SpoolFlex Gets USPS Intelligent Barcode Support
April 7, 2009 Alex Woodie
|
Users of DRV Technologies‘ i OS document output management software, SpoolFlex, will be able to meet the United Postal Service’s Intelligent Mail barcode requirement, which was recently pushed back two years until May 2011, the company announced last week. SpoolFlex helps System i shops reduce their dependency on printers and paper output by grabbing spool files off their servers’ output queues, reformatting them into popular formats like PDF, HTML, or Excel, and distributing them electronically, via e-mail, fax, or posting to central servers. The software also generates a variety of standard barcode types, including now the USPS Intelligent Mail barcode, which also goes by OneCode, 4-State Customer Barcode, 4CB, and USPS4CB. Customers will be required to generate the Intelligent Barcode to obtain the best postage rates when the requirement goes into effect. According to the USPS’s FAQ on the Intelligent Mail barcode, the new 31-digit barcode brings several advantages. First, it has greater overall data capacity than existing barcodes, such as the existing POSTNET and Planet Code barcodes, and will free up letter “real estate” and eliminate the need for additional barcodes. It will also provide mailers with more digits for their own use (they can identify up to a billion mailpieces per mailing, according to USPS). Finally, using this one barcode will make mailers eligible for multiple USPS service programs, the agency says. DRV says it has devised an Intelligent Mail barcode generation method that bypasses the use of any fonts, which eliminates any issues when converting electronic forms to PDF files or printing to different printers throughout an organization. SpoolFlex users will also be able to take advantage of the mail tracking feature built into the new Intelligent Mail barcode standard. A tracking symbol will be provided that allows a business to track each piece of mail as it travels from its origination point to its destination. It will also enable a host of features, such as proof of mailing, payment tracking, delivery forecasting, free address change service, and other services. The new Intelligent Mail barcode feature is included in the base SpoolFlex product, which starts at about $2,600. For more information, visit www.drvtech.com. RELATED STORIES SpoolFlex 4.2 Gives Customers More Control Over i Output DRV Cleans Up i OS Spool Files with ReportFlex DRV Technologies Gets Hip to Forms SpoolFlex Gains Audit Trail for Regulatory Compliance
|
