Abstract: Presented is a method for authenticating mailpieces utilizing cryptographically secured or plain text indicia printed on the mailpiece as evidence of postage payment without the necessity of including recipient address information in the indicia. This reduces the physical size of the required indicia, allowing additional real estate on the face of a mailpiece to be utilized for advertising verbiage, graphics, personal messages, illustrations, etc. Counterfeiting of the indicia is deterred by maintaining a master log database of the printed indicia. The information stored in the master log database preferably associates a transaction or serial number of the printed indicia with recipient address information. Counterfeit indicia are identified through a comparison of the stored information in the master log database with information scanned from the mailpiece itself Counterfeits may also be detected by recognizing the multiple occurrences of identical indicia.

Abstract: Presented is a system and method of applying postage indicia to a mailpiece utilizing electromagnetic storage technology for the indicia. This method obviates the necessity of visual bar coded indicia, and greatly increases the amount of information which may be included in the postage indicia. This method also significantly reduces the physical space required on the face of a mailpiece to contain the postage indicia information, thus allowing the increased use of advertising and personal information and graphics on the mailpiece. The electromagnetic storage media may be in the form of a self-adhesive sticker or label, or may be integrated within the mailpiece or mailing label. Such integration may be accomplished through the use of embedded magnetic storage media, embedded ferromagnetic fibers, or the inclusion of ferromagnetic powder embedded in the mailpiece itself. Also provided is an apparatus for applying magnetically recordable media on a mailpiece.