Q. When a ZIP Code is required to appear in a company permit imprint, should it be my own or that of the post office where my mail is entered?

A. It is the location where your records are either kept or can be made available for USPS review. A company permit imprint is one in which the exact name of the company or individual holding the permit is shown in the indicia in place of the city, state, and permit number.

Each mailpiece must bear a complete domestic return address. If the return address is not the physical location (i.e., where they are kept or can be made available) at which the USPS may review the records or is not a point of contact from which such a physical location can be readily determined then the mailer must include in the indicia the 5-digit ZIP Code of the physical location at which the records listed are either kept or can be made available for USPS review. These requirements are spelled out in DMM P040.3.4.

Send questions regarding mail preparation, standards, or regulations to "Ask Dr. Goodbarcode" via email to jnagla@email.usps.gov or fax to 703-292-3876. The good doctor will select one or two of the most challenging questions for publication.