Postal Alpha Numeric Encoding Technique
| Value | Encoding |
|---|---|
| 1 | ┃┃┃╻╻ |
| 2 | ┃┃╻┃╻ |
| 3 | ┃┃╻╻┃ |
| 4 | ┃╻┃┃╻ |
| 5 | ┃╻┃╻┃ |
| 6 | ┃╻╻┃┃ |
| 7 | ╻┃┃┃╻ |
| 8 | ╻┃┃╻┃ |
| 9 | ╻┃╻┃┃ |
| 0 | ╻╻┃┃┃ |
The Postal Alpha Numeric Encoding Technique (PLANET) barcode is used by the United States Postal Service to identify and track pieces of mail during delivery - the Post Office's "CONFIRM" services.
The PLANET barcode is either 12 or 14 digits long. This limitation is contributing to its supersession by OneCodeSOLUTION (OCS).
The barcode:
- identifies mailpiece class and shape
- identifies the Confirm Subscriber ID
- includes up to 6 digits of additional information that the Confirm subscriber chooses, such as a mailing number, mailing campaign ID or customer ID
- ends with a check digit
Like POSTNET, PLANET barcodes encode the data in half- and full-height bars. Also like POSTNET, the barcode always starts and ends with a full bar (often called a guard rail) and each individual digit is represented by a set of five bars using a two-out-of-five code. However, in POSTNET, the two bars are full bars; in PLANET, the two-of-five are the short bars. As with POSTNET, the check digit is calculated as the sum the other characters modulo 10.