Steps to creating your Intelligent Mail Barcode
The Intelligent Mail
®
barcode (IMb
®
) is a 65-bar Postal
Service
™
barcode used to sort and track letters and ats. It
allows mailers to use a single barcode to participate in multiple Postal Service
programs simultaneously, expands mailers’ ability to track individual mailpieces,
and provides greater mail stream visibility.
The Intelligent Mail barcode can be applied on Priority Mail
®
pieces, First-Class
Mail
®
pieces, USPS Marketing Mail
®
pieces, Nonprot USPS Marketing Mail
pieces, Periodicals, letters and ats, and Bound Printed Matter ats. The IMb
can be used for IMb Informed Visibility
®
Mail Tracking and Reporting (IV
®
-MTR)
service, and it can be used for address correction services: manual address
correction notices, Address Change Service (ACS™), OneCode ACS®, and
Intelligent Mail Full-Service ACS™. IMb IV-MTR application provides information
about when and where the Postal Service sorts a mailpiece on mail-processing
equipment. Traditional ACS, OneCode ACS, and Full-Service ACS provide
mailers with electronic address-correction information when a mailpiece cannot
be delivered as addressed.
STEP 1: DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL THE ENCODER AND FONT
The IMb consists of a 20-digit tracking code eld (Barcode Identier, Service Type Identier, Mailer Identier, and Serial
Number) and a Routing Code (ZIP Code
™
) eld of up to 11 digits. An encoder is required to convert the numeric digits
into a 65-character string representing the bars of the IMb
®
tracking code, and a special font is required to convert the
65 alpha-character string into the IMb bars. Users can download a library of IMb tracking code fonts and computer
source code from the Fonts and Encoders Download page at https://postalpro.usps.com/resources/mailing/
encoder-software-and-fonts. The Intelligent Mail Barcode Resource Download page on PostalPro
™
provides many
useful links and answers to frequently asked questions.
STEP 2: APPLY FOR A MAILER IDENTIFIER
A Mailer Identier (Mailer ID or MID) is required for the IMb
®
tracking code. New Mailer IDs are assigned through
centralized USPS
®
processes, generally through the Mailer ID system at https://gateway.usps.com/eAdmin/view/
signin (Business Customer Gateway). Refer to the User Access to Electronic Mailing Information and Reports Guide on
PostalPro for step-by-step instructions for using the Mailer ID system. Mail owners and mail preparers will be assigned
their six- or nine-digit MIDs based on criteria established by the Postal Service. For the PostalPro web site, go to
https://postalpro.usps.com. The Intelligent Mail Mailer ID Application page on the PostalPro site explains the few
exceptions to using the Business Customer Gateway to obtain new Mailer IDs, such as when requesting multiple Mailer
IDs or Mailing Agents acting on behalf of Mail Owners.
STEP 3: POPULATE THE BARCODE FIELDS
The ve IMb elds are the Barcode Identier, the Service Type Identier, the Mailer ID, the Serial Number, and the
Routing Code (ZIP Code). The Barcode Identier eld should be “00” (zero-zero) with one exception: automation-price
eligible at mail bearing a printed optional endorsement line (OEL). When mailers prepare at-size pieces using IMb
tracking codes to meet automation-price eligibility requirements, the IMb tracking codes on any pieces bearing printed
OELs must contain the Barcode Identier corresponding to the printed OEL used. See the Barcode ID Reference Table
on PostalPro to determine the correct Barcode Identier.
The attributes that determine which Service Type Identier (STID) should appear in an IMb tracking code are the
class of mail, the ACS service desired, and whether IMb IV-MTR service is desired. See the Service Type ID Reference
Table on the PostalPro site to determine the correct Service Type Identier.
Information about OneCode ACS is available in
Publication 8b, OneCode ACS Technical Guide.
Information on IMb IV-MTR is available in the
IMb IV-MTR User Guide. Users should also read
Publication for Streamlined Mail Acceptance
for Letters and Flats, which provides in-depth
information about the Intelligent Mail program.
For information about address quality, go to:
amshq.usps.gov/.
Once the encoder and font are installed,
verify the print quality by producing samples,
as instructed in the encoder package.
The Intelligent Mail Barcode Specication
USPSB-3200 and The Intelligent Mail Barcode
Technical Resource Guide provide extensive
technical information about Intelligent Mail
barcodes.
(continued on back)
The Mailer Identier (MID) is explained in Step 2, above. All Intelligent Mail barcodes must contain a valid MID,
except in the case of Origin barcodes, where the Mailer ID and Serial Number elds are combined to provide the full
15digits for customer use.
The Serial Number, in conjunction with the MID and class of mail, can uniquely identify the mailpiece. Currently,
Serial Number uniqueness is not required to qualify for basic automation prices. The Intelligent Mail Full-Service
option requires that mailpieces be uniquely identied, and the tracking code cannot be reused for a period of 45 days.
Depending on the length of the MID, the Serial Number is either a nine- or six-digit number.
The Routing Code can contain a 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™ -certied (Coding Accuracy Support System) software is
required. Mailers may opt not to populate the ZIP Code and use the IMb tracking code only for tracking the mailpiece. If
populated, it must never be padded with leading or trailing zeros that are not part of a valid 5-, 9-, or 11-digit ZIP Code.
The Intelligent Mail barcode concatenates the ve elds in this way:
Six-Digit Mailer Identier
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Barcode
ID
[2N]
Service
Type ID
[3N]
Mailer ID
[6N]
Serial Number
[9N]
Routing Code (ZIP Code)
[none, 5, 9, or 11N]
Nine-Digit Mailer Identier
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Barcode
ID
[2N]
Service
Type ID
[3N]
Mailer ID
[9N]
Serial Number
[6N]
Routing Code (ZIP Code)
[none, 5, 9, or 11N]
IMb with Origin IMb IV Service Type ID (Service Type ID = 050, 051, or 052)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Barcode
ID
[2N]
Service
Type ID
[3N]
Original IMb IV Customer Number
(Available to the mailer to use for their own identication purposes)
[15N]
Routing Code (ZIP Code)
(Serves as “Subscriber ID” for Origin IMb Tracing)
[9 or 11N]
STEP 4: PUT EVERYTHING TOGETHER
Once mailers have selected service(s), received a MID, and devised a unique serial number strategy, they are ready to
put the ve elds together to form the 20- to 31-digit string, encode it to 65 characters, and convert the 65-character
string using the IMb font to form the 65-bar Intelligent Mail barcode as in the example below. On letters, the Intelligent
Mail barcode can be placed in the address block or in the barcode clear zone. On ats, it can be placed on the
address side at least 1/8 inch from the edge of the piece.
Learn more about the Intelligent Mail barcode at
https://postalpro.usps.com.
©2018 United States Postal Service®. All Rights Reserved.
The Eagle Logo is among the many trademarks of the U.S. Postal Service®.
EXAMPLE: Service Type ID of 270 (First-Class Mail
®
, Intelligent Mail Full-Service option, with IMb IV service, no address correction), Mailer ID 123456, uniquely
identied by Serial Number 200800001, going to ZIP Code 98765-4321(01), is encoded like this:
Digit String: 0027012345620080000198765432101
Æ Intelligent Mail barcode encoder Æ Encoded string (T=Tracker, F=Full Bar, A=Ascender, D=Descender):
TTFAFDADTFFFADTAFAFTTDATDFAAFTDAFDFDFDATFDFTDDDDFADFFDADDTDDTTDAT
Æ Intelligent Mail barcode font Æ Intelligent Mail barcode:
