Latest News

Intelligent Mail® Barcode

On May 11, 2009, new Intelligent Mail® barcode rules come into effect. Mailers will be encouraged to switch from the current POSTNET™ and PLANET® barcode options to the new, more powerful Intelligent Mail barcode format. Mailers will be given two options in implementing this new barcode – Full, or Basic Service, options, and the USPS is rolling out financial and service incentives to those mailers who make the switch now. By May 2011, however the old barcode formats will no longer be valid, and all mailers will be required to use the IM® barcode to receive a postal discount.

What is the Intelligent Mail barcode?

The Intelligent Mail barcode is a Postal Service barcode used to sort and track letters and flats. The Postal Service is promoting the use of the Intelligent Mail barcode because it expands the ability to track individual mailpieces and provides customers with greater visibility into the mailstream. It combines the data of the existing POSTNET™ and the PLANET Code® barcodes, as well as other data, into a single barcode.

The barcode itself is a type of height-modulated barcode, that uses four distinct vertical bar types (Full, Tracker, Ascender and Descender).

 A typical Intelligent Mail barcode may look like this:

How Does It Benefit Mailers?

The Intelligent Mail barcode is the result of the Postal Service’s efforts to develop more robust barcodes that can hold more information, while minimizing the space used on the mailpiece. The Intelligent Mail barcode:

·      Has a greater overall data capacity than existing barcodes.

·      Provides mailers with more digits to use, allowing unique identification of up to a billion mailpieces per mailing.

·      Provides more detailed information about mailings, to enable better decision making.

·      Increases mailpiece “real estate” by eliminating the need for multiple barcodes.

·      Allows for participation in multiple USPS service programs with a single barcode.