While the following exchange relates to the use of USPS barcodes when mail
merging, the same comments apply - notably that the way in which Word
generated the bar codes no longer conformed to the USPS standard.
Quote
Well-researched yourself!
As I now understand it, you can still use the BARCODE field in Word 2007
merges despite what the Word documentation suggests, but you have to enter
them manually because the necessary checkboxes have been disabled on the
relevant dialog boxes.
Since I live in the UK I have no idea whether adding barcodes speeds up the
mail in the US.
Peter Jamieson
"RolandB" <RolandB[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1EBF2F1D-B0BF-4A58-98F2-608BB9B1E879[ at ]microsoft.com...
[Quoted Text] > Peter, thanks for your research! I got a little persistent and discovered
> what you presented here. I first found a document on how to read, or how
> to
> generate the barcode and thats when I found as you indicate that the merge
> generates a ZIP+4 barcode. Thats actually untrue in that a true ZIP+4 has
> 52
> bars. The 'envelope' or single label generation creates the 62 bar
> version
> which includes as the last two digits the last two digits of the street
> address! The merge version generates a 62 bar version BUT generates a
> '99'
> for the 'last two digits' of the street address. Which is why they
> wouldn't
> be useful for bulk mail. I personally believe you can speed delivery by
> including the barcode in your mailing. I always use the barcode
> generation
> when sending any business correspondence. I'm sorry Word has dropped it
> from
> the mail-merge of 2007! I probably don't do that much for it to affect me
> but others are being deprived of a partial benefit!
> Roland
>
> "Peter Jamieson" wrote:
>
>> This isn't an "explanation" but rather a set of observations
>> a. BARCODE will generate different barcodes depending on whether you
>> provide it with just the ZIP+4 code, or the street address and ZIP+4
>> code.
>> (As I understand it, the Way Word generates the bar code when it uses the
>> street address as well does not conform to the current USPS standards and
>> is
>> best avoided if you are doing mass mailings, but you might want to check
>> that).
>> b. when you create a single envelope, Word inserts a Barcode field as
>> follows:
>> { BARCODE ENV_ZIPCODE1\b \u }
>> followed by the address
>>
>> ENV_ZIPCODE1 is a bookmark which "covers" the street address/city, state,
>> ZIP+4 line. In this case you get the barcode that includes the
>> information
>> in the street address
>> c. when you create an envelope merge, I don't know what happens as the
>> checkboxes for inserting a Barcode field are disabled here, but if I copy
>> the envelope design from the single-envelope scenario, and replace the
>> address by the merge field(s) necessary to insert the address, then
>> bookmark
>> those fields with ENV_ZIPCODE1, despite the fact that the bookmark
>> "covers"
>> exactly the same text, I get the "ZIP+4" only version of the barcode.
>> d. If you put the entire address inside the ZIPCODE field, e.g.
>>
>> { BARCODE "10 Street Address
>> City, XX 12345-6789" }
>>
>> or
>>
>> { BARCODE "{ MERGEFIELD mycompleteaddressfield }" }
>>
>> I get the "street address+ZIP+4" version of the barcode.
>>
>> So I guess that the difference has something to do with the way that the
>> BARCODE field gets the text from the bookmark. But beyond that, I think
>> you'd probably have to have the Word source code to see what is
>> happening. I
>> have no idea whether or not this is "by design".
>>
>> Peter Jamieson
>>
>>
>> "RolandB" <RolandB[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:0F9481C3-7209-47F0-A4FC-265466546D65[ at ]microsoft.com...
>> >I recently had need to send mail to an individual at USPS ZIP+4 address.
>> >I
>> > addressed a single label using Word and printed it. I later had cause
>> > to
>> > use
>> > the Merge feature to create multiple labels and happened to include in
>> > the
>> > Excel database the same identical ZIP+4 address! I was very surprised
>> > to
>> > find that the postal barcode it generated was DIFFERENT (in the last 16
>> > bars
>> > short/tall)! I then tried my own barcode (75248-3060) with the same
>> > experiment and lo, it too generated two diferent barcodes! Anyone
>> > guess
>> > why?
>>
>>
>>
Unquote
--
Hope this helps.
Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.
Doug Robbins - Word MVP
"Retiredtony" <Retiredtony[ at ]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D487050F-2367-4929-ABD2-EC87F27CBCB2[ at ]microsoft.com...
>I used to be able to put a delivery bar code on the envelope in an earlier
> version of Word. I can not find it in Word 2007.
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