IM Barcode Intelligent Mail

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 for their use, allowing for 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.

Full Service VS Basic Service Options

The USPS currently offers two options for using Intelligent Mail barcodes.

Under the Basic Service option, mailers will use the Intelligent Mail barcode on their letter and flat mailpieces. The basic Intelligent Mail barcode contains routing information for the delivery address but does not need to uniquely identify the mailpiece.

Under the Full Service option mailers must:
• Use unique Intelligent Mail barcodes on mailpieces;
• Use Intelligent Mail tray barcodes and Intelligent Mail container barcodes, and
• Submit postage statements and mailing documentation electronically.

All First-Class Mail, Periodicals, Standard Mail, or Bound Printed Matter (BPM) letters and flats requiring a barcode will be eligible for the full-service option if the pieces bear Intelligent Mail barcodes and meet all other full-service option requirements.

The USPS is offering customers who qualify for the full-service Intelligent Mail option the following benefits:
   • Start-the-clock information at no additional charge to notify mailers when USPS takes possession of mailings, and
   • Address correction information at no charge for qualified letters and flats that do not have the most current address or that are undeliverable for other reasons, when those pieces are endorsed as specified for OneCode ACS.

Implementing The IM® Barcode

STEP 1: Download and Install an Encoder and Font

The Intelligent Mail barcode consists of a 20-digit Tracking Code (Barcode Identifier, Service Type Identifier, Mailer Identifier, and Serial Number) and up to an 11-digit Routing Code (Delivery Point ZIP Code™). An encoder is required to convert the Tracking Code and Routing Code into a 65-character string and a font is required to convert the 65-character string into the barcode itself.
To download a library of encoding software and fonts from the Rapid Information Bulletin Board (RIBBS) Web site, users must first request a user ID and password from the National Customer Support Center (NCSC) at: (877) 640-0724 or at ribbs@usps.gov

STEP 2:  Apply for a Mailer ID

A Mailer ID is required and should be obtained from the local Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) or Mailpiece Design Analyst (MDA), unless you plan to subscribe to OneCode Confirm or OneCode ACS. BMEUs can be located at http://www.usps.com/nationalpremieraccounts/findlocators.htm and MDAs can be contacted via this online tool.

Mail owners and mail preparers will be assigned a 6-digit or 9-digit Mailer Identifier based on criteria established by the Postal Service. All 6-digit Mailer Identifiers will begin with ‘0’ through ‘8’; all 9-digit Mailer Identifiers will begin with ‘9’.

STEP 3: Populate the Barcode Fields

A Barcode ID defines the presort makeup in conjunction with an Optional Endorsement Line (OEL). The Barcode ID generally should be left as “00”.

The Service Type ID defines the mail class and any services requested (e.g., OneCode Confirm)

The Mailer ID is a 6-digit or 9-digit number that is assigned by the Postal Service (see Step 2 above)

A Serial Number can uniquely identify the mailpiece, and these numbers are determined by the mailer, who may wish to serialize the mailpieces, or use recipient identifiers to identify each mailpiece. Serial Number uniqueness is not required when qualifying for basic automation prices. Depending on the Mailer Identifier, the Serial Number is a 9 or 6-digit number. 

The Routing Code can contain 5-digit ZIP Code, 9-digit ZIP+4 code, or 11-digit delivery point code. To obtain automation discounts, a Delivery Point ZIP Code from CASS certified software is required.

STEP 4: Ready To Mail

Once you have downloaded your encoder and font, received your Mailer ID and devised a unique Serial Number strategy you are, you should be ready to:
I. Put all the data together, along with the routing info and barcode ID to form the digit string.
II. Encode it, and;
III. Apply the font to form the 65 bar Intelligent Mail barcode.

On letters, the Intelligent Mail barcode can be placed in the address block or in the barcode clear zone. On flats, it can be placed on the address side at least 1/8 inch from the edge of the piece.

More Information

For more detailed information on the IM® barcode and its implementation, we recommend that you look at the RIBBS website from the USPS, where you can download presentations and documents covering a wide range of topics:
https://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=intelligentmail