, and the permit number, allows postage amount, weight and price markings, and forbids the mailing date.
- A company permit imprint shows the exact name of the permit holder in place of the city, state and permit number (DMM 604.5.3.9). The holder then keeps mailing records for 1 year and prints a complete domestic return address on every piece.
Prepaid postage in the everyday sense covers two other methods too. A postage meter or PC Postage account is filled in advance and prints an indicia showing the postage value, and precanceled stamps are applied at a lower amount with the balance paid at drop off.
Are there postage stamps made for presorted mail?
Yes. USPS sells precanceled stamps for Presorted First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail mailings, including nonprofit Marketing Mail. They come in coils in non-denominated versions, and the mailer pays the difference between the stamp value and the actual postage at drop off.
Business Mail 101 says that difference can be paid by check, by meter strip or through a postage account, and that a permit application is needed to use these stamps. USPS pitches them as a personal touch that may give recipients a reason to open the envelope. So a postage stamp you see on a presorted envelope comes from USPS as a precanceled stamp; it is not something a stamp maker produces.
An office rubber stamp is a different tool. It can print a marking or a permit imprint indicia, but it never carries postage value by itself, as the next section explains.
Can a rubber stamp print a presort indicia or marking?
Yes, within the USPS rules. DMM 604.5.3.1 lets a permit imprint indicia be produced by hand stamp as well as by printing press and similar devices, and Business Mail 101 suggests a rubber stamp when pieces were printed without the indicia. Typewritten and hand drawn indicia are not allowed.
Two quality rules apply to every impression. DMM 604.5.3.3 requires the indicia to be legible and in a color that contrasts with the paper, and DMM 604.5.3.4 requires it to read in the same direction as the delivery address, never below the address. A faint or smeared impression fails the first test.
Match the stamp to the job. A stock "First Class" or "Standard Mail" office stamp prints a class word, but it is not a permit indicia because it has no "U.S. Postage Paid" line, city, state or permit number. For a full indicia, Engineer Seal Stamps makes custom self-inking stamps that can carry the indicia wording your permit allows; send the exact lines through our custom stamp ordering guide. Reply envelopes follow stricter rules: USPS forbids hand stamping the Business Reply Mail format.
What does a presort mailer pay besides postage?
Up to two fees apply. A permit imprint requires PS Form 3615 and a one-time application fee when it pays for First-Class Mail or USPS Marketing Mail. Presorted mail also carries an annual mailing fee at each Post Office where it is entered, which full-service automation mailings can have waived.
Business Mail 101 describes the annual mailing fee as permission to mail a class from a given postal facility for 365 days, separate from any application fee or account deposit. DMM 233 applies it to presorted and automation First-Class Mail once each 12-month period, and DMM 243 applies the same cycle to presorted Marketing Mail. This page states no dollar amounts.
Keep the permit active. DMM 604.5.2.2 lets USPS revoke a permit imprint when no mailings or postage payments occur during any consecutive 2-year period, and a mailing must be deposited at the Post Office that issued the permit, at the time and place the postmaster sets (DMM 604.5.1.11).
What should a presort indicia stamp say before you order it?
Copy the wording from your permit, not from another mailer's envelope. The stamp needs the class marking you will claim, "U.S. Postage Paid", the city and state, and your permit number, or your exact company name if you hold a company permit. Leave the date off Marketing Mail.
Check these points before you approve a proof:
- One class per stamp. A First-Class Mail mailing and a Marketing Mail mailing need different class lines, so plan a stamp for each.
- Current or legacy wording. "PRSRT STD" and "PRSRT MKTG" are both accepted under DMM 202.3.5.1; pick one and use it across the mailing.
- Nonprofit wording only after approval. "Nonprofit Org." belongs on the stamp only once USPS has authorized the organization.
- Size that fits the corner. The indicia sits in the upper right corner of the piece or of the address area, reading the same way as the address.
- Plain layout. No slogan or artwork mixed into the class marking.
The full list of indicia formats, and how nonprofit authorization works, is on our indicia format guide. Our custom stamp guide shows how to submit the layout.
Frequently asked questions
Is "PRSRT STD" still valid now that the class is called USPS Marketing Mail?
Yes. DMM 202.3.5.1 lists "Presorted Standard" and "PRSRT STD" among the accepted markings next to the newer "Presorted USPS Marketing" and "PRSRT MKTG", and it allows both styles in the same mailing.
Will presorted standard mail be forwarded after I move?
Not by default. Business Mail 101 says USPS Marketing Mail is not forwarded or returned unless the sender requests it with an ancillary service endorsement, and those services can add fees or postage. First-Class Mail postage includes forwarding and return.
Where do I drop off a permit imprint mailing?
At the Post Office that issued the permit. DMM 604.5.1.11 requires the mail to be deposited and accepted there at a time and place the postmaster designates, and DMM 604.5.1.10 has advance deposit mailings presented for weighing unless USPS authorizes otherwise.
Do all pieces in a presorted permit imprint mailing have to weigh the same?
Generally yes. DMM 604.5.1.8 requires identical weight pieces in a permit imprint mailing, with exceptions for mailers in approved systems, and Business Mail 101 says all pieces must generally weigh exactly the same.
Can I use my permit imprint at a different Post Office?
Only in limited cases. DMM 604.5.3.10 lets an indicia with the original city, state and permit number be used at another location for full-service automation mailings or under an authorized system for mailings with different payment methods, with records kept for 2 years.
What does ECRWSS mean on a flyer?
It marks a piece mailed at an Enhanced Carrier Route price. DMM 202.3.5.1 requires "ECRLOT", "ECRWSH" and "ECRWSS" to appear in their entirety wherever placed, and pieces not mailed at those prices must not show them.
For everyday mail class wording, browse our stock office self-inking stamps.
