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Recommended Fonts/Point Sizes to Use

Background: The United States Postal Service (USPS) places a bar code on each piece of mail it processes as early in the handling process as possible. Subsequent USPS sorting is done on equipment that reads the bar codes. USPS provides discounted postal rates for mail delivered to it with the correct bar code already affixed. University Mail Services has equipment that reads the printed address and prints these bar codes on University outgoing letter mail. The more of our mail that can be read by our OCR, the more discounts we can earn both because the mail has a bar code affixed and because we can sort the mail and possibly earn “pre-sort” discount. The USPS was equipment with a newer OCR technology than the University. However, USPS can probably provide better service on mail delivered directly to it if the same principles as noted below are followed.

Best Fonts and Point Sizes for University Equipment: Bell + Howell has performed tests on many fonts and sizes with the model OCR on our equipment. Following are the fonts and point sizes with the highest “read” rates:

Address all upper case (capital letters) and/or numbers:

COURIER 10 POINT  or  LETTER GOTHIC 10 POINT

Address in mixed upper and lower case and numbers:

Courier 12 point

(Note: if only one font and point size will be set and some addresses printed in full upper case and some in mixed case, the Courier 12 point is best.)

Note that there is also a “Courier New” font; the regular Courier tested better but the Courier New was the next best, with the 10 point better than the 12 point. The 12 point Letter Gothic was the next best. Both Arial and Times New Roman had much lower read rates. Many computer programs include a font with the name “OCR” or some variation of that; we do not recommend that font. To the extent that we can control the font and point size on the addresses of our outgoing mail, use of the better fonts and point sizes noted will permit more savings to the University and will improve the likelihood of more accurate and timely delivery.

Other comments on addressing and the OCR read rates:

  1. Bold print is never better and produces much lower read rates.
  2. Fonts that use proportional spacing basically cannot be read by our OCR.
  3. The more “fancy” a font, the lower the read rate. Italics or script should not be used.
  4. Point sizes lower than 10 are too small to read well and sizes over 12 points are too large and fat to read well.
  5. Many software packages today will also print the bar code at the time an envelope or label is printed. We do NOT want departments to print the bar codes. If a department has large mailings and the ability to print the bar code, please contact Mail Services before production.
  6. The point size of the print should not increase as the size of the envelope increases.
  7. The font and point size of the return address is not subject to these guidelines.

Other mail addressing issues beyond font and point size:

  1. Printing addresses directly onto envelopes, when that ability exists, is preferable to labels.
  2. When labels are used, care should be taken in placing them on the envelopes. The more a label is not parallel to the bottom edge of the envelope, the greater the likelihood the OCR cannot read it.
  3. When window envelopes are used, there must be a small blank space completely around the window and the address. No print other than the address should be visible in the window; envelopes should be tested for this by jogging them down and to each end.
  4. Windows with only the cutout and no cellophane are preferred to those with cellophane. Some cellophane is difficult for the OCR to read through and some will reflect light that confuses the OCR.

USPS has standards on the "contrast" required between the address print and the background of the envelope. Before using dark color for the background, please contact Mail Services.