Indicia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indicia has a number of meanings:

In postage, indicia are preprinted markings on a mail piece, showing that postage has been paid by the sender. This typically is used in commercial or non-profit bulk mailings rather than on personal mail, which is more likely to use a postage stamp.

In comic books and other magazines, indicia also refers to a piece of text traditionally appearing on the first recto page after the cover, which usually contains the official name of the publication, its publication date, information regarding editorial governance of the publication, and a disclaimer regarding disposition of unsolicited submissions. Indicia may also include information for postmasters regarding change of address notification. In recent years, placement of indicia has moved away from being exclusively on the inside first recto page. In the case of comic books, it is now (2006) common to find indicia on the inside last verso page, while magazines may place their indicia almost anywhere within the publication. Pornography magazines published in the United States are required to use an extended form of indicia that also includes information about age verification legislation.