Delivery Point Barcode Standards Flashcards

How many bars make up a complete POSTNET Delivery Point Barcode (DPBC)?

Answer: 62 bars

A full POSTNET DPBC contains 62 bars: a framing bar on each end plus 60 bars encoding the ZIP+4 and delivery point digits.

In POSTNET coding, each digit is represented by a combination of how many tall and short bars?

Answer: 2 tall, 3 short

Each POSTNET digit is encoded with exactly 5 bars: 2 full-height (tall) bars and 3 half-height (short) bars.

What is the purpose of the check digit at the end of a POSTNET Delivery Point Barcode?

Answer: It ensures the sum of all digits is a multiple of 10

The POSTNET check digit is chosen so that the sum of all encoded digits (including the check digit) equals a multiple of 10.

Which USPS barcode replaced POSTNET as the preferred standard for automation-rate mailings?

Answer: Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb)

The Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) replaced POSTNET and PLANET barcodes as the USPS standard for automation mail beginning in 2013.

What delivery point digits are typically appended to the ZIP+4 in a POSTNET DPBC for a PO Box?

Answer: The PO Box number's last 2 digits

For PO Boxes, the delivery point is derived from the last two digits of the PO Box number.

Under USPS standards, what is the minimum bar height for a POSTNET barcode full bar printed on a mail piece?

Answer: 0.125 inches

USPS standards require POSTNET full-height bars to be a minimum of 0.125 inches tall.

What happens to a POSTNET barcode's automation eligibility if a bar is missing or unreadable by USPS scanning equipment?

Answer: The piece loses automation rate eligibility and may be handled manually

A barcode with missing or unreadable bars fails machine scanning and the mail piece loses automation rate eligibility, incurring additional handling costs.