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BCT_INTELLIGENT_MAIL

 

Field of Application

The code is used in the USA by the United States Postal Services for bulk mailings. It is the successor of the POSTNET barcode and replaces it.

 

Charset / Number of Characters

The charset comprises the digits 0..9.

The barcode is build from two separate parameters:

The Tracking Code (20 digits) and the Routing Code (Delivery Point ZIP Code: 0, 5, 9 or 11 digits).

When calling the Barcode method of VPE, both strings must be concatenated, separated by a ‘-‘.

For example, if the Tracking Code is “12345678901234567890” and the Routing Code is “12345”, then the resulting string which must be provided as the “code” parameter to the Barcode method is “12345678901234567890-12345”.

If the Routing Code is empty, then the string is just the Tracking Code, without a trailing ‘-‘.

 

Checkdigit

This barcode has no checkdigit. A CRC is encoded within the barcode pattern.

 

Characteristics

The height of the Intelligent Barcode should be between 0.125 – 0.165 inch (0.3175 – 0.4191 cm).

The width must be between 2.667 – 3.225 inch (6.774  – 8.192 cm).

The correct creation of bulk mailings requires compliance with a lot of specifications about the position of barcodes and addresses, paper types, font types, font sizes and many more.

The complete specification for the Intelligent Barcode can be downloaded from the web-server of the United States Postal Services.