Royal Mail Customer Systems

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Royal Mail Customer Systems

Royal Mail Customer Systems

Barcoded Services

Documentation Guide for Customers’ Own Systems

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1. Overview

Royal Mail contract customers using barcoded services can develop their own systems to produce the documentation required to accompany items on collection, reducing the manual processes on despatch. Royal Mail’s online E*Pro or OBA systems should be used to record the despatch for invoicing purposes.

Customers may also produce appropriate barcode labels directly from their own systems. These must adhere to a high quality of readability and follow specific guidelines for content, colour and layout.

This guide provides the rules for different options for manifest and label presentation, which should be followed closely.

The services included here are – Special Delivery – by 9am Special Delivery – next day

Recorded/signed for - first and second class International Signed For

Airsure

Customers wishing to develop or implement a system to provide any of this functionality should gain agreement from Royal Mail before commencing work. Labels and manifests produced are subject to approval by Royal Mail before being used, and live barcode number ranges will not be issued before this approval is given. Further sample labels will also need to be submitted to Royal Mail periodically for quality checks.

Note that following approval, any changes or additions to the outputs relating to Royal Mail despatches will also need to be discussed and validated before implementation. This includes the addition of new services.

Customers should address initial enquiries regarding development of systems for these purposes to their account handler.

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2. Label Options

2.1 Preprinted Barcoded Labels

Barcode labels for all services are available preprinted. These have identical layouts, but different colours and texts for ease of identification in distribution.

Customers can print address labels from their own system, and then scan the barcode labels back to that system to correlate the barcode number to the order number or address.

Note that a PPI stamp or print on the package or address label, and a return address, are also required - as normal.

PPI images are available from the Royal Mail website at www.royalmail.com/ppi.

For international services, customs declarations are also required, although these may also be printed by the customer’s system – for example onto the address label (see section 2.4). Normal docket requirements need to be met, but it is possible for the customer’s system to produce the manifest documentation (see section 3), in which case E*Pro/OBA or a Posting Cheque should be used.

The example label here is for the Special Delivery by 9.00am service.

This section goes on the despatch item.

This section is for the customer’s own use/record. Where the system is not creating the manifest, these sections would be used in the manual posting docket.

RM Label references

SD by 9am (as above) SD Next Day

Recorded (Signed For) Airsure

International Signed for

P6270 P6396 P2223 P6134 P4723

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Blank Branded Labels

2.2

Blank, branded, labels can be used where the customer’s computer system is capable of creating and printing the barcodes and addresses on demand. The requirements for barcode production must be adhered to, as given in Appendix B.

Blank branded labels are available for each of the barcoded services. These have identical layout, but different colours and texts, so a customer using more than one service would either need to use a printer for each service, or would need to change the label stock when switching services. In these situations it may be advisable to consider the blank label option described in section 2.3.

Branded labels stock is thermally sensitive and provided on a continuous roll. Label dimensions are 101mm long and 87mm wide (with backing).

Small quantities of labels can be supplied for development purposes.

The barcode and address information to be printed is in the same format on each of these label types, as illustrated by this ‘Signed For’ example.

Barcode number, with prefix and ‘GB’ suffix

Barcode, to Code128 Standard. Minimum size 39mm x 16mm

Address section

Sender’s own reference, if required (free format). RM Label reference P5414

Examples of other blank labels are shown over.

Note that the ‘SG’ barcode prefix shown on the labels in this section is for example only. Live number ranges issued may have an entirely different prefix, and will vary between services.

If using this method of label production, the customer’s system will also need to produce the appropriate despatch documentation (section 3) and the customer should use E*Pro/OBA or a

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Blank Branded Labels for other services.

RM Label reference P6282 RM Label reference P6400 Special Delivery (by 9.00am) Special Delivery (next day)

RM Label reference P5584 RM Label reference P6135

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2.3 Monochrome Labels

Royal Mail can provide a blank label stock that can be used for all services. This avoids having to use multiple printers or switching label stock when using different services. With the exception of Special Delivery services, these black/white labels must be accompanied by coloured/branded ‘flash’ labels, for ease of service identification.

More information needs to be printed on these labels, as shown over, and the full requirements for barcode production, given in Appendix B, must be met

Note that the ‘XY’ barcode prefix shown on the labels in this section is for example only. Live number ranges issued may have an entirely different prefix, and will vary between services.

2.3.1 Flash Labels

When using this method, additional coloured ‘flash’ labels should be applied to each item, to reinforce the service identification. This is mandatory on all services other than Special Delivery, to ensure correct handling by Royal Mail distribution and also, with International Services, by overseas postal authorities. Care must be taken to ensure the correct flash is attached for each service, and that the flash is applied close to the item barcode.

Flash labels – for Recorded/Signed for, and International services:

RM Label references

Recorded P6041 Size 101mm x 36mm International Airsure P6486 Size 88mm x 14mm International Signed For P6485 Size 88mm x 14mm

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2.3.2 Standard Layout

Blank labels can be used where the customer’s computer system is capable of creating and printing the barcodes and addresses on demand. The requirements for barcode production must be adhered to, as given in Appendix B.

The Royal Mail label stock is thermally sensitive and provided on a continuous roll. Label dimensions are 101mm long and 87mm wide (with backing).

Small quantities of labels can be supplied for development purposes.

If using this method of label production, the customer’s system will also need to produce the appropriate despatch documentation (section 3) and the customer must also use E*Pro/OBA to key posting information or complete a manual Posting Cheque.

Peel-off sections

RM Label reference P6557

This shows the blank label stock as provided by Royal Mail. The Royal Mail cruciform is pre-printed, and the label has peel-off sections as shown.

Acceptable label layouts are shown on the following pages. The first shows a Special Delivery Next Day label and the fields that need to be printed. There are similar fields on all label layouts.

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Special Delivery Next Day Label

Service graphic PPI Indicator for Special Delivery

Optional ‘SG’ graphic only for Saturday Guaranteed service

Barcode number, with prefix and ‘GB’ suffix

Peel-off indicators Full Barcode across

peeloff sections, with eye-readable numbers Abbreviated Service Return Address Delivery address inside box. Sender’s own references (optional) Minimum 12pt.

Arial font preferred. NOTES

The service graphics (shown at the top left of the label) for each service can be obtained from the Royal Mail Customer Systems team.

The PPI graphic can be obtained from the Royal Mail website

(www.royalmail.com/ppi). The ‘sd’ ppi must be used for Special Delivery if available. The peel-off indicators should be printed. These can be very useful in ensuring that the printer is correctly aligned.

The boxes around the peel-off portions are not required – these are shown here for clarity only.

The Royal Mail cruciform is pre-printed on the supplied stationary.

The return address should appear vertically to the left of the address box. Two lines of address can be used if required. This address must show the postcode and end with UK or GB.

The delivery address should be bordered with a box as shown.

If required, Sender’s own references (e.g. account number, invoice number, SKU etc) can be printed at the top right or bottom right of the address box as shown.

       

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Standard monochrome labels for other services.

Special Delivery by 9am Recorded Signed For

Airsure International Signed For

If using this method of label production, the customer’s system will also need to produce the appropriate despatch documentation (section 3) and the customer must also use E*Pro/OBA to key posting docket information or complete the summary Posting Cheque information.

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2.3.3 Alternative Layout – Larger Label

Customers may source their own label stationery for plain labels, for example where a larger label is required. By way of example only, a standard layout which would be acceptable to Royal Mail, is shown below. This example uses a label with dimensions 100mm wide by 148mm long (approx 4” x 6”).

All elements, including the service descriptions (here ‘Next Day’ and ‘Special Delivery’), PPI indicator, address, return address, barcode and tracking numbers; can be printed by the customer’s own system. Note that two peel-off sections are required on these labels. The peel-off dimensions are 36mm x 6mm; and 56mm x 13mm – including the lift tabs. If using this method of label production, the customer’s system will also need to produce the appropriate despatch documentation (section 3) and the customer must also use E*Pro/OBA to key posting docket information or complete the summary Posting Cheque information. Note Royal Mail does not provide this stationery.

PPI indicator must be included – either on the envelop/packaging, or else on the label, as here,

Note the two peel-off sections here, with marked tabs.

All elements may be printed by customer’s system

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2.3.4 Other Styles

Variations on the standard label designs above may also be acceptable. These could incorporate additional information such as the customer’s own logo, or package contents information. Different layouts may also be allowed, such as landscape format or different label sizes.

Customers may apply to Royal Mail for approval of different styles, but are advised to adhere as closely as possible to the standard formats. The contents of the standard labels shown here must be included as a minimum.

Note Royal Mail does not provide this stationery. Example landscape formats, with flashes attached –

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2.3.5 Integrated Labels

A further variation would be to integrate the package label within the warehouse pick note or despatch document. This would require two-layer paper stationery, where the package label can be peeled away and stuck to the item.

An A4 landscape example is shown here, where the package label is in the top left corner. A return label has also been incorporated into the bottom left corner.

Barcode peel-off sections and flash labels (as appropriate) would be required for this solution. A portrait style A4 sheet could also be used with the package label at the top or bottom of the sheet.

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2.4 Other Printable Label Elements

To speed up the despatch process, customers can print various other elements of labelling, as follows.

2.4.1 PPI

Valid PPI images are available from the Royal Mail website (www.royalmail.com/ppi), and different sizes may be selected depending on the packaging used. PPIs can be printed onto the address label, to save additional labelling or hand stamping.

2.4.2 CN22/CN23 Customs Declaration

The CN22 and CN23 customs declaration forms are available as images from Royal Mail Customer Systems’ team, and may be printed by the customer’s system. The relevant boxes would need to be filled in, but the customer could automate at least part of this. It may also be possible to apply the date and signature automatically, but customers are advised to discuss this directly with the customs authorities.

Note that these declarations could be printed as part of the address label to save an additional labelling process at despatch (see 2.4.5).

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2.4.3 Airmail Indicator

Airmail indicators, required for International Signed For, are available from Royal Mail Customer Systems as image files and can be printed on the address label, or elsewhere on the packaging.

2.4.4 Other International Logos

The other International logos – Airsure Exprès, Priority Mail and Recommandé – are

protected and may not be printed by customers own systems. These do however appear on the relevant Royal Mail labelling, as described in sections 2.1 and 2.2, and on the International service flash labels – section 2.3.1

2.4.5 Example International Combination Labels

By way of example only, the following illustrates what could be achieved in combining the printable elements onto a single international label. The first layout could be used in conjunction with pre-printed barcode labels (section 2.1); the second with customer-printed branded labels (section 2.2), applying the address/barcode label below the PPI.

The third example could be used where the customer’s system prints the address and barcode onto a custom monochrome label. Note the addition of the International Signed for ‘Flash Label’ (see section 2.3).

Note that Royal Mail does not provide these label types, and no approval is implied by these examples. Any layout for combination International labels must be submitted for specific approval before development or use.

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b. Customer Label with blank branded address and barcode label.

International Flash Label goes here.

Note peel-off sections required here.

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3. Despatch Documentation

Consideration should be made for three reports to be produced by the customer’s system at despatch.

The first is mandatory for all tracked products (excluding inland recorded/signed for items, which are not ‘tracked’ in distribution). This is the collection manifest: a summary report that provides number ranges, service and compensation totals (See section 3.1). The poster’s name, collection address and account number details are also required on this document. The collection driver will collect this report along with the despatched items and either a completed Posting Cheque (without the barcode/address details), or a ‘Statement of Mailing’ from E*Pro/OBA.

Non-tracked services (e.g. Inland recorded/signed for) may only require the Posting Cheque or Statement of Mailing entry, showing the number of items/weights and postage class. Note: Where a proof of posting is required (for example for claims, or where postings are made on behalf of a third party) then a second copy of the collection manifest for tracked items, and/or a collection manifest for non-tracked items (see fig 3.1b) should be produced and the collection driver should be asked to sign a copy for customer retention.

The second document is a report to show a weight and service summary for the customer to use in completing the Posting Cheque, or keying into E*Pro/OBA. This is entirely optional, and Royal Mail do not need this report, but it may help the customer to complete the information quickly and accurately. See section 3.2 for details.

The third despatch document which may be produced is a ‘posting list’, detailing each despatch item, and giving individual addresses, weights and compensation levels. This is a backup to the collection manifest and is primarily for the customer’s own use to be kept as a local record. However it may also be required to support a claim. If the customer elects not to produce this each day, then consideration should be given to having the ability to produce this at a subsequent date if required, to match the date and series of the relevant collection

manifest. The precise format of this document is not critical, but a suggested layout is given here – in section 3.3.

Collection manifests and posting lists can be produced more than once each day – for example where multiple collections are made. Each report in the day should be marked as ‘Series 1’, Series 2’ etc, and where posting lists are produced, these should carry the same designations to allow matching.

Note: Where system generated collection paperwork is produced, then a manual Posting Cheque should also be completed, or else Royal Mail’s online docket system – E*Pro or OBA – should be used to record each day’s postings and for reporting on mailing volumes and pricing etc. The Posting Cheque or E*Pro/OBA statement of mailing should be attached to the collection manifest for the driver.

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3.1 Collection Manifests

Collection manifests are mandatory for tracked items (e.g. Special Delivery, Airsure and International Signed for), and confirm the number of items collected by service type, and the barcode number ranges used for scanning purposes. For economy of space and ease of scanning only the first and last barcode in each range used should be printed.

Collection manifests are not mandatory for non-tracked services (e.g. inland recorded/signed for). These are treated differently as ‘recorded’ items are handled via the normal mail network and are not scanned on receipt, whereas all other barcoded items are handled through a secure area where an acceptance scan is performed on the manifest as well as the items themselves. However where a proof of posting is required (usually for claims processing), then a Non-Tracked collection manifest and a second copy of the Non-Tracked collection manifest should be produced, and copies signed by the collection driver should be retained by the customer.

Where label barcodes must use Code39 standards, the narcodes on the Tracked collection manifest may be printed using Code128 or Code39 encoding. Note that some Code39 fonts require the addition of ‘*’ characters before and after the barcode content. These should not be shown in the human-readable section.

Note that where the range of barcode numbers used for a particular service has a gap (for example where a label has been cancelled) then two (or more) ranges will need to be printed for that service. An example in figure 3.1a is the Special Delivery Next Day £1000, where three separate ranges are shown.

Non-tracked collection manifests should be printed as separate reports from the Tracked manifest, and do not require scannable barcodes to be printed. However if it is simpler to include the barcodes on this manifest as well this is acceptable.

All manifests should provide space for the collection driver to record the collection details and sign a receipt (see figures 3.1a and 3.1b).

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Tracked Services Collection Manifest - Mandatory Figure 3.1a Account No 0232419223 _ _ _ _ * * * * * * End of Document * * * * * *

Royal Mail Collection Manifest

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ A.J Bloggs 49 High Street Blowtown Lincs LN5 8HH _ _ _ _

2 8 /04/2006

Series 1

_ _

Tracked Items Page 1 of 2

First number in the range Last number in the range Items in the range

Special Delivery 9am £50

_

KG189761578GB KG189761595GB

3

Special Delivery Next Day £500

SG416581511GB SG416581658GB

15

Special Delivery Next Day £1000

_

SG416981275GB SG416981315GB

5 _

_

SG416981348GB SG416981374GB

4

SG416981392GB SG416981532GB

15

Airsure – Additional Compensation

_

LY169795524GB LY169795541GB

3

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Account No 0232419223_ _

_ _ _

Royal Mail Collection Manifest

_ _ _ _ _ _ A.J Bloggs 49 High Street Blowtown Lincs LN5 8HH _ _ _ _

2 8/04/2006

Series 1

_ _ _

Tracked Items Page 2 of 2

International Signed For

_

_ _ _

RI169795524GB RI169795541GB

3 Control Totals

Number of Bags: Number of Pouches: Collection Date Stamp:

Manifest Summary – Tracked Items

Collection Date 24/08/2004 Series 1

Accepting Officers Signature:

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Figure 3.1b Non-Tracked Services Collection Manifest - Optional Account No

0232419223 _ _

Royal Mail Collection Manifest

_ _ _ _ _ _ A.J Bloggs 49 High Street Blowtown Lincs LN5 8HH _ _ _ _

2 8 /04/2006

Series 1

_ _ _ _ _ _

Non Tracked Items Page 1 of 1

First Class Recorded/Signed For

KZ138829169GB KZ138829364GB

21

5

KZ138829372GB KZ138829413GB

Second Class Recorded/Signed For

KW002177632GB KW002177668GB

4 Control Totals

Number of Bags: Number of Pouches: Collection Date Stamp:

Accepting Officers Signature: Collection Time:

Manifest Summary – Non Tracked

Summary

Collection Date 28/4/2006 Series - 1

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3.2 Weight and Service Summary

As the customer is required to complete docket information on E*Pro/OBA (or use Posting Cheques), it is not necessary to provide weight, format etc information on the collection manifests. However, the customer’s system may well be used to record this information through the day, and the collection cut-off time is the most appropriate time to produce this optional report showing the relevant information for transferring to the docket.

This could be included on the collection manifest itself, or could be produced as a separate report.

By way of example, the following table would provide most of the necessary input for the docket.

Date 24/08/2005

Code Service 100g 500g 1000g 2000g 10000g Total

SD1 01 SD Next Day £500 2 0 7 4 2 15 SD2 01 SD Next Day £1000 SD by 9am £50 92 15 0 0 0 24 SD4 01 1 0 0 0 3 MP1 Airsure USA 0 0 0 0 0 0

MP1 Airsure Add Comp 0 2 1 0 0 3

OZ2 Int Signed For 3 0 0 0 0 3

Recorded First Class 22 4 0 0 0 26

Recorded Second Class 4 0 0 0 0 4

TOTALS 42 22 8 4 2 78

Royal Mail does not need to validate, or check, a weight and service summary table output. Royal Mail revenue protection staff will check the Posting Cheque details, or E*Pro/OBA certificate of posting, against the actual items despatched, so these documents do need to be provided at collection and need to be accurate.

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3.3 Posting List

The posting list is not a mandatory requirement but is recommended as a manual backup for the customer’s record, listing each item by service, and may be required for claims

processing. Ideally these reports should carry a matching date/series number to the corresponding collection manifest(s).

The format is not critical, but the layout here is suggested as a start point. Note that Royal Mail does not need to validate or check Posting List outputs.

Account No 0232419223_ _

Royal Mail Posting List

A.J Bloggs_ _ 49 High Street Blowtown Lincs LN5 8HH _

27/08/2006

Series 1

_ _

Special Delivery By 9am - £50

Barcode number Item Addressee Format Cons Loss Weight

SG644648104GB 1 Mr J Brown Wimbourne DT6 8HW 14 Ash Gardens Dorset £5000 490 SG644648112GB 2 Mr J Brown Wimbourne DT6 8HW 14 Ash Gardens Dorset 1220

SG644648129GB 1 L B Lewis 9 Fall Grove £1000 750

Evington LE6 5KW

Leicester

Special Delivery 9am - £50 TOTAL ITEMS 3

Special Delivery Next Day - £1000

SG416981275GB 1 A B Smith 12 High Street 650

Putnoe MK41 9VV

Bedford

Special Delivery Next Day - £1000 TOTAL ITEMS 1

Page 1 of 2

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Account No

Royal Mail Posting List

2 7/08/2006

0232419223_ _ _ _ A.J Bloggs_ _

Series 1

_

49 High Street Blowtown Lincs LN5 8HH Overseas Letters Airmail - Airsure

Barcode number Item Addressee Format Cons Loss Weight

LY644648129GB 1 L B Atton 9 Gr Henrist E 75 0

Padont Italy

1 9 828

Overseas Letters Airmail - Airsure TOTAL ITEMS 1

Overseas Letters Airmail - Airsure with Additional Compensation

LY644648104GB 1 Mr F Renoir 14 Rue Amon P 49 0

Paris France 1 1 233 4

LY644648112GB 2 Mr F Renoir 14 Rue Amon P 12 2 0

Paris France 1 1 233 4

LY216981275GB 1 J B Edwards 12 Jule Milest G 65 0

Abanstri Morocco

Overseas Letters Airmail - Airsure additional compensation TOTAL ITEMS 3

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Appendix A – System Design Considerations

Due to the variety of environments and functionality across different warehouse and despatch operations, it is not possible to provide specific design recommendations for customers’ own systems. However there are some basic principles which should be considered when planning to introduce facilities to support despatch using Royal Mail services.

A.1 Barcode number range management

Where the system is creating barcodes on demand, consideration will need to be made for managing the number ranges. The first and last number for each service and compensation level will need to be stored, along with a marker to the last number used in each range. When each range is within a few weeks of being exhausted, the customer will need to request a new range of numbers from Royal Mail. Numbers are normally allocated in 12 month batches for each service, and up to 4 weeks should be allowed for supplying new ranges so it is suggested that the system has a low-range warning built in to flag when each range is 90% used.

Note that new ranges may have different prefixes to those being replaced.

New ranges can be requested from Royal Mail by calling the customer systems helpdesk on 08705 333999, or via your Royal Mail account handler.

A.2 Label reprinting and cancellation

Labels can be damaged in printing, or in peeling from their backing. The system should therefore have a mechanism for reprinting labels where required. In high security

environments, this facility may need to be restricted to authorised users, and may need to be automatically logged.

There may also be occasion where a label needs to be cancelled after printing – for example where an order needs to be ‘held over’ or rejected for some reason. In order to maintain integrity in the system, these labels should be formally ‘cancelled’ – that is deleted from the ‘despatch’ list for the day, and they must not be included in the collection manifest (see section A.6). Again this facility may need to be restricted to someone with the appropriate authority and the activity recorded.

A.3 Label testing

On initial implementation and whenever new ranges are issued, Royal Mail will request 20 sample labels for testing. This is important to ensure that the correct ranges are being used for each service; that the label designs are valid; and that the barcodes are correct and of the appropriate quality to be read consistently. This also includes a check digit validation. Some facility for printing a number of labels for test and then cancelling them from the system should therefore be considered.

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A.4 Service selection

Depending on the specific situation, the customer may choose to select the Royal Mail service at the point of order capture, or else allow selection or override of the selection at the packing point. With either solution the customer is advised to consider who has authority to determine the service (in order to best control costs while meeting recipient expectations). Control of human error and speed of operation are two aspects which may help decide which approach is taken. Here again, a log of any changes or overrides may be desirable.

A.5 Weight recording

Where the specific customer contract requires summary totals by weight or size, this may be best handled by the customers’ system – either through built-in knowledge of each product’s dimensions and weight; or through capture of this information at the point of despatch and later reported. This information may then be simply copied over to the docket process at the collection time, for example from a weight/service summary manifest – see section 3.2. Some contracts may be based on ‘average weights’, where individual weights are not required. Here a total weight can be measured as bags etc are completed.

A.6 Manifest Integrity

On collection, the Royal Mail collection driver will be expecting paperwork to accompany the collected items. It is important that the paperwork matches the collection, as this ensures accurate billing and also avoids the expense of invalid claims or chasing ‘ghost’ packages . To achieve this, the system will need to keep accurate record of shipments, by service and barcode, and also any changes or cancellations made during the day. An appropriate ‘cut off’ mechanism will also be required to produce the manifest paperwork at the appropriate time. A frequent problem is how to ensure that all items recorded on the system have actually been despatched and collected. The best approach to this problem is to have some form of despatch confirmation at the point at which packages are bagged or stacked to pallets, yorks, or other containers. This may be by way of a scan of the barcode, or else the act of printing the label itself – where this is the last action before the item is stacked or bagged for collection. In this respect, it is often helpful to consider packages which have been stacked or bagged as being already in Royal Mail’s possession, and not to allow these items to be moved or interfered with further.

A.7 Reprinting Manifests and Posting Lists

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Appendix B – Barcode Production

B.1 Number Ranges

For customers who use their own systems to create the shipping barcodes, the following numbering scheme is to be used:

Royal Mail barcode numbers are in the form of a 13 alphanumeric sequence: aa99999999cOO (e.g. DR123456785GB)

Key Represents

aa Recorded, Special Delivery or International Product Prefix Two alpha characters – part of the allocated number range for each service.

For test purposes, the prefix ‘TT’ is normally issued, but live number ranges may be assigned any 2 letter prefix.

Note: These prefixes may be different for each service and compensation level used.

999999999 Recorded, Special Delivery or International Item Identifier An eight-digit number that is unique within each range prefix. Part of the allocated number range, and should be assigned sequentially.

Note: Different ranges will be issued for each service and compensation level used.

Check Digit c

This is a modulus 11 check digit for which the algorithm is specified in section B.3.

OO Recorded, Special Delivery and International Country of Origin Code

There is only one code a UK customer can use: GB = Great Britain

Before posting, Royal Mail will issue test barcode ranges to each customer, and a minimum of 20 consecutive sample labels for each service must be submitted to Royal Mail for barcode quality, number and label format validation. Only after passing validation (for labels and manifests) will live ranges will then be issued for posting to commence.

The test ranges and live ranges will carry different prefixes as well as different numerical elements, so the prefixes should not be hard coded.

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Separate number ranges will be issued, and must be held by the customer’s system, for each service being used – including different compensation levels, and first vs second class recorded/signed for.

Note that each number in each range may be used a maximum of once only. Where more than one item is sent to the same address on the same day, each must carry a different barcode number. However ‘spoiled’ numbers (e.g. where a despatch is cancelled) do not need to be used in a subsequent despatch, and may be skipped.

The customer’s system will need to manage each number range as follows –

Record the prefix, and the start and end of each range, and the service, compensation level etc relevant to each.

Record the last number used in each range.

Allocate the next available number when a label is required.

Calculate the checkdigit each time a number is used (see section B.3).

Report when any range is close to being exhausted, so that a request can be made to Royal Mail to supply additional numbers. We advise allowing at least four weeks for this process.     

Ranges issued must not be reused, but must be replaced when exhausted. Royal Mail will provide new number ranges when required, and additional sample labels will need to be validated before each new number range is issued. For this reason, new ranges should be requested well in advance of previous ranges becoming exhausted.

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B.2 Barcode Standards

Royal Mail tracking label barcodes are produced using the Code128 encoding standard with subsets B & C as per the following example. Most Code128 printers and fonts will meet this standard automatically.

DR 1234 5678 5GB

Start DR Change 12345678 Change 5 GB 1 2 8 Check Stop Character Character Character character

Subset B. Coded To subset Numerics To subset Royal Origin Code 128 Coded in

in B. C. coded in C. B. Mail text modulus 103 B.

numeric coded check digit. check in B.

digit coded in B.

The following dimensions apply –

The minimum barcode size is 38mm wide by 16mm high, with at least 8mm height on each of the peel-off and retained sections of the label.

Each barcode also requires a 6mm ‘quiet’ (blank) zone before and after, and a 1mm quiet zone above and below.

The maximum barcode width is therefore around 41mm – being constrained by the maximum size of the peel-off section on the label (56mm with the tab), and the width of the quiet zones. There is theoretically no maximum height for the barcode.

  

It is imperative that barcodes are printed to a high quality, both for readability by RM scanning equipment, and for resistance to damage during the life of the item. Royal Mail imposes rigid standards on barcodes created by customers’ own systems, and a detailed technical specification of requirements is available on request.

The main technical quality standard required is measured with a SymbolLaserchecker II scanner and should record a minimum 75% STI. This level has been recommended as an industry standard by Symbol Technologies Ltd, and is the standard met by all existing suppliers of product labels to the Royal Mail.

The use of thermal printers, or of high definition laser printing (e.g. 400dpi or greater), should produce the necessary quality, if the equipment is properly maintained and kept clean.

Further advice is available from Royal Mail Customer Systems Team via your account handler.

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B.3 Check Digit Algorithm

The tracking number check digit is included to assist possible manual keying. It should not be confused with the modulus 103 check character which is a mandatory element of code 128 barcodes, albeit not printed as human-readable. The barcode creation software normally calculates this modulus 103 check digit automatically. Some printers will also construct the barcode, with this check character.

The algorithm used for the tracking number check digit is a modulus 11 sum of products algorithm, with weightings 86423597.

Each digit is multiplied by its related weighting, and the 8 results added together. 

This total is then divided by 11 and the remainder recorded. 

The check digit is the result of subtracting this remainder from 11.

If the remainder is 0 or 1, then the result from the subtraction will be 11 or 10. As there is only room for a single digit, these cannot be used. In these cases, a check digit of 11 will be substituted with a 5, and a check digit of 10 will be substituted with a 0.



The check digit algorithm will always be performed against all 8 digits in the tracking number. The prefix and suffix elements are not include in the calculation.

EXAMPLE :

Original Item Identifier : DR31428675*GB (* is the check digit)

Original Digit: 3 1 4 2 8 6 7 5

Weight: 8 6 4 2 3 5 9 7

Result: 24 6 16 4 24 30 63 35

Total: 202

Take the modulus 11 of this:

(i.e. find the maximum multiple of 11 that will divide into 204 thus calculating the remainder) (18 11) = 198

202 - 198 = result of 4

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Appendix C – EPL Label Printing

There are a number of printers suitable for printing barcoded address labels, and many have their own languages or interfaces for creating the label image. Direct printing of ‘PDF’ or other preformed images is possible with some systems. However, a popular approach is to use printers which support the EPL command set, where the printer itself constructs the barcode within the label image removing the need for specific fonts to be managed in the host system. This section describes an EPL command set and method for producing a Special Delivery ‘Next Day’ label, with the Saturday Guarantee option, using the standard Royal Mail blank labels shown in section 2.3.

Other Royal Mail services and label layouts can be easily created by modifying this command set.

A full description of the commands will be found in the EPL programming guide, which would normally be supplied with the printer, or direct from the printer supplier.

Note: Royal Mail does not provide a support service for using EPL. This sample command set is provided only to assist customers in using this method to create Royal Mail labels. C.1 Loading Graphics

All label elements may be printed at label production time.

Alternatively, if the customer chooses to use their own stationery, then the PPI graphic and other common elements may be preprinted on the label stock.

There are three main graphic elements –  PPI

 Service Indicator  Peeloff tabs

The ‘SG’ Saturday guarantee graphic is also included here, although this only applies to specific Special Delivery contracts.

If the system is to print graphics on each label, then these need to be preloaded to the printer’s memory.

The method is the same for each graphic image.

First each graphic needs to be formatted as a 2-colour (black/white) ‘pcx’ file. Most graphic packages have a facility to do this (e.g. Photoshop®, Irfanview® etc).

These files are then loaded into the printer (this need only be done once – e.g. at application start-up - as the printer will retain the images in memory). To do this, use the GM command. It is also recommended to delete any previous versions of graphics with the GK command as a matter of course.

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For example - if the Special Delivery PPI graphic file is ppisd.pcx, and the image in the printer is to be called PPIPCX, create a text file as follows –

(_{_} is shown to indicate line returns) setppi.txt

GK"PPIPCX"_{_}

GK"PPIPCX"_{_} 2 x GK commands required to delete the old version of the graphic. GM"PPIPCX"3042_{_} Note the ‘3042’ here is the precise size of the ppisd.pcx file in

bytes. And a batch file, e.g. loadppi.bat -

copy setppi.txt+ppisd.pcx lpt1/b_{_} ‘lpt1’ indicates the port attached to the printer. Note ‘/b’ to load the graphic in binary mode.

Running loadppi.bat removes any previous versions of PPIPCX and then loads the graphic ppisd.pcx into the printer with the name PPIPCX.

For the Special Delivery service graphic – sd1.pcx - the files might be – setsd1.txt : GK"SD1PCX"_{_} GK"SD1PCX"_{_} GM"SD1PCX"6212_{_} loadsd1.bat : copy setsd1.txt+sd1.pcx lpt1/b_{_}

Running loadsd1.bat removes any previous versions of SD1PCX and then loads the graphic sd1.pcx into the printer with the name SD1PCX.

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C.2 EPL Commands

With these graphics loaded, plus the peeloff tabs indicators (TABSPCX) and the Saturday Guarantee indicator (SGPCX), this command set will produce the label shown in 2.3.2. Note that the last line of the command set (‘P1’) needs a_{_} (CR) for the label to print.

:Printer settings………... WN N R0,0 N I8,0,061 S12 D6 ZT Q0784,035 :Service Graphic...…... GG80,0,"SD1PCX" :PPI...………... GG440,10,"PPIPCX"

:Sat Guarantee Option... GG105,230,"SGPCX"

:Peeloff Tabs...…….... GG650,198,"TABSPCX" :Barcode and Service...

A405,210,0,3,1,1,N,"XY 1497 4034 5GB" A265,260,0,2,1,1,N,"XY 1497 4034 5GB" B280,280,0,1,2,10,130,N,"XY149740345GB" A265,415,0,2,1,1,N,"XY 1497 4034 5GB" A530,260,0,2,1,1,N,"SD 1pm" A530,415,0,2,1,1,N,"SD 1pm" :Return Address...…..

A100,750,3,1,1,0,N,"Return to:Bellamy Enterprise Returns,Rowland Hill House" A120,710,3,1,1,0,N,"Boythorpe Road,CHESTERFIELD,S41 1HQ,GB" :Address Box...…….... LO150,450,590,5 LO150,450,5,300 LO150,750,590,5 LO740,450,5,300 :Address Details...……... A180,465,0,1,2,3,N,"Harry Smith" A180,500,0,1,2,3,N,"AB Jones Ltd" A180,535,0,1,2,3,N,"Solaris Court" A180,570,0,1,2,3,N,"Davy Avenue" A180,605,0,1,2,3,N,"Knowlhill" A180,640,0,2,2,2,N,"MILTON KEYNES" A180,675,0,2,2,2,N,"MK5 8PP" :Sender's References...…... A570,465,0,2,1,1,N,"CR 184299" A570,715,0,2,1,1,N,"Inv AL772961" P1 _ + + + + + E N D O F D O C U M E N T + + + + +

Royal Mail Customer Systems