How can I include the postal barcode on envelopes I print?

Anonymous
2010-08-19T21:58:15+00:00

I've been using word for years.  I occassionally print envelopes including the postal barcode.  I haven't figured it out yet in office 2010.  I hope that some one can help me.  Thanks in advance.

Lee Warren

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2012-01-13T23:40:07+00:00

As explained in  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/897290 the POSTNET barcode that Word can create is now obsolete, so it was removed from the Envelope dialog starting in Word 2007.

If you really want to put in a POSTNET barcode, you can go to Insert > Quick Parts > Field and insert a BarCode field (which is how the option in the Envelopes dialog used to do its work). The syntax

of the field code is explained here:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/word-help/field-codes-barcode-field-HP005186205.aspx

Jay Freedman

MS Word MVP  FAQ: http://word.mvps.org

Hello everyone!   I too was very frustrated by this.  When I used the "add field" under the quick parts menu in Word 2010 and added "barcode", I would always get "Invalid Zip" as the response.  After some investigating, I found the fix:  if you go to the USPS website at https://ribbs.usps.gov/onecodesolution/download.cfm and download uspsEncoderMsOffice-1.3.0.zip, you can install it in seconds.

Once you install, all you have to do is the following: I went back to the "mailings" menu, selected "envelopes", then went to the address field and clicked "insert", then clicked "quick parts", selected "bar code" and clicked "is US address" and entered the zip code.  This worked perfectly for me in Word 2010. 

Hope this helps!!

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Anonymous
2013-10-30T10:58:10+00:00

The download you want for a 64-bit Windows system running 32-bit Office software is uspsEncoderMsOffice-1.3.1.  Looks similar except the MsOffice part.

The solution referenced requires more operator intervention than I would like each time one wishes to insert a bar code on an envelope.  Hopefully, that will be a fix in the future.

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Jay Freedman 208.3K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2010-08-20T01:37:37+00:00

As explained in  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/897290 the POSTNET barcode that Word can create is now obsolete, so it was removed from the Envelope dialog starting in Word 2007.

If you really want to put in a POSTNET barcode, you can go to Insert > Quick Parts > Field and insert a BarCode field (which is how the option in the Envelopes dialog used to do its work). The syntax

of the field code is explained here:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/word-help/field-codes-barcode-field-HP005186205.aspx

Jay Freedman

MS Word MVP  FAQ: http://word.mvps.org

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-07-07T22:49:44+00:00

    Tech_Etown

    POSTNET barcodes are obsolete and invalid for USPS sorting and volume mail discounts.  If you want to use the USPS Intelligent Mail barcode then you will have to request a Mailer ID from the USPS, this 6 or 9 digit Mailer ID is unique to you (the mailer) and part of the 25 to 31 digit barcode.

    The software you downloaded should have came with both example Excel and Access files that can serve as a data source for a Word Mail Merge document (i.e., you define your addressees in the data source and then use that data source in a Word Mail Merge to generate labels or envelops.

    I've created a crude Word Template Add-in (2007-2013) that you can use to create IM barcodes directly in a Word document.  There are controls on the QAT to setup and employ the add-in.  To work, you must  have the USPS 1.3.1 program installed as the Add-in uses the Encode FSB 1.1 type library and USPSIMBStandard font (parts of the USPS 1.3.1 install) to create the barcode.

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64545773/Barcode%20Generator.dotm

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  2. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2014-02-03T20:19:42+00:00

    Thank you for repeating what we have kept trying to tell people in this thread (and with the authority of the USPS behind it). The KB article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/897290/en-us explains why Microsoft dropped the feature, but the title, “The POSTNET bar code that Word generates no longer qualifies for USPS bulk mailing discounts,” is somewhat misleading because a lot of users aren't sending bulk mail to begin with and just want to add the bar codes because they think it makes their letters look more professional, or they are under the mistaken impression that this speeds their mail. As you have reported, this is no longer the case, and they are just making more work for the USPS by including them.

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