Microsoft KB Archive/214181

= WD2000: How to Read Postal Bar Codes =

Article ID: 214181

Article Last Modified on 12/6/2000

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Word 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q214181





SUMMARY
This article describes how to read a postal bar code in order to determine whether Microsoft Word created a correct postal bar code.



MORE INFORMATION
A postal bar code 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 bar code, 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.

The following address is used as an example:



Microsoft Corporation

1 Microsoft Way

Redmond, WA. 98052-6399

Postal Bar Code Legend

 * represents a tall bar

, represents a short bar

  Number   Bar code          Number    Bar code -         --

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

Breakdown of Sample Bar Code
+-- Framing Bar                                            Framing Bar --+ v                                                                        v  - - - - - - - - - - - - 9    8     0     5     2     6     3     9     9     0     1     8    -     ---     ---    ---             Zip Code                   Zip+4             Last      Check- Two      sum Digits   Digit of                                                         Street Address

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Multi- Unit Digits The checksum is the smallest number that, when added to the total of the other digits, gives a result that is a multiple of 10. The checksum in this example is 8. When you add 8 to 52 (the sum of the other digits), the result is 60, a multiple of 10.

For information about multi-unit digits, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

220548 WD2000: USPS Changes Postal Bar Code Requirements for Multi-Unit Buildings

Additional query words: barcode zipcode post office universal product code

Keywords: kbinfo kbenvelope KB214181

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