POSTNET is the barcode used by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to direct mail to the correct recipient.  You’ve probably seen this barcode on the bottom of your mail almost as often as you see UPC’s.  POSTNET is a numeric only symbol that is capable of encoding digits 0-9 with each character represented by five bars (two tall and three short).  The POSTNET symbology can be printed as a 5-digit POSTNET barcode, a 9-digit ZIP+4 POSTNET barcode, or an 11-digit DPBC POSTNET barcode.  Let’s take a look at each of these options and what they encode:

5-Digit POSTNET Barcode- Pictured below, the traditional POSTNET barcode contains a total of 32 bars and consists of a start character, the 5-digit ZIP Code, check digit and the stop character.

9-Digit ZIP+4 POSTNET Barcode- The 52 bar symbol pictured below is an example of a ZIP+4 POSTNET barcode.  The additional four digits provide a more precise location than the ZIP code alone.  This symbol consists of a start character, the 9-digit ZIP code data, check digit and stop character.

11-Digit DPBC (Delivery Point Barcode) POSTNET- This 62 bar option pictured below encodes an additional two digits called a DPBC (Delivery Point Barcode); these two numbers are normally the last two digits of a street address, PO Box, or route number.  This symbol consists of a start character, 9-digit ZIP code, 2-digit DPBC, check digit and stop character.

When using this symbology, you need to be sure that it meets specifications and can be scanned by the USPS equipment or you’re setting yourself up for a major headache.  For more information about POSTNET requirements, you can read the POSTNET Barcode Certification Guide.  To easily begin using POSTNET, you can purchase professional labeling software such as NiceLabel.  You can be assured that this software supports all POSTNET symbols and meets all standards.  If you’d like more information about NiceLabel or other labeling software, please contact me at ehodges@barcode.com.

As promised in my Question of the Week, I’m going to take a closer look at Code 39 today.  Once again, Code 39 is also known as barcode 39, code 3 of 9, 3 of 9 barcode and more.  Code 39 was created in 1975 by Intermec and is still widely used in industrial applications and for internal applications.

Code 39 is capable of encoding uppercase letters A-Z, digits 0-9 and special characters such as SPACE, - (minus), . (period), $ (dollar sign), % (percent), / (slash), + (plus).  An Extended Code 39 can also encode additional characters not normally supported by the code, such as lower case letters.  This low density symbol requires more space to encode data than the similar Code 128.  Also unlike Code 128, Code 39 doesn’t require a check digit because it was designed with character self-checking.  Yet Code 39 does have a checksum character for standards that may require it, such as LOGMARS (Logistics Applications of Automated Marking and Reading Symbols).  When required, the checksum is calculated using a Modulo 43 calculation and the code is referred to as Code 39 mod 43.

Each Code 39 character is made up of 9 elements, 3 wide and 6 narrow.  Therefore, a single character consists of 5 black bars and 4 white spaces.  Each symbol includes:

1. Quiet zone the width of at least 10 narrow bars

2. Start character

3. Encoded data

4. Stop character

5. Quiet zone the width of at least 10 narrow bars

Code 39 can be read by nearly every barcode scanner on the market today and is quite popular because of its simplicity and reliable reading results.  If you would like more information about barcode software that supports Code 39 or have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me at ehodges@barcode.com.

As promised in my recent Question of the Week, I’m going to take a closer look at SCC-14, known globally as EAN/UCC-14.  This symbology is also known as Shipping Container Code because it is used for fixed-content shipping containers.  This 14-digit symbology has two different representations, UCC/EAN 128 format or the ITF-14 format which is based on Interleaved 2 of 5.  The most widely used barcode representation is the UCC/EAN 128 with Application Identifier (AI) 01 pictured above.  SCC-14 consists of 14 digits, including a check digit that is calculated the same way as a UPC/EAN check digit.  A SCC-14 barcode consists of the following pieces of data:

• Digit 1- Package Indicator (PI)
• Digits 2-3- UPC numbering system/EAN country prefix
• Digits 4-8- Manufacturer code
• Digits 9-13- Item identification number
• Digit 14- Check digit

Because SCC-14 is used for marking and labeling containers that hold products marked with UPC-A or EAN-13 barcodes, these codes are included in the SCC-14 code.  The digits from position 2-13 are the UPC-A or EAN-13 code that is encoded on the products within the case.

The packaging indicator is determined by what is in the container.  A PI of 0 is used to indicate a container that doesn’t have similar items or items without the same UPC or EAN.  PI’s of 1-8 differentiate between cases with different quantities of the same item.  And a PI of 9 indicates that the number of items in each case varies and isn’t fixed.

Unlike a UPC or EAN, you don’t have to register for an SCC-14 number.  It can be produced following the rules above and created with barcode label software.  If you need more information about software that supports this code, please contact me at ehodges@barcode.com.

I created the QR Code below using a generator I read about in 2d code blog.  The QR Code Generator was created by Jason Delport using the Google Chart API.  I embedded some text in the code, so if you can read it let me know.  I don’t have a phone capable of reading QR codes, so I’m just curious.  So leave me a comment and check out the generator!

I‘ve had several questions recently about retail barcode standards in Europe and I thought it might help to take a closer look at EAN-13.  EAN (European Article Number) has always been the symbology of choice throughout Europe and recently has spread to the U.S. and Canada.  Prior to 2005, any products sold internationally required both a UPC and an EAN barcode, but now EAN-13 is seen worldwide.  EAN-13 is much like the UPC-A code widely used throughout the U.S., with a few small differences.  EAN-13 uses a numbering system (00-99) to include country information, whereas the numbering system for a UPC-A ranges from 0-9.   And of course, EAN-13 has 13 digits compared to the standard 12 digit UPC.  There is also a shorter version of EAN-13 for small packages, known as EAN-8.   A standard EAN-13 includes the following items:

• Country Code or System Code- the first 2 digits of the barcode that represent the country that the manufacturer is registered in, not necessarily the country of origin.
• Manufacturer Code- This is the unique five digit code assigned to a manufacturer by the EAN numbering authority. This is like the unique prefix manufacturers are assigned when they register with GS1 for a UPC.
• Product Code- The product code is the 5 digits that follow the manufacturer code. These are assigned by the manufacturer to represent that specific product.
• Check Digit or Checksum- The check digit is the last digit of the barcode, used to verify that the barcode scans correctly. EAN-13 uses a modulo 10 calculation for the checksum, but if you don’t feel like doing the math, this simple EAN-13 Check Digit Calculator takes out all the hard work.

For more information about EAN-13 or barcode label software that supports it, please contact me at ehodges@barcode.com.