US Postnet Barcodes
256X US POSTNET BAR CODE
The US POSTNET Bar Code is a Compaq character set which meets the US Postal Office specifications for Postnet bar coding, including the latest Delivery Point Bar Code, or DPBC.
US POSTNET Bar Codes print at 4.0 cpi (20 bars per inch) and 11.3 cpi (22.5 bars per inch).Both bar codes are printed by replacing normal printable characters with vertical bars. Both options use different characters to represent the desired bar codes, as a result the methods by which they are produced are incompatible.
11.3 CPI (22.5 Bars per inch) US POSTNET BAR CODE
FONT SELECTION
You may select either of the US POSTNET character sets from either the front panel or through escape sequences. (Refer to the User’s Manual for details on front panel menus.)
The following escape sequence will configure the 11.3 cpi POSTNET BAR CODE as a secondary font:
ESC)1KESC)s11.3H
The sequence above sets the secondary font symbol set to 11.3 cpi POSTNET BAR CODE, and sets the pitch to 11.3 cpi. Once the Secondary character set is configured for 11.3 cpi Postnet Bar Codes, the Shift Out command can be used to activate the bar codes:
Shift Out: hex 0E
After the bar code is printed, the normal print mode is activated by using the Shift In command:
Shift In: hex 0F
NOTE: It is recommended setting the US POSTNET Bar Code character set as the secondary set, with the normal operation mode as the primary font.
Printing 11.3 CPI US POSTNET Bar Code Information
The US POSTNET BAR CODES represent digits 0 - 9 with five vertical bars. Each digit consists of two long bars (1’s) and three short bars (0’s). The Delivery Point Bar Code font is designed to be printed only at 11.3 cpi or 22.5 bars per inch. A Delivery Point Bar Code is an eleven digit postal code. (For five or nine postal bar codes, use the 4.0 cpi US POSTNET Bar Code.)
The eleven numeric characters are : ZIP + 4 + 2
To make the bar code scannable, you must add a check digit and frame bars. The check digit is calculated by adding all of the digits and subtracting the sum from the next highest multiple of ten. Consequently, the sum of the eleven digits, and the check digit, will be an even multiple of ten.
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