This document describes the appropriate settings for the DesignMerge 2D Bar Code module for creating static or fully variable Royal Mail Mailmark® 2D bar codes.

ABOUT ROYAL MAIL MAILMARK BAR CODES

A 2D Mailmark barcode is a type of Data Matrix bar code that must be added to mail pieces in order to access the Mailmark options of the Retail and Network Access product portfolios. At a high level, Mailmark barcodes can be either 2-Dimensional Complex Mail Data Mark Mailmark barcodes (2D Mailmark barcodes in Data Matrix format) or 4-state Mailmark barcodes. This document describes the creation of 2D Mailmark barcodes only.

There are three types of 2D Mailmark barcodes available (types 7, 9 and 29) and they offer varying quantities of space for non-Royal Mail use. The three types are summarized below:

The full specification for the Mailmark barcodes can be downloaded here.

DESIGNMERGE 2D BAR CODE MODULE SETTINGS

In order to create a Mailmark bar code that corresponds to the specific type, you must enter the correct parameters in the DesignMerge 2D bar code module dialog window. Most importantly, the Encoding must be set to C40, which allows for upper-case alpha characters, digits, and the SPACE character.

Please keep in mind that each of the code types listed below also has certain character encoding limitations. If you attempt to encode invalid data, or data that contains too many characters, then the bar code may appear different than the examples presented above.

Following are the correct settings for each 2D Mailmark type.

TYPE 7

TYPE 9

TYPE 29

HOW TO CREATE A VARIABLE 2D BAR CODE

Now that you know the appropriate 2D Bar Code Module settings for creating a Royal Mail Mailmark bar code, you are ready to use this bar code in a variable data job. For instructions on how to create a variable 2D bar code using DesignMerge software, please see the following link:

How do I place a DesignMerge Variable Meadows 2D Bar Code in a document?