|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Citation Software Inc.
Specialists in variable-data publishing since 1986
|
|
|
|
www.CitationSoftware.com info@CitationSoftware.com 508-436-2543
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
Click here to sign up for our free newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
QUESTION: What is a MaxiCode symbol?
ANSWER: MaxiCode is a
fixed-size 2D (two-dimensional) matrix-style
symbology made up of offset rows of hexagonal modules arranged around a
"finder pattern" that looks like a bullseye.
Originally known as "UPS Code,"
MaxiCode was developed by United Parcel Service in 1992. It is currently used by
United Parcel Service to facilitate automated
sorting and addressing of packages.
A MaxiCode Symbol resembles a bar code, but instead of using bars it
uses dots arranged in a hexagonal grid.
A MaxiCode symbol
|
|
UPS employees refer to a MaxiCode
as a "Bird's Eye" or "Target."
The size of a Maxicode symbol is 1.11 x 1.054 inches.
The design of the MaxiCode symbology was chosen because it is well
suited to high-speed, orientation-independent scanning.
Two-dimensional
As stated above, a MaxiCode symbol is a type of 2D
(two-dimensional) symbology
(horizontal being one dimension and vertical being the second dimension).
Contrast this with other kinds of bar codes that we see in our daily lives —
most of them are "one-dimensional" bar codes. That is: the marks that
make up the bar code are arranged in one row (one dimension), usually the
horizontal dimension.
A UPC bar code
UPC bar codes are
one-dimensional bar codes.
They are found on
retail items.
|
A POSTNET bar code.
POSTNET bar codes are
one-dimensional bar codes.
A POSTNET bar code represents the Zip
code on a postcard, letter, or package.
|
|
What kind of information is represented by a MaxiCode symbol?
A MaxiCode symbol
can encode up
to 93 characters of information.
A MaxiCode symbol actually encodes two separate messages: a Primary
message and a Secondary message. The Primary message normally
includes a postal code, a three-digit country code, and a three-digit
class-of-service number. The Secondary message normally includes
address data and other information.
How do you get the information out of a MaxiCode symbol?
|
|
To understand the information that a MaxiCode symbol represents, you need a scanning wand or
camera that is programmed to understand and interpret MaxiCode symbols.
|
Error correction
An error-correction mechanism is built into each MaxiCode symbol
so that the symbol can
still be decoded even if it is torn, smudged, or otherwise damaged.
How can you print MaxiCode symbols on your documents?
The process of putting MaxiCode symbols on your documents isn't as straightforward
as putting one-dimensional bar codes on your documents.
Let's compare the two processes.
In most situations, to put a one-dimensional bar code on a document, you just need to
type the information to be represented (or retrieve that information
from a database, or somehow generate that information automatically),
and you need to format that information with the proper bar-code font. For example, the
general procedure for using a word-processing application or page-layout application
to put a POSTNET bar code on a letter or envelope is as follows:
- enter the characters to be represented — all on the same line
- format the characters with a POSTNET font.
/042746329120/
|
The procedure for putting a MaxiCode symbol on a document is different and
more complicated that what we've just described, for two reasons:
- Since a MaxiCode symbol is two-dimensional, you can't
represent the information in it with just one line of
characters in your document.
- The relationship between the marks that make up the MaxiCode symbol
and the information that those marks represent is more complex
than the relationship between the marks that make up a one-dimensional
bar code and the information that the bar code represents.
You'll need special software to put MaxiCode symbols on your documents.
We offer a variable-data-printing product that can do this. It is called
"PrintShop Mail," and you can learn about it by clicking
here.
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2008 Citation Software Inc.
info@CitationSoftware.com
508-436-2543
www.CitationSoftware.com
|
|
