Specific Parameters of Postal Barcode Types

Overview

Postal barcode standards were created to address the limitations of 1D barcodes. In Postal barcodes, data is encoded by varying the barcode height, unlike 1D barcodes that use line and space width for encoding. When reading Postal barcodes, horizontal parameters are ignored to prevent false recognition.

These barcodes are designed for postal services around the world and share functional similarities with minor differences. There are two types of Postal symbologies: 2-state barcodes, which encode only numerical digits, and 4-state barcodes, which can encode both numbers and uppercase English letters. The 2-state format encodes one bit per data unit, while the 4-state format encodes two bits.

Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++ supports the generation and recognition of 2- and 4-state Postal barcodes, including Planet, Postnet, RM4SCC, Dutch KIX, OneCode, Australia Post, and Mailmark. More information about these barcode types is provided below.

For any questions or support, contact Aspose Technical Support, post on the Aspose.Barcode Forum, or reach out to the Aspose Paid Support Helpdesk.

Barcode Height Settings

In Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++, the height and width of postal barcodes are calculated automatically based on the XDimension property. However, the barcode height can be manually adjusted without changing the width by setting the BarHeight property in the BarcodeParameters class.

Below are examples of Planet and RM4SCC barcodes with different bar height settings.

Planet Barcode Height
Bar Height	Set to None	Set to 100 Pixels

RM4SCC Barcode Height
Bar Height	Set to None	Set to 100 Pixels

The following code snippet shows how to adjust the height of Planet and RM4SCC postal barcodes.

How to get BarCodeInstance

// Set Planet barcode BarHeight none
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Set RM4SCC barcode BarHeight none
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("RM4SCC", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Set Planet barcode BarHeight 100 pixels
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "100px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Set RM4SCC barcode BarHeight 100 pixels
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("RM4SCC", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "100px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

Bar Filling Settings

In Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++, developers can modify the appearance of Postal barcodes by setting bars to be filled or empty. This can be controlled using the FilledBars property in the BarcodeParameters class. By default, this property is set to True, which results in barcode images with filled bars.

Below are examples of Planet and RM4SCC barcodes generated with different bar filling settings.

Planet Bar Filling
Bar Filling Settings	Filled Bars	Empty Bars

RM4SCC Bar Filling
Bar Filling Settings	Filled Bars	Empty Bars

The following code sample demonstrates how to adjust the bar filling settings for Planet and RM4SCC postal barcodes.

How to get BarCodeInstance

// Set Planet barcode filled bars
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Set RM4SCC barcode filled bars
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("RM4SCC", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Set Planet barcode empty bars
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.FilledBars = false;
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Set RM4SCC barcode empty bars
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("RM4SCC", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.FilledBars = false;
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

2-State Postal Standards

Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++ supports the following 2-state postal standards: Planet and Postnet. Both can only encode numerical digits and require a checksum. The length of the numerical data to be encoded is unlimited. Below are code samples and examples of Planet and Postnet barcode labels.

Planet Symbology

In the Planet symbology, each character is represented by five bars, with three bars being full-length and two bars being half-length. The following code snippet demonstrates how to generate a Planet barcode.

How to get BarCodeInstance

var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.Postal.PostalShortBarHeight = "20px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

Postnet Symbology

The Postnet barcode type encodes each character using five bars, with three bars being full-length and two bars being half-length. The following code sample demonstrates how to create a Postnet barcode.

How to get BarCodeInstance

var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Postnet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.Postal.PostalShortBarHeight = "20px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

Generation Specifics for 2-State Barcodes

In Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++, generating 2-state postal barcodes (Planet or Postnet) involves certain considerations related to handling incorrect input text and adjusting bar lengths. These details are outlined below.

Incorrect Input Text Handling

By default, if incorrect input text is passed to the CodeText property (for Planet or Postnet barcodes, any non-numeric characters), the BarcodeGenerator class filters out any characters that do not match the required format and generates a barcode using only the valid numeric digits.

If it is necessary to raise an exception for invalid symbols in CodeText, set the ThrowExceptionWhenCodeTextIncorrect property to True, as shown in the code snippet below. This will result in the following exceptions being thrown: “Exception: Symbology Planet - codetext is invalid”; “Exception: Symbology Postnet - codetext is invalid”.

How to get BarCodeInstance

var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "1234567WRONG");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.ThrowExceptionWhenCodeTextIncorrect = true;
try {
    gen.GenerateBarCodeImage();
} catch (e) {
    console.log(e.message);
}
gen.delete();

var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Postnet", "1234567WRONG");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.ThrowExceptionWhenCodeTextIncorrect = true;
try {
    gen.GenerateBarCodeImage();
} catch (e) {
    console.log(e.message);
}
gen.delete();

Short Bar Height Settings

In general, 2-state barcodes are made up of long and short bars, with the short bars typically being half the length of the long bars. In Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++, you can customize the height of short bars by setting the PostalShortBarHeight property in the PostalParameters class.

Below are examples of barcode labels generated with different short bar height settings.

Short Bar Height Settings	Set to 10 Pixels	Set to 30 Pixels

The following code snippet illustrates how to customize the short bar length in 2-state postal barcodes.

How to get BarCodeInstance

// Set Planet barcode ShortBarHeight 10 pixels
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.Postal.PostalShortBarHeight = "10px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Set Planet barcode ShortBarHeight 30 pixels
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Planet", "123456");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.Postal.PostalShortBarHeight = "30px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

4-State Postal Standards

Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++ supports the following 4-state postal symbologies: RM4SCC, Dutch KIX, OneCode, Australia Post, and Mailmark. In 4-state barcodes, four types of bars are used to encode data: tracker (T), descender (D), ascender (A), and full (F) bars. Each input character is represented by four separate bars, allowing two bits of data to be encoded per digit. Most 4-state standards are based on the RM4SCC barcode type, which can encode both numerical digits and uppercase English letters. All 4-state postal standards, except Dutch KIX, include a checksum. Additionally, Australia Post and Mailmark support information recovery using Reed-Solomon error correction. The specifics of 4-state symbology generation in Aspose.BarCode for JavaScript via C++ are explained further below.

RM4SCC Symbology

The RM4SCC symbology encodes numerical digits and uppercase English letters. Each character is represented by four bars, with two bars extending upward and the other two extending downward. Different combinations of these bars create 36 possible symbols: 10 digits and 26 letters. This symbology requires an obligatory check digit, which is calculated using the modulo 6 algorithm.

The following code sample demonstrates how to generate RM4SCC barcodes.

How to get BarCodeInstance

var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("RM4SCC", "123456ASPOSE");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

Dutch KIX Symbology

The Dutch KIX symbology is used by the Royal Dutch TPG Post in the Netherlands for the automated sorting of postal codes and mail. Its specification is similar to that of the RM4SCC symbology and can encode numerical digits and uppercase English letters. However, it does not include a checksum, nor does it have start and stop digits.

The following code snippet demonstrates how to generate Dutch KIX barcodes.

How to get BarCodeInstance

var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("DutchKIX", "123456ASPOSE");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

OneCode Symbology

The OneCode standard is used to encode messages composed of numerical digits, with a fixed length of 20, 25, 29, or 31 digits, into 65-bar barcodes. It features an eleven-bit cyclic redundancy check for error detection but does not support error correction.

OneCode Standard	20 Digits	25 Digits	29 Digits	31 Digits

The following code sample demonstrates how to generate OneCode barcodes.

How to get BarCodeInstance

// Create OneCode with 20 digits
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("OneCode", "12345678901234567890");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create OneCode with 25 digits
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("OneCode", "1234567890123456789012345");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create OneCode with 29 digits
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("OneCode", "12345678901234567890123456789");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create OneCode with 31 digits
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("OneCode", "1234567890123456789012345678901");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

Australia Post Symbology

The Australia Post symbology encodes input messages that include a specific 2-digit format control code (FCC) field and an 8-digit sorting code (SC) field. The FCC field is used to indicate one of three available barcode types with fixed lengths of 37, 52, or 67 bars. Depending on the FCC, barcodes may also include a customer information (CI) field that specifies the encoding type, supporting either numerical or alphanumeric symbols. The encoding types are defined in the AustralianPostEncodingTable property. Customer information can occupy 16 bars in 52-length barcodes or 31 bars in 67-length barcodes. The Australia Post standard includes a checksum and uses Reed-Solomon error correction for data recovery.

Input messages can be defined using one of the following formats:

FCC Field	Sorting Code Field	Customer Information Field
11	8 digits	None
59	8 digits	16 bars
62	8 digits	31 bars

The FCC field value can be set using the AustralianPostEncodingTable property, which should be initialized with one of the values from the CustomerInformationInterpretingType enumeration (as shown in the table below).

Australia Post Encoding Table	Supported Symbols
CTable	0-9, A-Z, a-z, space symbol, and #
NTable	0-9
Other	0, 1, 2, and 3 representing H, A, D, and T states, respectively

The following barcode images illustrate different FCC field settings in Australia Post barcodes.

Australia Post Standards	FCC 11	FCC 59 Table	FCC 62N Table	FCC 62C Table	FCC 62C Other Table

The following code snippet demonstrates how to generate Australia Post barcodes with different settings.

How to get BarCodeInstance

// Create AustraliaPost FCC 11
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("AustraliaPost", "1101234567");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create AustraliaPost FCC 59 NTable
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("AustraliaPost", "590123456701234");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.AustralianPost.AustralianPostEncodingTable = BarCodeInstance.CustomerInformationInterpretingType.NTable;
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create AustraliaPost FCC 62 NTable
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("AustraliaPost", "620123456701234");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.AustralianPost.AustralianPostEncodingTable = BarCodeInstance.CustomerInformationInterpretingType.NTable;
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create AustraliaPost FCC 62 CTable
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("AustraliaPost", "6201234567ASPOSE");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.AustralianPost.AustralianPostEncodingTable = BarCodeInstance.CustomerInformationInterpretingType.CTable;
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create AustraliaPost FCC 62
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("AustraliaPost", "6201234567321032103210");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.AustralianPost.AustralianPostEncodingTable = BarCodeInstance.CustomerInformationInterpretingType.Other;
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

Mailmark Symbology

The Mailmark symbology was developed by the Royal Mail of the United Kingdom. Its specification is similar to RM4SCC, but it has predefined data format requirements and does not allow additional space for customer-specific content. This standard supports the encoding of numerical digits, uppercase English letters, and spaces. Barcodes generated using this standard include a checksum and data recovery information through Reed-Solomon error correction.

Mailmark supports the following types:

Type L - encodes 26 characters
Type C - encodes 22 characters

Mailmark Standards	Type C	Type L

The following code sample demonstrates how to generate Mailmark barcodes of different types.

How to get BarCodeInstance

// Create Mailmark C Type
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Mailmark", "21B2254800659JW5O9QA6Y");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

// Create Mailmark L Type
var gen = new BarCodeInstance.BarcodeGenerator("Mailmark", "41038422416563762EF61AH8T");
gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension = "4px";
gen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight = "50px";
document.getElementById("img").src = gen.GenerateBarCodeImage(); // Display barcode image
gen.delete();

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