Intelligent Mail® Barcode

Technical Resource Guide

Prepared by:
Intelligent Mail Planning and Standards
United States Postal Service

January 13, 2009 Rev. 3.5

 Intelligent Mail Barcode Technical Resource Guide
January 13, 2009 | Rev. 3.5

Copyright
Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008 United State Postal Service. All rights reserved.

Trademarks
The following are among the trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service:
Confirm®, DMM®, First-Class Mail®, Intelligent Mail®, OneCode Vision®, OneCode ACS™, OneCode Confirm™. OneCode
Solution™, PLANET® Barcode, PLANET Code®, Postal Service™, POSTNET™, Standard Mail®, United States Postal
Service®, U.S. Postal Service™, USPS®, ZIP+4® Code, and ZIP Code™.
This is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service trademarks.

The following trademarks are used in this document.

PCL is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
AIX, MVS, VSE/ESA, OS/400OS/390, z/OS, zSeries, pSeries, and AFP are trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation,
Microsoft, Office, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft.
XEROX is a trademark of XEROX Corporation.
WinZip is a trademark of WinZip Computing, Inc.
All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Disclaimer
The information in this document is intended to give mailers and service providers cursory information on the use of Intelligent
Mail® barcode for OneCode Confirm™ and OneCode ACS™ services.
U.S. Postal Service reserves the right to change the information conveyed in this document without prior notice.
Information in this document is derived from official US Postal Service publications, including the Domestic Mail Manual. Where
there is conflict, the official publications have precedence over this document.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTELLIGENT MAIL® BARCODE BASICS .................................................................... 4

1.1. Specification and Construct Summary .................................................................... 4
1.2. Producing the Intelligent Mail Barcode .................................................................... 5
1.3. Applying the Intelligent Mail Barcode ...................................................................... 5
2. ONE CODE VISION® AND INTELLIGENT MAIL® BARCODE ...................................... 5
2.1. History of the Intelligent Mail Barcode ..................................................................... 5
2.2. Implementation of Services and Automation Discount ............................................ 6
3. INTELLIGENT MAIL BARCODE CONSTRUCT ............................................................. 7
3.1. Barcode Identifier .................................................................................................... 7
3.2. Service Type Identifier ............................................................................................. 8
3.3. Mailer Identifier ........................................................................................................ 8
3.4. Serial Number ......................................................................................................... 9
3.5. Routing Code .......................................................................................................... 9
4. BARCODE PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS ........................................................ 10
4.1. Creating the Intelligent Mail Barcode..................................................................... 10
4.2. Placement of the Intelligent Mail Barcode ............................................................. 11
5. ADDITONAL RESOURCES .......................................................................................... 13
Appendix A. Intelligent Mail barcode physical characteristics ............................................... 14
Table A1 – Intelligent Mail Barcode Dimensions ........................................................... 14
Table A2 – Comparison of Existing Postal Barcodes .................................................... 14
Appendix B. Intelligent Mail barcode field values .................................................................. 15
Table B1 – Barcode Identifier ........................................................................................ 15
Table B2 – Service Type Identifier ................................................................................ 15
Table B3 – May 2009 Reserved Basic/Full-Service Option Service Type IDs .............. 17
Appendix C. Encoding Software Packages and Fonts Available .......................................... 19

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1. INTELLIGENT MAIL® BARCODE BASICS

1.1. Specification and Construct Summary

The Intelligent Mail® barcode is a height-modulated barcode that encodes up to 31-digits of

mailpiece data into 65 vertical bars using 4-state symbology (ascender, descender, tracker
and full bar).

Key specification tolerances:

Overall barcode length between 2.667 and 3.225 inches.

Overall barcode height between 0.125 and 0.165 inch.
Vertical barcode clearance at least 0.028 inch; horizontal barcode clearance at least
0.125 inch.

Other physical characteristics are the same as POSTNET™ and PLANET Code® barcodes.
Appendix A contains the Intelligent Mail barcode specification tolerances.

The Intelligent Mail barcode consists of a 20-digit Tracking Code (Barcode ID, Service Type
ID, Mailer Identifier (MID), and Serial Number) and up to 11-digit Routing Code (Delivery
Point ZIP Code). Depending on mail volume and services selected, the Intelligent Mail
barcode construct will change as seen in the figures below.

FIGURE 1: Large mailer with 6-digit Mailer ID

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Barcode Service
ID Type ID Mailer ID Serial Number Routing Code
[2N] [3N] [6N] [9N] [none,5,9, or 11N]

FIGURE 2: Small mailer with 9-digit Mailer ID

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Barcode Service
ID Type ID Mailer ID Serial Number Routing Code
[2N] [3N] [9N] [6N] [none, 5, 9 or 11N]

The following fields are embedded within the Intelligent Mail barcode:

Barcode ID identifies the presort makeup in conjunction with an Optional Endorsement

Line.
• Service Type ID identifies special services requested (OneCode Confirm™ and/or
OneCode ACS™) or Mail Class when used for automation rate discount without any
services.
Mailer ID is a 6-digit or 9-digit number that uniquely identifies the mail owner or mailing
agent.
Serial Number can uniquely identify the mailpiece or mailing.
Routing Code must contain Delivery Point ZIP Code from CASS (Coding Accuracy
Support System) certified software in order to obtain automation rate discount.

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1.2. Producing the Intelligent Mail Barcode

The general steps below can be followed to produce an Intelligent Mail barcode:

Obtain application materials and Mailer Identifier (MID) from local Business Mail Entry
Unit (BMEU) or Mailpiece Design Analyst (MDA).
Decide on what data will go into the Intelligent Mail barcode and populate the barcode
fields: Tracking Code (Barcode ID, Service Type ID, Mailer ID, Serial Number) and
Routing Code (Delivery Point ZIP Code).
Encode required 20-digit Tracking Code and up to 11-digit Routing Code into 65-
character string (encoders available on PostalPro).
Apply font to 65-character string (fonts available on PostalPro).
Print barcode on mailpiece or save barcode image for later application.

The PostalPro website at https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing#cat-subsection-2

contains a wide array of resources in support of generating the Intelligent Mail barcode.

1.3. Applying the Intelligent Mail Barcode

The Intelligent Mail barcode can be applied on automation-rate First-Class Mail®,

Standard Mail®, Periodicals, and Bound Printed Matter letters and flats for rate eligibility in
lieu of the POSTNET barcode. When used with OneCode Confirm and OneCode ACS,
the Intelligent Mail barcode can be applied on First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, and
Periodicals letters and flats.

Priority Mail Flat-shaped mailpieces with permit imprints may bear a POSTNET or Intelligent
Mail barcode instead of the postal routing barcode for Commercial Base and
Commercial Plus pricing.

The Intelligent Mail barcode can be placed in any location where POSTNET barcodes
are currently allowed; the most common placement is within the address block.

2. ONE CODE VISION® AND INTELLIGENT MAIL® BARCODE

2.1. History of the Intelligent Mail Barcode

In 2003, the United States Postal Service (USPS) published the Intelligent Mail®
Corporate Plan. This plan identified several key strategies including: Uniquely Identify
Mail and Mail Aggregates; Develop and Deploy an Enabling Infrastructure; and Enhance
Address Quality. This plan provided the following vision:

“To capitalize on the value of information about mail, the Postal Service and
its customers will place an information-rich code on all mail, aggregates of
mail, and business forms, enabling end-to-end visibility into the mail
stream.”

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In support of this OneCode Vision®, the Postal Service, in partnership with the mailing
industry, developed the Intelligent Mail® barcode (formally known as the 4-state Customer
Barcode). It is the next generation in the evolution of Postal Service barcode technology. It
offers a more effective alternative to existing barcodes by increasing the amount of
information that is present on letter and flat mailpieces, allowing for expanded tracking
capability, and creating greater visibility into the mailstream.

The Intelligent Mail barcode is a height-modulated barcode that encodes up to 31-digit string
of mailpiece data into 65 vertical bars. These bars may be present in one of four possible
states: full bar, ascender, tracker, and descender.

full bar ascender tracker descender

ascending
region

tracking
region

descending
region

The 31-digit Intelligent Mail barcode (65 bars) is slightly longer than the 11-digit POSTNET
barcode (62 bars), and it offers mailers certain flexibility in choosing the height and width of
the barcode. Due to mailpiece real estate concerns and barcode print quality, some mailers
expressed an interest in a shorter-height Intelligent Mail barcode. Evaluations were
conducted with letter mail that allowed the Postal Service to reduce the height requirement
by 16.3% for the September 2006 offering. Consequently, the read-rate and dimension
analysis supported by an extensive flats test was used as a decision-making tool in
determining the feasibility of a revised Intelligent Mail barcode with further reduced vertical
dimensions. As a result of this, in July 2007, the Postal Service published a new
Specification for the Intelligent Mail barcode with even shorter bar heights with the full bar
ranging in height between 0.125 and 0.165 inches.

2.2. Implementation of Services and Automation Discount

The Postal Service offers a suite of services for letters and flats using the Intelligent Mail
barcode. This suite of services is called the OneCode Solution™ suite. Since the initial
launch of the Intelligent Mail barcode on September 1, 2006, mailers have had the option of
using the Intelligent Mail barcode on letter mail for the Confirm® Service, referred to as
OneCode Confirm™, and a version of Address Change Service™ (ACS™), called OneCode
ACS™. The Intelligent Mail barcode can be used for automation-rate eligibility with or
without these services requested. Effective May 1, 2007, the Postal Service expanded use
of the Intelligent Mail barcode by allowing mailers to use IM™ barcode on automation-rate
flat-size mailpieces.

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The Postal Service allows mailers to use the Intelligent Mail barcode on automation-rate
First-Class Mail®, Standard Mail®, Periodicals, and Bound Printed Matter letters and flats
for rate eligibility in lieu of the POSTNET barcode. The Postal Service allows First-Class
Mail, Standard Mail, and Periodicals letters and flats with Intelligent Mail barcode to
participate in OneCode Confirm and OneCode ACS programs.

Details pertaining to the use of the Intelligent Mail barcode as part of OneCode ACS are
available in Publication 8b, Address Change Service-OneCode ACS. Additional details
about the use of the Intelligent Mail barcode as part of the OneCode Confirm are available in
Publication 197 - Confirm® Service User Guide. These documents can be downloaded from
the PostalPro website at https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing#cat-subsection-2.

At the present time, use of the Intelligent Mail barcode is optional; however, many
customers have found that, because it offers significant advantages over POSTNET and
PLANET Code barcodes (including using less mailpiece “real estate” and offering more
overall data capacity), it makes good business sense to use this new format.

The Postal Service will require the Intelligent Mail barcode to qualify for automation
discounts in May 2011. Until then, the Postal Service will continue to support the use of the
POSTNET barcode for encoding the delivery point barcode for automation discount
eligibility, the PLANET Code barcode for encoding tracking information for Confirm, and
alphanumeric characters for conveying participant code and Keyline information for ACS.

3. INTELLIGENT MAIL BARCODE CONSTRUCT

The Intelligent Mail barcode carries a data payload of up to 31 digits comprised of the
following elements.

Type Field Field Length (in digits)

Tracking Code Barcode Identifier 2 (2nd digit must be 0-4)

Service Type Identifier 3

Mailer Identifier 6 or 9

9 (when used with 6 digit Mailer ID)

Serial Number
6 (when used with 9 digit Mailer ID)

Routing Code Delivery Point ZIP Code™ 0, 5, 9, or 11

Total Data Payload 31 (maximum)

3.1. Barcode Identifier

The Barcode Identifier field is a 2-digit field that is reserved to encode the presort
identification that is currently printed in human readable form on the optional endorsement

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line (OEL) as well as for future Postal Service use. Generally, this field should be left as “00”
if an OEL is not printed on the mailpiece. The exception is for automation-rate eligible flat
mail with an optional endorsement line, where the Intelligent Mail barcode must contain OEL
coding corresponding to the correct sortation level of each piece. Table B1 in Appendix B
provides the OEL codes for use within the Intelligent Mail barcode.

3.2. Service Type Identifier

The Service Type Identifier field is a 3-digit field that indicates participation, or the lack of, in
various Postal Service programs. Each 3-digit value corresponds to a particular mail class
with a particular combination of service(s). Eventually the Postal Service anticipates
supporting many combinations of class and service using this field; however, initially only a
limited set of offerings are available. Table B2 in Appendix B provides service codes and
corresponding service descriptions.

Beyond simply identifying when a mailpiece carries services, the Intelligent Mail barcode will
identify the mail class – even when no additional service is requested. Mailers printing the
Intelligent Mail barcode solely to qualify for automation discount must populate the Service
Type ID field with one of the following values: 700 for First-Class Mail, 702 for Standard
Mail, 704 for Periodicals, or 706 for Bound Printed Matter. Reply mail, such as Courtesy
Reply Mail (CRM), Meter Reply Mail (MRM), and Permit Reply Mail (PRM) may use the
Intelligent Mail barcode by populating the Service Type ID field with the First-Class Mail
designation. Mailers using Business Reply Mail (BRM) or Qualified Business Reply Mail
(QBRM) without any services should populate the Service Type ID field with 708.

Effective January 18, 2009, Priority Mail Flat-shaped mailpieces with permit imprints may
bear a POSTNET or Intelligent Mail barcode instead of the postal routing barcode for
Commercial Base and Commercial Plus pricing.

3.3. Mailer Identifier

The Mailer Identifier (Mailer ID or MID) field is a 6-digit or 9-digit number that identifies a
specific agent in the mail preparation process who has responsibility for the ownership,
content, make up, or preparation of the mail.

Local Business Mail Entry Units (BMEUs) and Mailpiece Design Analysts (MDAs) are
responsible for issuing Mailer IDs to any customer who does not plan to subscribe to
OneCode Confirm or OneCode ACS. These customers, without a previously-assigned
Mailer ID, can locate a BMEU via http://www.usps.com/nationalpremieraccounts/
findlocators.htm or use http://www.usps.com/replymail/mailpiece.htm to find a local MDA.

Mail owners and mail preparers will be granted 6-digit or 9-digit Mailer IDs based upon their
mail volume and criteria identified by the Postal Service. All 6-digit Mailer IDs will begin with
‘0’ through ‘8’; all 9-digit Mailer IDs will begin with ‘9’.

Mailer ID is only recommended, and not required on all reply mail using Confirm service,
except QBRM and PRM. QBRM and PRM will require Mailer ID in May 2010.

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3.4. Serial Number

The Serial Number is a 6-digit or 9-digit field depending on the length of the Mailer ID. The
Serial Number can be populated with a number that uniquely identifies each mailpiece,
becoming a Unique Mailpiece ID. Alternatively, the Serial Number may also be populated
with a number that is unique to a mailing, becoming a Unique Mailing ID. The uniqueness
method is left up to the mailer and can be achieved, among other things, by serializing the
mailpieces, embedding Julian date, embedding mailing event, using recipient identifier,
using database or mailing record ID. Serial Number uniqueness is not required when
qualifying for basic automation prices.

For existing Destination Confirm users, this field can hold the PLANET Code barcode
Mailing ID field, padded with additional digits to fill the field completely. For existing Origin
Confirm users, the Serial Number and the Mailer ID fields can be combined into a 15-digit
field to hold the PLANET Code barcode 9-digit or 11-digit Customer ID, padded with
additional digits to fill the field completely. OneCode ACS users should use the Serial
Number field to encode information previously encoded within the Keyline field.

3.5. Routing Code

The Routing Code field is an optional field, which may contain a 5-digit ZIP Code, a 9-digit
ZIP+4 code, or an 11-digit delivery point code. When used on letters for automation-rate
eligibility purposes, the routing code must contain a delivery point code from CASS-certified
software that accurately matches the delivery address. When used on flat-size pieces for
automation-rate eligibility purposes, the barcode must contain either a ZIP+4 or a delivery
point routing code that accurately matches the delivery address. Unlike POSTNET barcode,
the Routing Code within the Intelligent Mail barcode does not require a check digit. Also,
unlike POSTNET barcode, the Intelligent Mail barcode is always 65 bars regardless of ZIP
Code length. In certain situations the mailer may opt not to populate the Routing Code and
use the barcode only for tracking; however, mailers should adhere to USPS program-specific
guidance. The Routing Code, if populated, must never be padded with zeros, spaces or nulls
that are not part of the valid ZIP Code.

Remittance or reply mail may use the Intelligent Mail barcode with a proper Routing Code
for the mailpiece. Note that 11-digit delivery point codes are not permitted on Business
Reply Mail (BRM). When used by Origin Confirm users, the Routing Code serves as the
“Subscriber ID”, in which case the Routing Code used must be registered within the
subscriber’s OneCode Confirm account.

When using OneCode Confirm for “seeding” within an automation discount mailing, a non-
seeded mailpiece may use the Intelligent Mail barcode with a proper Delivery Point ZIP
Code to meet the automation discount criteria. Such an Intelligent Mail barcode should use
one of the Service Type IDs defined for use as a Mail Class Designator (those codes without
services) to indicate that the piece is not intended to generate Confirm information. The
Mailer Identifier field should contain the appropriate Confirm Subscriber ID.

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4. BARCODE PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS

4.1. Creating the Intelligent Mail Barcode

Encoding data into a POSTNET or PLANET Code is very straightforward: each digit in the
payload is represented by a predefined pattern of 5 bars. Encoding data into an Intelligent
Mail barcode is more complex. The encoding algorithm that translates the 31 digits in the
payload into 65 bars is defined in the USPS publication, Specification USPS-B-3200, which
is available for download from PostalPro.

To facilitate the adoption of the Intelligent Mail barcode, the Postal Service has developed,
and is making available at no charge, a web-based, interactive encoder-decoder tool, and
an extensive library of encoding software and fonts suitable for encoding and printing the
Intelligent Mail barcode in mail production environments using selected operating systems
and printing architectures. These resources are available from the same PostalPro web site.

To download the library of encoding software and fonts from the PostalPro website, users
must first request a user ID and password by calling the NCSC Help Desk at (877) 640-0724
or contacting them via email at onecodesolution@usps.gov

Once logged in, users will be able to download the encoding software package for any
particular operating system of interest. Each package contains all the files needed to use the
encoder software under that operating system in any of the languages or applications that
are supported. The Postal Service currently provides software, implemented in C, Java,
Cobol, and PL1. The supported operating systems are: MVS, z/OS, OS/390, VSE/ESA,
OS/400, AIX, Linux, HP/UX, Solaris, Mac OS X, and Windows. The list of combinations
available is provided in Appendix C.

For each operating system, the encoding software package is distributed as a standard ZIP
file. Users can use any utility that can handle a PKZIP file to extract the individual files to the
path stored on the ZIP File. A user guide is included in each package to provide detailed
operating system and language-specific instructions on how to install and use the files in the
package. All the required binary loadable software modules and a number of source files for
installation verification are also included in the package.

Independent of operating system and language, the encoding software works as follows.
Each call to the encoder requires two arguments: a 20-digit tracking code, and none, 5, 9, or
11-digit routing code. The encoder will return the status of the encoding function along with
a 65-character string of the letters F, A, D, or T, representing a full bar, ascender,
descender, or tracker, respectively.

For example, a tracking code of 00040123456200800001 and a routing code of 987654321

will be encoded into the following 65-character string:
ADTTTATTTFTDFADTDTFTAATATADDDDFTTDTDFFDFTTATAFFDDADDTFFADFDFTTTAD
When the string is printed with the Intelligent Mail barcode font, the actual barcode will be
produced:

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From the PostalPro website, registered and logged in users will be able to download the font
package needed to install and use the font for the following major production printing
environments: Advanced Function Printing (AFP), XEROX Metacode, Hewlett Packard’s
PCL (Print Control Language), Adobe’s Postscript, and TrueType.

4.2. Placement of the Intelligent Mail Barcode

On letters, the Intelligent Mail barcode can be placed in the address block or in the barcode
clear zone. On flats, the Intelligent Mail barcode can be placed anywhere on the address
side as long as it is at least 1/8 inch from any edge of the piece. To avoid ambiguity, only
one Intelligent Mail barcode can be placed in the same area.

The placement configurations of the Intelligent Mail barcode on a letter-size and flat-size
mail are defined in the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM™). Below are some commonly used
placement configurations. The mailpiece images used to illustrate these configurations are
not meant to be exact or exhaustive; note that the POSTNET barcode is acceptable for
automaton prices only until May 2011. For additional details concerning barcode placement,
please refer to 202.5, 302.4 and 503.13.3 of the DMM.

Intelligent Mail barcode Directly Applied by Mailer

Configuration 1
Mailer applies the Intelligent Mail 6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
AUTO
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001
barcode above or below the address MEMPHIS, TN
PERMIT NO. 1

within the address block.

Mailer encodes the delivery point
code in the Intelligent Mail barcode Charles E Bravo
United States Postal Service
along with the tracking code. 54321 Main Street
Anywhere USA 12345-6789

Configuration 1 (with Intelligent Mail barcode above address)

Intelligent Mail barcode Directly Applied by Mailer

Configuration 2(a)
Mailer applies the Intelligent Mail 6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
AUTO
U.S. POSTAGE
MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001 PAID

barcode above the address within

MEMPHIS, TN
PERMIT NO. 1

the address block.

Mailer encodes the delivery point Charles E Bravo
code in a POSTNET barcode below United States Postal Service
54321 Main Street
the address in the address block. Anywhere USA 12345-6789

POSTNET Barcode Directly Applied by Mailer

Configuration 2(a)

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POSTNET Barcode Directly Applied by Mailer

Configuration 2(b)
Mailer applies the Intelligent Mail FIRST-CLASS MAIL
AUTO
6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201
barcode below the address within MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MEMPHIS, TN
PERMIT NO. 1

the address block.

Mailer encodes the delivery point
code in a POSTNET barcode above Charles E Bravo
United States Postal Service
the address in the address block. 54321 Main Street
Anywhere USA 12345-6789

Intelligent Mail barcode Directly Applied by Mailer

Configuration 2(b)

Intelligent Mail barcode Directly Applied by Mailer

Configuration 3 POSTNET Barcode Applied by Mailer (Optional)
Mailer applies the Intelligent Mail FIRST-CLASS MAIL

barcode with or without POSTNET 6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201

MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001
AUTO
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MEMPHIS, TN
PERMIT NO. 1

barcode within the address block as

in Configuration 1, 2(a), or 2(b).
MLOCR applies POSTNET barcode Charles E Bravo
United States Postal Service
in the barcode clear zone, along 54321 Main Street
with the human readable automation Anywhere USA 12345-6789

marking1 and ZIP Code to the left.

JMCXNM5 38141

Human Readable Automation Marking and ZIP Code Applied by MLOCR

POSTNET Barcode Applied by MLOCR

Configuration 3

Configuration 4 Intelligent Mail barcode Applied by MLOCR

Mailer does not apply POSTNET
barcode or the Intelligent Mail 6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
AUTO

barcode directly in the address MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001

U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MEMPHIS, TN
PERMIT NO. 1

block.
MLOCR applies the POSTNET
barcode in the barcode clear zone, Charles E Bravo
along with the human readable United States Postal Service
54321 Main Street
automation marking and ZIP Code to Anywhere USA 12345-6789

the left. JMCXNM5 38141

In addition, MLOCR applies the
Intelligent Mail barcode containing Human Readable Automation Marking and ZIP Code Applied by MLOCR
the tracking code above the address POSTNET Barcode Applied by MLOCR
block. Configuration 4

1
It is also known as automation rate marking. Requirement for automation marking is stated in 604.9.4.14(e) of the DMM.
Specification for automation marking is in 705.5.3.2 of the DMM.

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Configuration 5
Mailer does not apply POSTNET FIRST-CLASS MAIL

barcode or the Intelligent Mail 6060 PRIMACY PKWY STE 201 AUTO
U.S. POSTAGE

MEMPHIS TN 38188-0001 PAID

MEMPHIS, TN
PERMIT NO. 1

barcode directly in the address

block.
Charles E Bravo
MLOCR applies the Intelligent Mail United States Postal Service
barcode containing the routing code 54321 Main Street
Anywhere USA 12345-6789
and tracking code in the barcode
clear zone, along with the human
JMCXNM5 38141
readable automation marking and
ZIP Code to the left.
Human Readable Automation Marking and ZIP Code Applied by MLOCR

Intelligent Mail barcode Applied by MLOCR

On letters, the Routing Code from a Configuration 5

barcode (Intelligent Mail barcode or

POSTNET barcode) in the lower right clear zone takes precedence over that in the address
block.

5. ADDITONAL RESOURCES

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) can be found at http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/

dmm300_landing.htm. It contains, among other things, all official rates and standards
governing domestic mailing services, including physical standards and barcode placement.

For general information, or to download specifications, publications for various services, and
the library of encoding software and fonts, please visit the PostalPro web site at:
https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing-and-shipping-services/onecode-acs.

To obtain User ID and Password to download the library of encoding software and fonts, or
for technical assistance in using the online tool or the library of encoding software and fonts,
contact the NCSC Help Desk at (877) 640-0724.

The Help Desk for Confirm service can be reached at (800) 238-3150.

The Help Desk for ACS can be reached at (877) 640-0724.

The Business Mail Entry Unit locator tool can be found at

http://www.usps.com/nationalpremieraccounts/findlocators.htm.

The Mailpiece Design Analyst Lookup Tool for non Confirm or ACS IM™ barcode usage is
located at http://www.usps.com/replymail/mailpiece.htm.

The Help Desk for PostalOne! can be reached at (800) 522-9085.

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Appendix A. Intelligent Mail barcode physical characteristics

Table A1 – Intelligent Mail Barcode Dimensions

Table A2 – Comparison of Existing Postal Barcodes

Attribute 11-digit POSTNET 13-digit PLANET 31-digit Intelligent

Barcode Code Barcode Mail Barcode
Number of bars 62 72 65
Bar Width 0.020 ± 0.005 inch 0.020 ± 0.005 inch 0.020 ± 0.005 inch
Horizontal Pitch 22 ± 2 bars per inch 22 ± 2 bars per inch 22 ± 2 bars per inch
Height of Full Bar 0.125 ± 0.010 inch 0.125 ± 0.010 inch 0.145 ± 0.020 inch *

*NOTE: Barcode height is based on Specification USPS-B-3200 Revision E.

As a reference, specification USPS-B-3200 Revision C stipulated Intelligent Mail barcode
Full Bar height at 0.182 ± 0.048 inch.

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Appendix B. Intelligent Mail barcode field values

Table B1 – Barcode Identifier

Value Barcode ID / Optional Endorsement Line (OEL) Description

00 Default / No OEL Information

10 Carrier Route (CR), Enhanced Carrier Route (ECR), and FIRM

20 5-Digit/Scheme

30 3-Digit/Scheme

40 Area Distribution Center (ADC)

50 Mixed Area Distribution Center (MADC), Origin Mixed ADC (OMX)

Table B2 – Service Type Identifier

Value 2 Mail Class/Service Description

700 First-Class Mail with no services

702 Standard Mail with no services

704 Periodicals with no services

706 Bound Printed Matter with no services

708 Business Reply Mail with no services

710 Priority Mail with no services

712 Priority Mail Flat Rate with no services

040 First-Class Mail with Destination Confirm (request for Confirm service mailpiece
processing data for outgoing First-Class Mail)

042 Standard Mail with Destination Confirm (request for Confirm service mailpiece
processing data for outgoing Standard Mail)

044 Periodicals with Destination Confirm (request for Confirm service mailpiece
processing data for outgoing Periodicals)

050 Origin Confirm (request for Confirm service mailpiece processing data for
incoming reply mail)

2
Details pertaining to the use of the Intelligent Mail barcode as part of OneCode ACS are available in Publication 8b, Address
Change Service-OneCode ACS. Details pertaining to the use of the Intelligent Mail barcode as part of OneCode Confirm are
®
available in Publication 197 - Confirm Service User Guide.

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052 Business Reply Mail with Origin Confirm (request for Confirm service mailpiece
processing data for incoming reply BRM pieces)

080 First-Class Mail with Address Service Requested (request for ACS where
forwardable First-Class Mail is forwarded; all other Undeliverable as Addressed
(UAA) mail is returned)

082 First-Class Mail with Change Service Requested (request for ACS with an option
for disposal of all UAA mail or for forwardable First-Class Mail to be forwarded;
all other UAA mail is disposed of)

090 Standard Mail with Address Service Requested (request for ACS requiring
printed endorsement where forwardable Standard Mail is forwarded; all other
UAA mail is returned at the weighted fee)

092 Standard Mail with Change Service Requested (request for ACS requiring
printed endorsement where all UAA mail is disposed of)

782 Periodicals with Address Service Requested (request for ACS where forwardable
Periodicals are forwarded; all other UAA mail is returned to sender postage due)

140 First-Class Mail with Destination Confirm and Address Service Requested
(request for Confirm service mailpiece processing data for outgoing First-Class
Mail and for ACS where forwardable First-Class Mail is forwarded; all other UAA
mail is returned)

240 First-Class Mail with Destination Confirm and Change Service Requested
(request for Confirm service mailpiece processing data for outgoing First-Class
Mail and ACS with an option for disposal of all UAA mail or for forwardable First-
Class Mail to be forwarded; all other UAA mail is disposed of)

142 Standard Mail with Destination Confirm and Address Service Requested (request
for Confirm service mailpiece processing data for outgoing Standard Mail and
ACS requiring printed endorsement, where forwardable Standard Mail is
forwarded; all other UAA mail is returned at the weighted fee)

242 Standard Mail with Destination Confirm and Change Service Requested (request
for Confirm service mailpiece processing data for outgoing Standard Mail and
ACS requiring printed endorsement, where all UAA mail is disposed of)

144 Periodicals with Destination Confirm and Address Service Requested (request
for Confirm service mailpiece processing data for outgoing Periodicals and ACS
where forwardable Periodicals are forwarded; all other UAA mail is returned to
sender postage due.)

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Table B3 – May 2009 Reserved Basic/Full-Service Option Service Type IDs

** The Basic/Full-Service codes below are NOT available for use until May 2009 **

Starting in May 2009, Basic and Full-Service option mailpieces must use the Service Type
IDs in the first two columns of the table below. Nonautomation and all other mailpieces
must use the Service Type IDs in the last column of the table. For detailed information on
the full-service option implementation of Intelligent Mail barcodes visit PostalPro at
https://postalpro.usps.com/mailing#cat-subsection-1.

List of acronyms:
ACS: Address Change Service CRM: Courtesy Reply Mail
ASE: Ancillary Service Endorsement MRM: Meter Reply Mail
ASR: Address Service Requested PRM: Permit Reply Mail
CSR: Change Service Requested QBRM: Qualified Business Reply Mail

Full- Basic Nonauto/

No-Service / Mail Class Service Type ID Service Option Other
FIRST-CLASS MAIL 260 300 700
PERIODICALS 264 704 704
STANDARD MAIL 261 301 702
BOUND PRINTED MATTER 265 401 706
FIRST-CLASS REPLY MAIL (CRM, MRM, PRM) 700 700 700
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL (incl. QBRM) 708 708 708
PRIORITY MAIL N/A N/A 710
PRIORITY MAIL FLAT-RATE N/A N/A 712

Full- Basic Nonauto/

Ancillary Service Endorsement Service Type ID Service Option Other
FIRST-CLASS MAIL w/Manual Corrections 036 700 700
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm w/Manual Corrections 041 040 040
PERIODICALS w/Manual Corrections 264 704 704
PERIODICALS Destination Confirm w/Manual Corrections 274 044 044
STANDARD MAIL w/Manual Corrections 037 702 702
STANDARD MAIL Destination Confirm w/Manual Corrections 043 042 042
BOUND PRINTED MATTER w/Manual Corrections 466 706 706

Full- Basic Nonauto/

OneCode Confirm Service Type ID Service Option Other
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm 270 310 310
PERIODICALS Destination Confirm 045 044 044
STANDARD MAIL Destination Confirm 271 311 311
FIRST-CLASS REPLY MAIL (CRM, MRM, PRM) Origin Confirm 050 050 050
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL (incl. QBRM) Origin Confirm 052 052 052

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Full- Basic Nonauto/

OneCode ACS Service Type ID Service Option Other
FIRST-CLASS MAIL w/Traditional ASR 081 080 080
FIRST-CLASS MAIL w/Traditional CSR 083 082 082
FIRST-CLASS MAIL ASR Option 1 081 080 080
FIRST-CLASS MAIL ASR Option 2 081 080 080
FIRST-CLASS MAIL CSR Option 1 083 082 082
FIRST-CLASS MAIL CSR Option 2 083 082 082
PERIODICALS w/Traditional ACS w/o ASE 038 784 784
PERIODICALS w/Traditional ACS w/ ASE 783 782 782
PERIODICALS ASR w/o ASE 038 784 784
PERIODICALS ASR w/ ASE 783 782 782
STANDARD MAIL w/Traditional ASR 091 090 090
STANDARD MAIL w/Traditional CSR 093 092 092
STANDARD MAIL ASR 091 090 090
STANDARD MAIL CSR 093 092 092
BOUND PRINTED MATTER w/Traditional ASR 423 424 424
BOUND PRINTED MATTER w/Traditional CSR 430 431 431
BOUND PRINTED MATTER ASR 423 424 424
BOUND PRINTED MATTER CSR 430 431 431

Full- Basic Nonauto/

OneCode Confirm + OneCode ACS Service Type ID Service Option Other
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm w/Traditional ASR 141 140 140
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm w/Traditional CSR 241 240 240
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm ASR Option 1 141 140 140
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm ASR Option 2 141 140 140
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm CSR Option 1 241 240 240
FIRST-CLASS MAIL Destination Confirm CSR Option 2 241 240 240
PERIODICALS Destination Confirm w/Traditional ACS w/o ASE 045 244 244
PERIODICALS Destination Confirm w/Traditional ACS w/ ASE 145 144 144
PERIODICALS Destination Confirm ASR w/o ASE 045 244 244
PERIODICALS Destination Confirm ASR w/ ASE 145 144 144
STANDARD MAIL Destination Confirm w/Traditional ASR 143 142 142
STANDARD MAIL Destination Confirm w/Traditional CSR 243 242 242
STANDARD MAIL Destination Confirm ASR 143 142 142
STANDARD MAIL Destination Confirm CSR 243 242 242

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Appendix C. Encoding Software Packages and Fonts Available

Language and Applications Supported

Operating System C Java 2 COBOL PL/1 MS Access MS Excel

MVS, z/OS, and OS/390 Yes Yes Yes Yes

VSE/ESA Yes Yes Yes

OS/400 Yes Yes Yes

AIX Yes Yes

Linux Yes Yes

Solaris Yes Yes

HP/UX Yes Yes

Mac OS X Yes Yes

Programmer Version for

Yes Yes
Windows

MS Office Version for

Yes Yes
Windows

Type

Fonts Fixed Pitch Bitmap Scalable

The Advanced Function Printing (AFP) Yes

The XEROX Metacode Yes

Hewlett Packard’s PCL Yes

Adobe’s Postscript Yes Yes

TrueType Yes

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