Also known as USPS FIM Barcode, FIM A, FIM B, FIM C, FIM D

The facing identification mark (FIM) is a pattern of vertical bars printed in the upper right portion of a mailpiece, to the left of the postage area.

The FIM uses a code that tells automated processing equipment some of what it needs to know to do its job. The FIM allows automatic facing (orientation) of the mail for cancellation (postmarking). The FIM also identifies reply mail that bears a preprinted barcode. Barcoded mail is then routed directly to a high-speed barcode sorter, bypassing slower manual sorting or optical character reader (OCR) processing.

Determine which FIM to use as follows:

• FIM A is used for Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM) and Meter Reply Mail (MRM) with a preprinted barcode
• FIM B is used for Business Reply Mail (BRM) without a preprinted BRM ZIP+4 barcode
• FIM C is used for Business Reply Mail (BRM) with a preprinted BRM ZIP+4 barcode
• FIM D is used only with information based indicia (IBI) postage

FIM Standards
Make sure the FIM meets the following standards:

• The FIM clear zone must contain no printing other than the FIM pattern
• Figure below shows the configuration of the clear zone and the correct location of the FIM
• The rightmost bar of the FIM must be 2 inches +/- 1/8 inch from the right edge of each mailpiece
• The FIM bars must be 5/8 inch high +/- 1/8 inch and 1/32 inch wide +/- 0.008 inch
• The tops of the FIM bars must be no lower than 1/8 inch from the top edge of each mailpiece. They may extend over the top edge to the flap
• The bottoms of the FIM bars should touch the bottom edge of the FIM clear zone but must not be more than 1/8 inch above or below that edge

Configuration of the clear zone and the correct location of the FIM

In order to get a USPS FIM barcode image, please follow these steps:

• Set the Symbology property to UspsFim
• Set the UspsFimPattern property to A, B, C, or D
• Setting up dimensions and quiet zones:
  • Set the BarWidth property to 0.03125 (+/-) 0.008 (Value is expressed in Inches)
  • Set the BarHeight property to 0.625 (+/-) 0.125 (Value is expressed in Inches)
  • Set the QuietZoneWidth property (Value is expressed in Inches)
  • Set the TopMargin and BottomMargin properties (Values are expressed in Inches)

UspsFimPattern property = A will produce the following barcode image for USPS FIM A:

UspsFimPattern property = B will produce the following barcode image for USPS FIM B:

UspsFimPattern property = C will produce the following barcode image for USPS FIM C:

UspsFimPattern property = D will produce the following barcode image for USPS FIM D: