This article provides information about the USPS Intelligent Mail Bar Code support provided by DesignMerge Software, including detailed information about data requirements, as well as step-by-step instructions for creating the mailing bar code in your variable data jobs. Additional information is also provided about where to obtain the Intelligent Mail Bar Code font.

ABOUT DESIGNMERGE PRO SOFTWARE

DesignMerge® Pro is a powerful suite of variable-data printing and data publishing software for Adobe InDesign, that includes the ability to automatically produce variable USPS Intelligent Mail Bar Codes.

In addition, DesignMerge can also be extended to produce variable 2D Bar Codes (QR Codes, PDF417, and Data Matrix) and other types of Linear Bar Codes (Code 128, UPC, Code 39, etc.). DesignMerge is great for creating personalized publications such as invitations, business cards, certificates, custom catalogs, etc.

Other major features of DesignMerge include automatic copy-fitting, advanced conditional programming (Rules), and multi-up imposition support. DesignMerge supports all of the major variable data output formats, including PostScript, PPML, PDF/VT, and Creo VPS and is compatible with printers from every major vendor.

For more information about DesignMerge, please visit https://www.designmerge.com.

DOWNLOAD THE FONT

Before you create an Intelligent Mail bar code with DesignMerge, you need to download and install the correct font. For information about acquiring the Intelligent Mail barcode font, please see the Where do I find the USPS Intelligent Mail Bar Code font? Knowledgebase Article.

DATA REQUIREMENTS

When processing a data file for a mailing, the most common case is that the database already contains a data field for USPS Intelligent Mail Bar Code data. Typically this data has been converted by a CASS Certification or other pre-sorting process. However, in some cases the data may contain non-converted data (the data that you wish the barcode to represent). The latter case is not very common, however, the good news is that DesignMerge software supports both scenarios!

Converted Data

If your data has already been converted to the Intelligent Mail barcode format, it will consist of only alphabetical characters, like the example below:

FDFTTTFTATTTDAADFFTFADTATAAFDTDFFAATADDTDDTFDATAFFFTFTTDDFTFDFTAD

If you have previously CASS Certified or otherwise pre-processed your mailing list, then it is very likely that a data field containing the encoded Intelligent Mail Barcode data (all capital letters, as described above) has already been created for you. In this case, the solution is very straightforward. Just assign in your document a DesignMerge Variable Link that points to the USPS IM data field in your database. This will create a standard text link that will import the converted data into the document. All that is left to do is apply the USPS Intelligent Mail font, and you are ready to go! You can skip the rest of this document.

Non-Converted Data

Data that has not yet been converted to the Intelligent Mail barcode format will consist of only numeric characters, like the example shown below:

0070012345612345678960602123478

This is a far less common example. In this case, the data must be converted before it is merged into the document. DesignMerge provides a special Variable Link Type for this process. When you create a Variable Link of the Intelligent Mail Barcode Type, and point it to the raw data to be converted, AccurioPro VDP will convert this data on-the-fly while merging. Applying an Intelligent Mail Bar Code Variable Link is a standard feature of DesignMerge. 

Data Format

According to the USPS specification, the data that should be in the field that you assign to the _BARCODE_USPS_IM_ Keyword Variable Link must contain a minimum of 20 digits, and a maximum of 31 digits. Additionally, the data must be organized as follows: Barcode ID (2 digits), Service Type (3 digits), Mailer ID (6 or 9 digits), Zip+4+DP (0. 5, 9, or 11 digits). This means the numeric data for an Intelligent Mail barcode should contain either 20, 25, 29, or 31 digits.

The data layout described here is for general information. Please visit the USPS resources for more complete details regarding the data requirements for Intelligent Mail bar codes.

Creating a USPS Intelligent Mail Link

The following steps show you how to set up a DesignMerge Variable Link to convert the raw USPS IM data as read from your data file to the Intelligent Mail Bar Code format when merged into the document.

1. Open the document where you wish to create the bar code.
2. Run through the initial DesignMerge setup for this document (if you have not already done so).
3. Open the Variable Links dialog window (DesignMerge > Setup > Variable Links).
4. Select the Variable Link that is pointing to the raw USPS IM data.
   Select the Variable Link that is pointing to the Field that contains the raw USPS IM data. The right side of the Variable Links dialog window changes to display the current settings for the selected Variable Link.
5. Click the Barcode tab, and use the Format popup menu to select the bar code type.
   You will notice that the icon next to the link changes to a bar code indicating that the data being imported will be converted for use with the selected bar code format.
   
6. Click the OK button to close the Variable Links dialog window.
7. You may now assign this Variable Link to placeholder text in your document, indicating where you wish to display this barcode.
8. Finally, assign the appropriate USPS Intelligent Mail barcode font to this linked text.

Again, remember that you also need to use the correct bar code font. For information about acquiring the Intelligent Mail barcode font, please see the Where do I find the USPS Intelligent Mail Bar Code font? Knowledgebase Article. 

Copyright © Meadows Information Systems, LLC d/b/a Meadows Publishing Solutions. All rights reserved worldwide. Unauthorized reproduction of this document or its content without written permission is expressly prohibited. DesignMerge is a registered trademark of Meadows Information Systems, LLC. Adobe, InDesign, Acrobat, Distiller, and PostScript are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. All other product names used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies.