The Mail Center Manager’s Guide to IMI Meter Migration

In 2024, the USPS began the transition to its new performance standard, Intelligent Mail Indicia (IMI) technology. The idea of IMI postage meter technology is not new. It was a topic of discussion for more than a decade, and the technology has been available for years. However, adoption was slow as the upgrade was not a simple firmware update. It required an investment in hardware to drive the IMI technology. While Information-Based Indicia (IBI) technology is now discontinued by the USPS, some mailers still use it on some of their devices.

Those who continue to use IBI technology must migrate to a compliant solution over the next few months to avoid service disruptions. Many IBI meters are already decommissioned, with the remaining IBI-based postage meter models to be removed from service by the end of 2026 or 2027.

Delaying the upgrade from an IBI to an IMI-compliant postage meter by the USPS deadlines will result in your machine being deactivated … (click to read more)