IDEAlliance Publishes New Specification for Intelligent Mail

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Press release from the issuing company

IDEAlliance and its Postal Operations and Technology Committee has published for public review a new specification for presort vendors, list processors, inkjet technicians, and all concerned mail owners who choose to support the launch of the Intelligent Mail Package Barcode (IMpb) Implementation for Commercial Parcels.

The Standardized Letter-Coding Scheme for IMpc Specification Public Draft V1.0 is NOW OPEN to public review. Submit comments to David Steinhardt by August 28, 2012.

?Download the Draft Specification now!

Public Draft Specification
Comment Procedure

The Standardized Letter-Coding Scheme for IMpc Specification Public Draft V1.0 is NOW OPEN to public review through August 28, 2012.

SUBMIT ALL COMMENTS VIA EMAIL TO DAVID STEINHARDT
[email protected]

Background
When the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) standard for letters and flats was rolled out in 2009, an encoding/decoding tool was posted for the use of the industry. Decoding required a user to input letter codes representing the bar code types (F-A-T-D) to receive confirmation of the barcode validity and a breakdown of the data elements.

IDEAlliance led the development of implementation of IMb by creating a simple font to translate the letter codes into the associated bar type, developing a methodology for a straightforward, standardized way to image the barcodes. Mail preparers continue to use this solution for troubleshooting, and many mail owners use it for checking label simulations.

About the Standardized Letter-Coding Scheme
The Standardized Letter-Coding Scheme specification is based on the premise that a similar scheme used for the IMb Standard would bring the same advantages to the launch of the Intelligent Mail Package Barcode (IMpb) Implementation for Commercial Parcels. The considerable complexity of the IMpb format, involving multiple constructs, four or five barcode characters, and a challenging certification process, makes troubleshooting especially important.

The Standardized Letter-Coding Scheme specification seeks to standardize the process of conformance so that all presort vendors, list processors, inkjet technicians, and concerned mail owners can be on the same page if they choose to employ this proven alternative.

Though the USPS does not dictate how any mailer should go about imaging the IMpb, its support of this standardization effort spearheaded by IDEAlliance will help to make a good IMpb alternative imaging process available to the industry and will promote compliance with IMpb regulations.

For more information, contact David Steinhardt, [email protected], 703-837-1066.