When mixed mail enters a postal facility, it must first be faced and oriented so that the address is readable by mail processors. Existing USPS systems face and orient domestic mail by searching for flourescing indicia on each mail piece. However, stamps on foreign-originated mail do not flouresce, so the processing systems cannot sort foreign mail. Furthermore, even the facing of domestic mail is subject to processing problems such as mechanical malfunction and misplaced or partially flourescing indicia, which cause a significant fraction of mail to be rejected. Previously, rejected domestic mail and all foreign mail had to be faced and oriented by hand, thus increasing mail processing costs for the USPS. This work aims to eliminate these costs by developing an image-based facing system that processes scanned images of both sides of each envelope and automatically faces and orients it in real time. The USPS began to deploy this technology nationwide in November 2002.