CASS Delivery Point Barcode Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How many bars make up a complete POSTNET Delivery Point Barcode (DPBC)?
- 52 bars
- 62 bars (Correct answer)
- 65 bars
- 72 bars
Correct 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.
Question 2: In POSTNET coding, each digit is represented by a combination of how many tall and short bars?
- 2 tall, 3 short (Correct answer)
- 3 tall, 2 short
- 4 tall, 1 short
- 1 tall, 4 short
Correct 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.
Question 3: What is the purpose of the check digit at the end of a POSTNET Delivery Point Barcode?
- It identifies the mailer's permit number
- It ensures the sum of all digits is a multiple of 10 (Correct answer)
- It indicates the class of mail
- It encodes the carrier route
Correct 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.
Question 4: Which USPS barcode replaced POSTNET as the preferred standard for automation-rate mailings?
- Code 128
- Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) (Correct answer)
- Code 39
- PDF417
Correct 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.
Question 5: What delivery point digits are typically appended to the ZIP+4 in a POSTNET DPBC for a PO Box?
- The last 2 digits of the ZIP Code
- The PO Box number's last 2 digits (Correct answer)
- Always 00
- The first 2 digits of the box number
Correct 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.
Question 6: Under USPS standards, what is the minimum bar height for a POSTNET barcode full bar printed on a mail piece?
- 0.115 inches
- 0.125 inches (Correct answer)
- 0.135 inches
- 0.150 inches
Correct answer: 0.125 inches
USPS standards require POSTNET full-height bars to be a minimum of 0.125 inches tall.
Question 7: What happens to a POSTNET barcode's automation eligibility if a bar is missing or unreadable by USPS scanning equipment?
- The piece still qualifies at the automation rate
- The piece is returned to sender immediately
- The piece loses automation rate eligibility and may be handled manually (Correct answer)
- The piece is upgraded to first-class automatically
Correct 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.
CASS Delivery Point Barcode Standards 2
How many bars make up a complete POSTNET Delivery Point Barcode (DPBC)?