GLOSSARY
Informed Delivery
By Justin Winter · Updated August 28, 2026
A free USPS service that emails residents grayscale images of the letter mail due to arrive at their address that day.
Informed Delivery works from the images USPS already captures while sorting letter mail. Subscribers get a daily digest showing the exteriors of pieces in transit to them, plus package status.
For a sender it is a useful side effect: the recipient often sees the envelope before it lands, which pairs well with a tracked piece whose arrival you are already watching.
See also
- Intelligent Mail barcode — The USPS barcode printed on letter mail that encodes routing and a unique piece identifier, enabling automation rates and tracking.
- Change of address — The USPS request that forwards mail from an old address to a new one for a limited period after a move.
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