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We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

royalmail.com

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Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#31

Post by Someone1234 »

neilpanchal wrote: post #17

For those who are curious, these are 2DID Datamatrix codes, also used in the semiconductor industry extensively to mark wafers and chips. If you pick up an Intel CPU, its going to have a couple of tiny datamatrix codes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Matrix

If anyone was curious why Data Matrix instead of QR Code this article goes into detail:

https://www.laserax.com/blog/data-matrix-vs-qr-codes

Looks like Data Matrix has higher error correction (per size) and better data density (at every size). QR Code has a higher theoretical storage capacity, larger maximum size, and multi-byte data support (rather than limited to alphanumeric), none of which applies to this use case though. It also looks like that Data Matrix may work with a lower contrast than QR Code. Both can be read from any angle.

Honestly, purely from a technical standpoint, the biggest arguments for QR Codes is their popularity/adoption, and things like that you can stylize the code itself.

Maybe I need to do more research, but on the face of it Data Matrix looks like it is technically superior.

Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#32

Post by garrettgrimsley »

jcrawfordor wrote: post #26
garrettgrimsley wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It appears to be 2D Mailmark Type 29 https://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/Royal-Mail-Mai...

It is Data Matrix, Mailmark is basically a logical standard on top of Data Matrix ECC200. Data Matrix allows the blocks to be arranged in multiple layouts, square or rectangular.

Yes, it is accurate to say that all Mailmark barcodes are Data Matrix, but not all Data Matrix are Mailmark. In the document I linked they explain the specifics of the logical standard you mention.

The US Postal Service also uses a DataMatrix on some of their stamps, but not all. I just looked up an official specification document for the USPS codes, but couldn't find it. I did find this page dedicated to postal barcodes. It looks like the USPS ones may more accurately be called IBI Lite?

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/United_States_Postage_Meter_St...

Can anyone chime in with the security measures present on non-barcoded stamps? I have a Global Forever Stamp on the desk in front of me, and there's nothing that is visible to the naked-eye.

While we're on the subject of barcodes and shipping, check out MaxiCode! I've scanned hundreds of thousands of those little bulls-eyes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MaxiCode

Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#33

Post by GingerMidas »

woodruffw wrote: post #22
MarchKilroy89 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To give a real world example: Imagine if America had a system like this in place when the Zodiac killer was active in California. A prolific writer of letters to the press, all of Zodiac's barcode-stamped envelopes would open up new potential leads in answering questions like "when was this stamp manufactured" and "where was this stamp originally sold".

While I actually do appreciate the importance of postal anonymity, the Zodiac Killer is maybe not the best example to select.

Yeah, I prefer talking about the many illegal drugs you can fit into a stamped envelope.

Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#35

Post by jalk »

tialaramex wrote: post #28
jcrawfordor wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My guess is that one of the biggest motivations is to enable one-time address digitization. I'm only really familiar with USPS but my understanding is that the Royal Mail Mailmark system is largely similar to the USPS IMB system. Bulk mailers have long been required to barcode mail with destination information to reduce the need to OCR addresses, which is a particularly complex and expensive part of the operation. No…

> Well, that's the case in the US. From what I can tell Royal Mail doesn't currently do this, and so they're going to have to OCR the address repeatedly on all non-bulk items. Take a closer look at the bottom right hand edge of some non-bulk mail. Huh, those are some faint orange lines. What's going on? That's RM4SCC encoded data from the sorting machinery. It's not "really" faint orange, that's a fluorescent ink, in…

> [I would guess "faint orange" was chosen because it's unobtrusive, yet you can't honestly claim it's hiding]

I imagine the fluorescent ink was chosen so it's easily readable on all background colors - well except orange fluorescent envelopes.

Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#36

Post by smegsicle »

jalk wrote: post #35
tialaramex wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well, that's the case in the US. From what I can tell Royal Mail doesn't currently do this, and so they're going to have to OCR the address repeatedly on all non-bulk items. Take a closer look at the bottom right hand edge of some non-bulk mail. Huh, those are some faint orange lines. What's going on? That's RM4SCC encoded data from the sorting machinery. It's not "really" faint orange, that's a fluorescent ink, in…

> [I would guess "faint orange" was chosen because it's unobtrusive, yet you can't honestly claim it's hiding] I imagine the fluorescent ink was chosen so it's easily readable on all background colors - well except orange fluorescent envelopes.

> except orange fluorescent envelopes

i said fluorescent orange was my favourite colour, they said i was 'anti social'

Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#37

Post by Fezzik »

adolph wrote: post #24
Symbiote wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Any person importing, distributing, selling or otherwise assisting in the sale of counterfeit stamps is committing offences of fraud and/or counterfeiting" [1] I am surprised there are so many listed on eBay. Just the two "sponsored" listings on eBay for the search "first class stamps" have already sold over £1000 of counterfeit stamps, and about £20 in fees for eBay. [1] https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answ…

The surprising part is that people go to such effort for such a low value commodity. Who is sending 1k worth of Christmas cards etc? Maybe small biz, but again the value added doesn’t seem to match the risk of getting your model train outfit raised by the postal inspector. Maybe anarchists use these exclusively to avoid paying the man?

Just a random example: I’m involved a bit in the Magic: The Gathering resale market and I know plenty of unscrupulous sellers who would gladly buy fake stamps to send their merchandise if it would save them even a few cents on every sale. Postage adds up when you’re shipping hundreds or thousands of envelopes in a low margin, competitive market. And I imagine there are lots of other collectable and re-sale markets with similarly principled people.

Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#39

Post by Gigachad »

adolph wrote: post #24
Symbiote wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Any person importing, distributing, selling or otherwise assisting in the sale of counterfeit stamps is committing offences of fraud and/or counterfeiting" [1] I am surprised there are so many listed on eBay. Just the two "sponsored" listings on eBay for the search "first class stamps" have already sold over £1000 of counterfeit stamps, and about £20 in fees for eBay. [1] https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answ…

The surprising part is that people go to such effort for such a low value commodity. Who is sending 1k worth of Christmas cards etc? Maybe small biz, but again the value added doesn’t seem to match the risk of getting your model train outfit raised by the postal inspector. Maybe anarchists use these exclusively to avoid paying the man?

Many small eBay sales are shipped as letters. Fake stamps would save you a fortune.

Re: We’re adding barcodes to our regular stamps

#40

Post by Gigachad »

MarchKilroy89 wrote: post #9

Translation: Keeping with our effort to turn this country into more of a Panopticon, and aligned with our belief that no two parties should be able to communicate privately, we hate that you can send mail mostly anonymously, and this gives us a bit more power to surveil you by making stamps unique.

I’m so sick of all this baseless negativity tbh. It almost ruins the site when any discussion about anything devolves in to “this is how the man is gonna take ur freedoms”.
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