PostNet
This linear numeric barcode was created specifically for use in the United States Postal Service and is designed for machine mail sorting. The appearance of this barcode is very different from the familiar UPC and EAN, which are used to label products in retail. The bars have different heights, and overall the code also has a small height for easy placement on the envelope.
The length of the ZIP code in the US was originally 5 characters, but in 1983, it was increased to 9 characters due to insufficient capacity. But then the code was expanded by 2 more characters. As a result, PostNet has three sizes:
- 5 characters;
- 9 characters;
- 11 characters.
Code structure:
- start character;
- data;
- check character;
- stop character.
Each character is encoded with 5 bars. The start and stop characters are denoted by a single long bar.
Here is the list of the correspondence between numbers and barcodes:
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;
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;
.
Due to the rather large number of bars required to encode a single character, the PostNet barcode is quite large. In addition, it allows you to encode only numbers. These shortcomings have led to a decline in its popularity, and it is currently being gradually replaced by a more modern solution – Intelligent Mail.
There are no restrictions on the number of characters for the PostNet barcode in FastReport .NET. However, it is worth remembering that the standard provides three options for the code size, which were discussed earlier.
To generate a PostNet barcode in FastReport .NET, select the Barcode object at the Components Panel in the Report Designer. In the drop-down list, navigate to the "Post" category, and then choose PostNet:
After selecting the barcode, place it on the Report Page.
Double-click on the added barcode to open the editor. You can also open the barcode editor by clicking the button in the context menu of the added object, accessed by right-clicking:
Like all barcodes in FastReport .NET, the PostNet code has several properties that can be edited in the object property inspector:
Property | Description |
---|---|
Angle | Allows you to set the rotation of the object to one of the fixed angles – 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees. |
Zoom | Sets the scaling of the barcode. This property is used only with the AutoSize property. |
AutoSize | If this property is enabled, the object will be stretched to show the entire barcode. If the property is disabled, the barcode will be stretched to the size of the object. |
ShowText | Determines whether to show the text at the bottom of the barcode. |
DataColumn | The data field from which to load the text of the object. |
Expression | An expression that returns the text of the object. |
Text | The text of the object. |
Padding | Allows you to set the padding from the edges of the object in pixels. |
WideBarRatio | This property is available for all linear barcodes. It defines the relative size of the barcode's wide bars. |
CalcCheckSum | This property is available for many linear barcodes. It determines whether to calculate the checksum automatically. If this property is disabled, the checksum must be present in the object text. |
DrawVerticalBearerBars | If this property is enabled, the side lines will be displayed for the object. |