Cecogrammes in the UK (Articles for the Blind)

 Hi, and welcome to this new blog. I had a number of interesting items to share but nowhere to share them, so hopefully things I post here will find their way onto, for example, Google images.

 

 Cecogrammes, meaning literature for the blind, are a UPU-mandated type of postage material that may be sent free of charge by, in the UK's case, 1st class mail, or by the standard Air Mail service to another country. Registration fees and such must be paid seperately. They typically include text encoded (or punched) onto a piece of paper in Braille, for the blind or partially sighted to read. However, other materials, such as audio CD's/cassettes with text recorded read aloud or Braille printers are also eligible. It is used/talked about in differing extents in different countries, but in the UK it is well described on both Royal Mail and Post Office websites (even if specific instructions or details are missing or outdated.)

 

I first became interested in these when, furing ordering a SIM card from the mobile provider O2, I chose the option to recieve the terms and conditions in an accessible format, and received this.

 

 

It contained the T&C's inside in Braille, but what interested me the most was how there was no visible postage payment. I did some research and found the information above.

 

I also discovered that you could get a special Horizon label for these that shows £0.00 as the value. 

Of course, I started experimenting with these, and now regularly make covers based on this. Some may consider it an ethics issue, but while it may not mean much, I regularly overpay on many of my mail 👌 

 

ERII Horizon, Inland 1st, BHF slogan postmark, Post Office-issued Cecogramme label 

 

 
Interestingly, AFTB is currently the only way to gat a Horizon label with a "1st" service indicator, at least as far as I'm concerned.
 
 
No stickers - only Articles for the Blind text, BHF slogan postmark

 
 
Mistakenly printed on Amazon returns label(?), Inland 1st, BHF slogan postmark, RNIB label

 

CRIII Horizon, Inland 1st, no postmark, thermal-printed Cecogramme label, CD window envelope

 
CRIII Horizon, Airmail, Protect your Postie slogan postmark, RNIB label

 

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Update 14.8.2025

CRII Horizon, 1st Articles for the Blind Signed For, VJ Day postmark, Post Office Cecogramme sticker

 
Interestingly, the service indicator is still just "1st", while the usual indicator for 1st class signed is "1L". I believe this is the only way to curently get a "1st" Horizon label with an actual value, not just £0.00 . The reciept, which lists this as a completely seperate service, can be seen below. Also, I know I didn't apply that Cecogramme label, so it was either the nice man at the post office or Mail/Delivery centre staff; maybe it caught more attention due to it being a registered service?

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Receipts:

Domestic (1st)
Airmail (A)


Signed for (1st)





 
 

 

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