WD: How to Read Postal Barcodes

• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1
• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SUMMARY

This article describes how to read a postal barcode in order to determine whether Microsoft Word created the correct barcode.

MORE INFORMATION

A postal barcode is composed of three main components: Framing Bars, Number Bars, and Checksum Bars.

The first bar on the left side and the last bar on the right side of the postal bar code are framing bars for the postal bar code. You can ignore these.

To read the barcode, start with the second bar. Group the bars into groups of five bars each. Each number in a postal bar code consists of five bars.

We will use the following address as an example:

||,|,,|,,|,||,,,,|,|,,,|,|,||,,,,||,|,|,,|,|,,||,,,,,,|||,,|,|

Postal Bar Code Legend:

   | represents a tall bar
   , represents a short bar

   Number   Barcode                Number    Barcode
   ------   -------                ------    -------
     0       ||,,,                   5        ,|,|,
     1       ,,,||                   6        ,||,,
     2       ,,|,|                   7        |,,,|
     3       ,,||,                   8        |,,|,
     4       ,|,,|                   9        |,|,,

Framing Bar                                                        Checksum
-----------                                                        --------
|                                                                     8
v                                                                   /   \

| |,|,, |,,|, ||,,, ,|,|, ,,|,| ,||,, ,,||, |,|,, |,|,, ||,,, ,,,|| |,,|, |

  \   / \   / \   / \   / \   / \   / \   / \   / \   / \   / \   /       ^
    9     8     0     5     2     6     3     9     9     0     1         |
                                                                          |
                                                                  Framing |
                                                                      Bar |
                                                                 ---------+
            9 8 0 5 2                   6 3 9 9             0 1
            ---------                   -------      -----------------
             ZipCode                     Zip+4        Last Two Digits
                                                     of Street Address

For additional information on adding or creating a postal barcodes in Word, or if the barcode produces incorrect results, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q112252
   TITLE     : Word Assigns a Delivery Point Bar Code (DPBC) of 99

   ARTICLE-ID: Q106012
   TITLE     : How to Add a Postal Bar Code to Labels or Documents

   ARTICLE-ID: Q126863
   TITLE     : Delivery Point Bar Code Use 99 in Last Two Digits of Address

   ARTICLE-ID: Q105576
   TITLE     : Position of Bar Codes is Certified by U.S. Postal Service