GLOSSARY
Permit imprint
By Justin Winter · Updated August 28, 2026
Printed postage indicia used instead of stamps or a meter, drawn against a prepaid account held under a USPS mailing permit.
A permit imprint is the block of text in the corner of a bulk mailpiece reading something like "U.S. POSTAGE PAID, PERMIT NO. …". Postage is deducted from an advance deposit account rather than applied piece by piece.
It is the standard way to pay for large mailings, and it is why bulk mail rarely carries a stamp.
See also
- USPS Marketing Mail — The bulk advertising class, formerly Standard Mail: cheaper per piece, but it requires a permit, a minimum volume, presorting, and it travels slower.
- Business Reply Mail — A prepaid reply format: the recipient mails something back without a stamp, and the permit holder pays postage only on the pieces actually returned.
- Forever stamp — A First-Class stamp that always covers the current one-ounce letter rate, whatever it cost when you bought it.
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