A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Zimochrome
a trade name for postcards published by H.G. Zimmerman & Co.

Zincography
The method of producing a lithograph from a zinc plate. The term zincography is also often used incorrectly to describe non-lithographic printing techniques that employ zinc plates.

Zip Code (Zoning Improvement Plan Code)
A series of designated numbers added to the address on correspondence to aid in sorting and speed delivery. As mail volume increased and service became less personal, the U.S. Post Office Department found its ability to match address to location ever more difficult. After Germany started coding their mail in 1941 the United States came up with its own two-digit zone number system in May of 1943. It did not take long for this system to become inadequate. A whole new distribution system was then developed based on a five-digit number added to the address. Zip Codes would make use of new sectional mail centers set up only for sorting. The first digit represents a basic geographical area within the United States. The next two digits designate a population center such as a city or one of the newly created postal sectional centers in more rural areas. The last two digits designate specific small town post offices or postal zones within cities. This system was instituted on July 1st, 1963 and remained voluntary until 1967 when sorting requirements began to be imposed. In 1983 ZIP+4 was introduced adding an additional four numbers onto the ZIP code. The 6th and 7th numbers are a delivery sector, which can be a group of streets, or a single high-rise. And the final two numbers are a delivery segment, which can be as small as one floor of an office building.