Cancellation marks are the wavy lines printed on the postage including the date and the location where the mail was processed. USPS prints a cancellation mark ONLY on regular first-class postage stamps when the mail is being processed. Below is an example of an envelope with the cancellation mark printed across a first-class postage stamp.
Peel & stick type stamps used for the first class presort, standard class presort and nonprofit presort are called precanceled postage. USPS does not print cancellation marks on precanceled postage stamps when the mail is processed, see below.
The lack of this cancellation mark may cause your mail to look like junk mail. We have authorization from the USPS that allows us to print cancellation marks on your precanceled postage stamps. Our cancellation marks will help your mail to appear more personalized and less like junk mail. See the examples below.