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PLANET Code (USPS)

The camera app does not scan this. The Zebra app does not scan this.

PLANET looks like POSTNET turned inside out: mostly tall bars with a few short ones. It was used to track mail pieces through the US postal system before the Intelligent Mail barcode took over that job.

Also called PLANET, Postal Alpha Numeric Encoding Technique.

In this family

Specifications

StandardUSPS (historic)
Character setNumeric
Capacity12 or 14 digits (11 or 13 data digits + check digit)
Error correctionModulo 10 check digit (digit sum multiple of 10)
Dimensionpostal

Where it is used

US mail tracking (Confirm service) – historic

People use it for uS mail tracking (Confirm service) – historic.

The camera app does not scan this. The Zebra app does not scan this.

Example

40123456789

Scan and create

The camera app does not scan this.

The Zebra app does not scan this.

Questions

What is the difference between PLANET and POSTNET?

PLANET looks like POSTNET turned inside out: mostly tall bars with a few short ones. Character set: Numeric. The camera app does not scan this. The Zebra app does not scan this.

Is PLANET Code still used?

US mail tracking (Confirm service) – historic. PLANET looks like POSTNET turned inside out: mostly tall bars with a few short ones. The camera app does not scan this. The Zebra app does not scan this.

How many digits does a PLANET code have?

The symbol can hold 12 or 14 digits (11 or 13 data digits + check digit). When an app can scan it, the app returns the text it read and does not measure how full the symbol is. The camera app does not scan this. The Zebra app does not scan this.