The transition from letterpress to digital printing provides the opportunity for a more effective way to communicate information on postal items. Current Postmarks include information such as postage value, date of posting and equipment identification, but this information is not readily machine readable. The emergence of digital printing and image processing technologies offers the opportunity to encode critical data in a form which is more suitable for computer data capture. However, the adoption of these technologies requires careful study, both to maximise the benefits from their introduction and because digital printing technology may bring with it the need for different security measures than those commonly used in association with letterpress printing. The standard presents a recommended process for designing Digital Postage Mark applications i.e. applications linked to the use of digital printing and image data capture technologies in the postal industry, most particularly for the evidencing of postage accounting and/or payment. The process described is based on a cyclic model, involving Business Planning; Systems Analysis; Security Analysis and Detailed DPM Design.