Read a Mailer

Three mailers, read mark by mark, and a name to call on each one.

Snap a photo. MailpieceIQ decodes the postal barcode, the permit, the sort line and the paper mark, looks up who holds each ID, then names the likely printer, mailer and who to call. Every finding says how far it goes.

Read printed on the pieceDecoded USPS meaningLooked up who holds the IDLead inferred, not proven

Postcard

6 × 11 in · address side
Reading marks · 6 found
QuillmereCREDIT UNIONPO Box 1207Bayport, CA 94099-1207Your savings justgot a raise.Lock 4.85% APY* on a 13-month certificate.Offer ends Nov 30, 2026Scan or visitquillmerecu.example/raisePromo code FA26-B2*APY = Annual Percentage Yield, as of 10/01/2026. $1,000 minimum. Penalty for early withdrawal.Fictional institution for illustration only.FSC®MIX · PaperFSC® C999012J26-48817 · FA26-CERT-B2 · PRINTED IN U.S.A.PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGEPAIDOAKLAND CAPERMIT NO. 4417*******************AUTO**5-DIGIT 94110#FA26B2 0004217#J SAMPLE123 ANY ST APT 4SAN FRANCISCO CA 94110-2345123456

Fictional piece. Brand, people, permit, Mailer ID and FSC code are invented.

  1. PRSRT STD · U.S. POSTAGE PAID · OAKLAND CA · PERMIT NO. 4417

    1. Permit imprint to holder

    Looked up

    Permit 4417 at Oakland is held by Vellarane Presort Services, the same company as the Mailer ID. "PRSRT STD" is the older name for Marketing Mail, still accepted, so it doesn't date the piece.

  2. Return: Bayport, CA · no service endorsement

    2. Return address vs. permit city

    Lead

    Brand in Bayport, permit in Oakland: likely an outside mail house. No endorsement, so undeliverable cards are discarded; address updates (NCOALink) likely ran before mailing and leave no mark.

  3. *****AUTO**5-DIGIT 94110

    3. Sort line to mailing size

    Lead · estimate

    Mailing size: likely a larger, tested campaign (estimate). Code B2 suggests one version of several, mailed Full-Service through an outside presort house. The sort line itself proves only a minimum, not the size, and a presort house can combine clients' mail.

  4. 4. Intelligent Mail barcode, decoded

    Decoded
    65 bars · 4 statesF fullA ascenderD descenderT trackerCRC ✓
    Barcode ID: 00Service Type ID: 271Mailer ID: 902345678Serial: 004217Routing code, dropped: 94110-2345-01
    Barcode ID · 00
    A mailer-applied barcode, no sort level coded. Not a USPS redirect or postal-applied barcode.
    Service type · 271
    Marketing Mail, Full-Service. No address correction requested. Tracking scans (IV-MTR) on.
    Mailer ID · 902345678
    9-digit format (starts with 9), so 6 serial digits. Holder: Vellarane Presort Services.
    Serial · 004217
    The mailer's own piece number. Full-Service asks for it to be unique for 45 days.
    Routing code · dropped
    ZIP+4 plus 2 delivery-point digits: it points to one address. Dropped before anything is stored.

    All 65 bars decode together; no bar maps to one digit. Cross-checks: service type matches the Marketing Mail permit ✓ · barcode ZIP matches the printed ZIP ✓ · sort line matches the barcode ZIP ✓

  5. 6 × 11 in · FA26-B2 · Offer ends Nov 30, 2026

    5. Size, version and postage

    Read

    A 6 × 11 "postcard" mails at letter prices: about 39.5¢ a piece (2026 5-digit automation, estimate, not amount paid). Code B2 suggests a test cell or segment.

  6. FSC® MIX · C999012

    6. FSC license code to Kestrelmoor Litho

    Lead

    Certificate holder: a printer in Stockton, certificate valid. Likely the printer, but a brand or broker can hold its own code and outsource the press.

Who prints and mails it

  • BrandQuillmere Credit UnionRead
  • Mails itVellarane Presort ServicesLead · Mailer ID + permit
  • Prints itKestrelmoor LithoLead · FSC

Who to call

Quillmere's marketing director: a Full-Service certificate offer, versioned, mailed through an outside house.

Saw your certificate postcard land in San Francisco. Are you testing versions, and who runs the mail side?

Now photograph one from your own pile.

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#10 window envelope

4⅛ × 9½ in
Reading marks · 4 found
Brindlemark MutualINSURANCE GROUPPO Box 5500Riverton, OH 43099-5500ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTEDPRESORTEDFIRST-CLASS MAILU.S. POSTAGE PAIDCOLUMBUS OHPERMIT NO. 1180Your 2027 renewalis enclosed.*******************AUTO**3-DIGIT 940J SAMPLE123 ANY STLOS ALTOS CA 94022-56781234

Address printed on the letter inside, seen through the window. Envelope FSC marks usually sit on the back flap; this one has none.

  1. PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS MAIL · COLUMBUS OH · PERMIT NO. 1180

    1. Class to cost and size

    Lead · estimate

    At a 3-digit sort, about 67¢ a piece (estimate). Mailing size: likely a larger, tested renewal campaign (estimate). Brindlemark holds its own permit and Mailer ID and mails Full-Service: signs of steady, in-house volume. The class sets only a minimum, not the size.

  2. ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

    2. Endorsement to address care

    Decoded

    Printed text and service type agree, and the return address it requires is there. Movers come back as electronic notices; a reason to ask who manages their address quality.

  3. Address and barcode on the letter, seen through the window

    3. Personalized insert

    Read

    Each letter carries its own address and barcode: variable-data printing with matched inserting.

  4. IMb · 00 · 141 · 612345 · 000318842 · routing dropped

    4. Service type 141, 6-digit Mailer ID

    Decoded

    First-Class Mail, Full-Service, Full-Service ACS (Address Service Requested, option 2), tracking scans on. Mailer ID holder: Brindlemark Mutual itself.

Who prints and mails it

  • BrandBrindlemark Mutual InsuranceRead
  • Mails itBrindlemark, likely in-houseLead · own Mailer ID
  • Prints itNot found: no FSC code in photoOpen

Who to call

The manager of Brindlemark's print and mail operation. Overflow and envelope supply are the openings.

You're mailing renewals Full-Service under your own Mailer ID. When volume spikes, who takes the overflow?

Now photograph one from your own pile.

Get my 2 free Call Cards No credit card.

Snap pack

snap-apart mailer · 4 × 10 in after strips
Reading marks · 4 found
PULL TABS TO OPEN ▸Fernhallow Health PlanMember ServicesPO Box 880Lakeview, WA 98099-0880RETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDPRESORTEDFIRST-CLASS MAILU.S. POSTAGE PAIDKENT WAPERMIT NO. 2290PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIALImportant benefits information enclosed*******************AUTO**5-DIGIT 98103J SAMPLE123 ANY STSEATTLE WA 98103-4417FSC® MIXC999047FORM FHP-EOB-3 · 10/261234

Sealed on all sides; the recipient tears off the pinfeed strips to open it.

  1. Pinfeed strips · perforations · PULL TABS TO OPEN

    1. Construction to kind of press

    Lead

    A snap pack comes off a business-forms line, a specialty most commercial printers don't run.

  2. RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED · PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

    2. Endorsement to returned if undeliverable

    Decoded

    Undeliverable pieces come back instead of being forwarded or discarded. Typical for health and financial notices.

  3. IMb · 00 · 342 · 903456789 · 021563 · routing dropped

    3. Service type 342 to Tollvane Data Mail

    Looked up

    First-Class Mail, Full-Service, Full-Service ACS (Return Service Requested, option 2), tracking scans on. Mailer ID holder: a transactional print-and-mail provider.

  4. FSC® MIX · C999047 · PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS

    4. FSC holder to same company

    Lead

    The FSC certificate is Tollvane's too: likely printed and mailed under one roof. About 62¢ a piece at 5-digit First-Class (estimate). Mailing size: likely a larger, tested notice campaign (estimate): a health plan's member notices, handed to a transactional print-and-mail provider.

Who prints and mails it

  • BrandFernhallow Health PlanRead
  • Mails itTollvane Data MailLead · Mailer ID
  • Prints itTollvane Data MailLead · FSC agrees

Who to call

Fernhallow's member communications lead. Statements are tied to one vendor; marketing mail may not be.

Your benefit notices run First-Class through a forms specialist. Who handles your member marketing mail?

That's three mailers we picked. Now photograph one from your own pile.

Get my 2 free Call Cards No credit card.

All three pieces are fictional, with synthetic barcodes that decode correctly. Postage figures are 2026 estimates, not amounts paid. The routing part of every barcode is dropped before anything is stored.

Free guide

Find clues for your next sales call in the mail on your desk.

This free 7-page PDF shows you 6 marks to look for, walks through three sample mailers, and gives you a one-page checklist to help you decide who to call.

Get the free guide