Transcript Presentation - Welcome To Cheque

Barcoding
Business Letter Services
Introduction
Barcoding is an important part of Australia Post’s
strategy to improve services to customers mailing
bulk quantities of letters.
In this module
This module covers the structure, format and printing requirements of 4state barcodes.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
• identify a 4-state barcode
• understand the structure of a barcode
• understand the format of a barcode
• understand the barcode printing requirements
Barcoding at a glance
What is a barcode?
A barcode is a machine readable representation of information, usually printed as parallel lines. A barcode
can be read by barcode readers or scanners and improves the speed and accuracy of data capture and
processing.
When Australia Post embarked on its FuturePost project in the late 1990’s, it introduced new mail sorting
equipment. Barcodes were key to the success of this new equipment. The introduction of the barcode
speeds up the processing and sorting of mail for delivery within Australia.
The barcode used by Australia Post is called a 4-state barcode.
FuturePost was the
name given to the
project which involved
restructuring Australia
Posts mail and delivery
networks to incorporate
barcoding.
Barcoding at a glance
Benefits of barcoding
Barcoding provides the following benefits:
• Simplified pre-sorting requirements
• Enhanced service. Barcodes can be read faster and more accurately than address text. This
improves sorting efficiency
• Greater addressing flexibility. Using barcodes, the range of fonts and envelope layouts is
enhanced
• Simplified pricing structure. The efficiencies created by barcoding means cost reductions can be
passed on to customers
Barcoding at a glance
Customer responsibilities
To take advantage of barcoding, you need to do the following:
• Review (and modify if necessary) your customer database on a
regular basis to accommodate the eight digit Delivery Point Identifier
(DPID)
• Validate your customer database against Australia Post’s Postal
Address File (PAF), using approved address-matching and correction
software (AMAS). This software appends the correct DPID
• Print the barcode using AMAS or alternative barcode printing software
This module provides an overview of barcodes, their structure, formats and
printing considerations. Some of the information about barcoding is quite
technical, so refer to the Customer Barcoding Technical Specifications booklet
for more explanation. This booklet is available from the Australia Post website
(auspost.com.au).
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode overview
Introduction
Within a barcode, the bars are separated into fields. Each field contains
bar symbols, coded according to an Encoding Table. These symbols
represent characters. Characters are a further set of codes which
represent Australia Post sorting rules and other information.
Fields have the following characteristics:
• each field has a fixed number of bars allocated to it
• each field is assigned a particular Encoding Table. The bars within
a field are coded into symbols by the Encoding Table
The exact configuration of the bars in a particular field depends on the
barcode’s format. Several set formats are available and are described
later in this module. Encoding Tables are also described later.
Fields in the Customer Barcode 3
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode overview
Barcodes and bulk mail services
The table below lists each Bulk Mail Service and whether a barcode is required for discounted postage
rates.
Product
Barcode
required?
PreSort Letters
Yes
Charity Mail
Yes
Acquisition Mail
Yes
Impact Mail
No
Clean Mail
No
Print Post
No
Reply Paid
Yes
Unaddressed Mail
No
The
Post
Theprinting
printingofofbarcodes
barcodeson
onPrint
Clean
Mailarticles
is not is
encouraged.
If a correct
barcode
is printed
thenbe
required, although
if printed
the barcode
must
customers
correct. are not subject to the correct
addressing requirements for the Residue and CBD
Sort Divisions.
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode overview
Four states
The barcode used by Australia Post is called a 4-state barcode.
This barcode comprises four types of bars (states), each of which is identified by both a name and a value.
The diagram below shows the four states and the value of each of the bars. These states are explained on the
next page.
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode overview
Four states
Each bar comprises a ‘tracker’ (middle section), to which an ‘ascender’ (top section)
and/or ‘descender’ (bottom section) may be added.
This creates four possible bar states:
• Tracker with ascender and descender
• Tracker with ascender
• Tracker with descender
• Tracker on its own
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode overview
Four states
Each of these states has a name and a corresponding numerical value:
• H - Tracker with ascender and descender
• A - Tracker with ascender
• D - Tracker with descender
• T - Tracker on its own
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode overview
Encoding Tables
The bars in a barcode only make sense when referenced to Encoding
Tables. The Encoding Tables assign groups of bars/values to specific
characters.
There are two main Encoding Tables:
• N Encoding Table - creates two bar symbols from the numbers 0 - 9
• C Encoding Table - creates three bar symbols for combinations of
uppercase and lowercase characters, space and # symbols and
numbers 0 - 9
More information about Encoding Tables, bar values and symbols is
available in the Customer Barcoding Technical Specifications booklet.
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode structure
Overview
To be eligible for postage discounts, customer barcodes must comply with Australia Post
requirements.
Approved 4-state barcodes comprise the following components (fields), with each field using a
specific number of bars to represent characters and codes:
 Start bars
 Format Control Code (FCC)
 DPID
 Customer information field
 Reed Solomon error correction
 Stop bars
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode structure
Start bars
Start bars are the first 2 bars in the barcode. These bars assist the barcode reader to
identify the start of the barcode and always contain the bar values of 1 and 3.
The start bars ensure that the beginning of the barcode can never be mistaken, even
when the barcode is upside down.
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode structure
Format Control Code (FCC)
FCC
00
Description
Barcode
Length
Null Customer Barcode
37, 52, 67
Standard Customer
11
37
The FCC is a two digit number that identifies the
Barcode
Zero (Null) value
DPID and Format Control Code
type of barcode and always comprises 4 bars. The
Paid Domestic
(FCC) 52 Reply
52
Barcode
value of the FCC determines what type of barcode it
their
own
in order to
59 include
Customer
Barcode
2 information
52
is. The table opposite shows the current FCCs andCustomers can
campaigns
orders.
This
62 for Customer
Barcode and
3
67
the barcode lengths they apply to. Invalid FCCs monitor returns
information can beReply
captured
in either a 52 or 67 length 4Paid Domestic
cause mail articles to be rejected.
67
67
state barcode. TheBarcode
format control codes to use are 59
Reply
Paid International
and 62 respectively.
72
52
Barcode
On the occasion where
a DPID
has failed to be
Reply Paid
International
77
67
Barcode
assigned, customers
can use a zero value format control
which essentially assigns zero values to both the format
control code and DPID.
If the article is returned it can still be scanned and the
appended return/order tracking information captured.
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode structure
Stop
Reed
Solomon
error correction
Customer
information
field
DPID bars
Stop
bars
are
the
lastcorrection
2field
barsis in
the
These
bars
the
The
Solomon
error
field
performs
anumber
backup
orassist
quality
Customer
information
a section
in the
reserved
for
The Reed
Delivery
Point
Identifier
(DPIP)
is
anbarcode.
eight
digitbarcode
that
uniquely
barcode
reader
to identify
thewhich
end
of
the barcode
and
always
the
control
function
for
the
barcode.
The
bars
enable
the
barcode
toThe
be52
customers
store
their
own
information.
It Post
is only
available
incontain
the
identifies
a to
physical
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Australia
delivers
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point
bar
1barcodes.
andor3.of
resistant
toof
errors
erasures
caused
faulty
printing,
too much
and
67 the
length
can values
be
letterbox
a house,
a PO by
Box,
a Rural
Mailbag
or other
reflectance
on
window
panels
or
smudging.
delivery point.
Like
thebars
Startcan
bars,
the Stop
bar is read
correctly,
These
be coded
bybars
eitherensure
of thethat
two the
Encoding
Tables.
even
thecustomers
barcode
iscan
upside
There
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12inofAustralia
these
bars
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the barcode.
Alternatively,
encode
bars
themselves
using
their
Each when
delivery
point
is down.
allocated
a unique
DPID. The
DPID
own
techniques.
field proprietary
comprises 16
bars in the barcode.
For more information about Reed Solomon error correction, refer to
Barcode
fieldsinformation
in the Customer
Barcoding
Specifications
The Customer
field occupies
16Technical
bars in the
52 length
booklet.
barcode, or 31 bars in the 67 length barcode.
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Introduction
The fields, number of bars and codes used in a
particular barcode depend on the barcode’s
format. Three barcode formats are available for
customer barcoding, with a fourth format for the
Reply Paid service.
Note the FFC and number of bars shown in
each barcode format in the following diagram.
Also note the example barcode below.
FCC
Description
Barcode Length
00
Null Customer Barcode
37, 52, 67
11
Standard Customer Barcode
37
52
Reply Paid Domestic Barcode
52
59
Customer Barcode 2
52
62
Customer Barcode 3
67
67
Reply Paid Domestic Barcode
67
72
Reply Paid International Barcode
52
77
Reply Paid International Barcode
67
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Standard customer barcode
Bar
position
The Standard Customer Barcode (or 37 length
barcode) is the most commonly used 4-state
barcode. It contains the minimum information
within the barcode for delivery. This barcode
has the following format.
1-2
Field
Code
Start bars
1 (A bar)
2
3 (T bar)
3-6
FCC
N Table
4
7-22
DPID
N Table
16
23
Filler bar
3 (T bar)
24-35
Reed
Solomon
Bar to Decimal table
36-37
Stop bars
1 (A bar)
3 (T bar)
Example – Standard Customer Barcode (37bars)
No. of
bars
1
12
2
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Customer barcode 2
Customer Barcode 2 (or 52 length barcode) is
essentially the same as the Standard Customer
Barcode. The main difference is that this
barcode allows for customer information to be
included within the barcode. This barcode has
the following format.
As the Customer Information part of
the barcode is for use by the
customer, the customer can choose
Example
- Customer Barcode 2
to code the information using
their
own codes or they can use the N
Encoding Table, or the C Encoding
Table.
Bar
position
1-2
Field
Code
Start bars
1 (A bar)
No. of bars
2
3 (T bar)
3-6
Format Control
Code
N Table
4
DPID
N Table
16
23-38
Customer
Information
Free Format
16
39-50
Reed Solomon
Bar to Decimal
table
12
51-52
Stop bars
1 (A bar)
7-22
3 (T bar)
(52 bars)
2
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Bar
position
Customer barcode 3
1-2
Customer Barcode 3 (or 67 length barcode) is
essentially the same as Customer Barcode 2.
The main difference is this barcode allows for
more customer information to be included within
the barcode. This barcode has the following
format.
3-6
Field
Code
Start bars
1 (A bar)
2
3 (T bar)
Format Control Code
N Table
4
DPID
N Table
16
23-53
Customer
Information
Free Format
31
54-65
Reed Solomon
Bar to Decimal
table
12
66-67
Stop bars
1 (A bar)
7-22
3 (T bar)
Example - Customer Barcode 3 (67 bars)
No. of bars
2
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Reply Paid barcode
The format of the Reply Paid barcode differs slightly to the other Customer Barcodes. The
Reply Paid barcode includes a Response Number that relates to the particular Reply Paid
service.
The Reply Paid barcode comes in two lengths:
• 52 length barcode
• 67 length barcode
The format of each barcode is explained on the following pages.
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Reply Paid barcode
52 length
Bar
position
1-2
Field
Code
Start bars
1 (A bar)
No. of
bars
2
3 (T bar)
3-6
Format Control Code
N Table
4
DPID
N Table
16
23-28
Response Number
N Table
6
29-38
Customer Information –
52 length
Free Format
10
39-50
Reed Solomon
Bar to Decimal
table
12
51-52
Stop bars
1 (A bar)
7-22
3 (T bar)
Example – Reply Paid Barcode (52 bars)
2
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Reply Paid barcode
67 length
Bar
position
1-2
Field
Code
Start bars
1 (A bar)
No. of
bars
2
3 (T bar)
3-6
Format Control Code
N Table
4
DPID
N Table
16
23-28
Response Number
N Table
6
29-53
Customer Information
– 67 length
Free Format
25
54-65
Reed Solomon
Bar to
Decimal table
12
66-67
Stop bars
1 (A bar)
7-22
3 (T bar)
Example – Reply Paid Barcode (67 bars)
2
Advanced: Barcoding
Barcode formats
Summary
To qualify for the Bulk Mail Services discount postage rates, a barcode is printed on the mail
article with the address details.
The barcode:
 is a machine readable representation of information
 comes in 3 different lengths: 37, 52, 67
 is called a 4-state barcode because it contains 4 different types of bars
 must follow a specific structure set by Australia Post
 structure for the Reply Paid barcode differs slightly to the Customer Barcode
For more information about barcodes refer to the Customer Barcoding Technical
Specifications and the Australia Post website (auspost.com.au).
Advanced: Barcoding
Printing the barcode
Introduction
The 4-state barcode must follow a particular barcode structure and format as specified by Australia Post. It must
also follow specific printing requirements as specified by Australia Post.
The specific printing requirements for the 4-state barcode ensure the barcode is of a suitable standard for the
Australia Post sorting equipment to read and process the barcoded mail articles efficiently.
Barcodes that don’t follow the specific printing requirements can result in:
 mail articles being rejected during processing
 reduced processing speeds because the barcode is more difficult to read
 the full postage rate being charged rather than the discounted rate
The specific printing requirements of the barcode refer to the:
 barcode length
 individual bar dimensions
 skew
 reflectance
 Quiet Zone
Advanced: Barcoding
Printing the barcode
Barcode length
When printed, each 4-state barcode has a minimum and maximum size it must comply with to
ensure efficient reading of the barcode and processing of the mail article, as outlined below.
Barcode
Min Length (mm)
Max Length (mm)
37
37.0
42.2
52
52.2
59.5
67
67.5
76.8
Advanced: Barcoding
Printing the barcode
Bar dimensions
The individual bars and spaces within the barcode have their own minimum and maximum measurements.
These are important because any major variations can cause the sorting equipment to reject the mail
article.
Each bar has a minimum and maximum height.
As well as the height of each the bar, the width and gap also have a
minimum and maximum size.
Bar type
Min (mm)
Max (mm)
Bar gap
0.4
0.7
Bar width
0.4
0.6
Advanced: Barcoding
Printing the barcode
Barcode skew
When a barcode is printed on a mail article, occasionally it may not be printed straight (‘skewed’). This can
happen if the mail article was not lined up correctly when moving through the printer or the mail article shifted
during the print process.
A certain amount of skew (called ‘tolerance’) is allowed, as the sorting equipment is still able to read slightly
skewed barcodes without causing any processing issues.
There are two types of skew:
 code skew – refers to the skew of the whole barcode in relation to the bottom edge of the mail article. A code
skew of +/- 5 degrees is acceptable.
 bar skew – refers to the skew of individual bars within the barcode. A bar skew of +/- 5 degrees is acceptable.
Advanced: Barcoding
A specific range of wavelengths or
light, from a minimum to a
Printing the barcode
maximum, often named after a
central value. The value of 633
Reflectance
Opaque:
not istransparent
orwhile
nanometers
visible light,
translucent;
impenetrable
to light;
represents
Given the colour of the envelope, patterns in the envelope and colour of ink900
usednanometers
to print the barcode
not allowing
lighta to
pass through.
can affect machine reading of the barcode, the reflectance of the barcode needs
to be
within
specific
infrared
light.
Within
the range 400Opacity
is
the
property
of a
range.
650
nanometers,
the
following
substrate material that minimizes
measurements
mustthe
be met:
show-through
‘Reflectance’ is the degree to which light reflects from a surface. Barcode reader
devices arefrom
sensitiveback side or
the
next sheet.
requirement
• maximum
bar This
reflectance
(Rb) isis
to the reflectance of the following:
met
the MRD is at least 50%
25%;if and,
• printed barcode
when the material is backed with a
• space around the barcode
• minimum space reflectance (Rs)
black
surface
having a reflectance
• window material through which barcodes are scanned, when a window face
envelope
is used
is
50%;
below 5%.
Barcode reader devices operate within a spectral range.
The material on which the barcode is printed (the ‘substrate’) must be opaque, to prevent unwanted
information showing through and obscuring the barcode.
Advanced: Barcoding
Printing the barcode
Quiet zone
The Quite Zone refers to the area around the printed barcode. This area needs to be kept clear to ensure
that the barcode can be detected by the reader and processed correctly. If there is any ‘noise’, such as
other printing, patterns and textures, this may affect the ability of the barcode to be scanned.
There is a minimum requirement of Quiet Zone around the barcode:
• 2mm above and below the barcode
• 6mm on the left and right of the barcode
Advanced: Barcoding
Printing the barcode
Summary
The 4-state barcode must be printed within certain specifications to ensure that the barcode
can be read and processed efficiently by Australia Post’s sorting equipment.
Barcode print requirements refer to the:
 barcode length
 individual bar dimensions
 skew
 reflectance
 Quiet Zone
For more information about barcodes refer to the Customer Barcoding Technical
Specifications and the Australia Post website (auspost.com.au).
Advanced: Barcoding
Summary
You have now completed this module.
The key points covered were:






To access some of the Bulk Mail Service discount postage rates, a barcode
needs to be printed on the mail article with the address details.
The barcode must follow a specific structure set by Australia Post.
The barcode can be printed in 3 different lengths: 37, 52, 67.
The 52 and 67 length barcodes allow the customer to include their own
information.
The Format Control Code (FCC) used must be valid, as this determines
how the mail article is processed.
The 4-state barcode must be printed within the specifications to ensure that
the barcode can be read and processed efficiently by Australia Post’s
sorting equipment.
Assessment
You now need to complete a short assessment to check your
understanding of the information covered in this module.
This assessment consists of 10 multiple-choice questions and
should take you approximately 10 minutes to complete.
To pass the assessment, you need to answer at least eight of
these questions correctly.
Attempt this assessment as many times as you need to. If you
do not pass, it is recommended that you review this module
again.
Assessment
1
For which Bulk Mail Services is the barcode mandatory to qualify for postage
discounts?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Impact Mail, Clean Mail, Print Post
PreSort Letters, Charity Mail, Acquisition Mail, Reply Paid
Charity Mail, Print Post
Clean Mail, PreSort Letters
Correct answer = B
PreSort Letters, Charity Mail, Acquisition Mail and Reply Paid must have a
correctly printed barcode to qualify for postage discounts for that service.
Assessment
2
True or false?
Numeric values use the N Encoding Table to translate into the bar values.
a.
b.
True
False
Correct answer = A
Numeric values 0 to 9 use the N Encoding Table, which creates two
bars for each value
Assessment
3
True or false?
Alpha numeric values (numbers and characters) use the C Encoding Table.
a.
b.
True
False
Correct answer = A
Combinations of alpha-numeric values (A to Z, a to Z, 0 to 9) use the C
Encoding Table, which creates three bars for each value.
Assessment
4
What are the 3 types of barcode lengths?
a.
b.
c.
d.
37, 57, 62
37, 52, 67
32, 59, 62
39, 57, 67
Correct answer = B
The three barcode lengths are 37, 52 and 67.
Assessment
5
The Customer information field is available for use by the customer in the:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Standard Customer Barcode (37 length barcode)
Customer Barcode 2 (52 length barcode)
Customer Barcode 3 (67 length barcode)
52 and 67 length barcodes
Correct answer = D
Both the 52 and 67 length barcodes contain an area that the customer can
use to include their own information.
Assessment
6
True or false?
The structure of the Reply Paid barcode is slightly different to the Standard
Customer Barcode.
a.
b.
True
False
Correct answer = A
The structure of the Reply Paid barcode is slightly different to the Standard
Customer Barcode because it includes the response number within the
barcode.
Assessment
7
True or false?
When producing the barcode, any value can be used for the Format Control
Code (FCC).
a.
b.
True
False
Correct answer = B
The Format Control Code must be one of the valid codes as specified by
Australia for that particular barcode type.
Assessment
8
True or false?
When the barcode is printed it can be any size.
a.
b.
True
False
Correct answer = B
The printed barcode, depending on the number of bars, must be printed
within a specific minimum and maximum size.
Assessment
9
True or false?
When the barcode is printed, the individual bars within the barcode must be
within certain minimum and maximum values.
a.
b.
True
False
Correct answer = A
The individual bars within the barcode must be within a specific minimum
and maximum size.
Assessment
10
When printing the barcode, a Quite Zone is required around the barcode:
a.
b.
c.
d.
2mm top and bottom, 6mm left and right
6mm top and bottom, 2mm left and right
only 6mm top and bottom
only 2mm left and right
Correct answer = A
A Quiet Zone of 2mm above and below the barcode and 6mm to the left and
right of the barcode is required to ensure that the barcode can be read
successfully.