Royal Mail Barcode Scanner SDK
The Scanbot Royal Mail Barcode Scanner SDK lets you integrate fast barcode scanning into your mobile app in no time. Use any iOS, Android, or Windows device as a flexible scanning tool. It’s fast, accurate, and cost-effective!
Definition
Royal Mail primarily uses two types of barcodes: RM4SCC, short for Royal Mail 4-State Customer Code, which was named after the four different kinds of bars it is made of — and Mailmark barcodes, which are a newer barcode system that comes in two varieties.
The first variety of Mailmark barcodes is called 4-State Mailmark. They are similar to RM4SCC but specifically designed for business mail. The second variety is called 2D Complex Mail Data Mark(CMDM), a two-dimensional barcode that can encode more data than the traditional barcodes.
The four different states of bars contained in RM4SCC and 4-State Mailmark barcodes are:
- Tracker (T): Occupies the middle third of the barcode’s height
- Tracker, Descender (D): Occupies the bottom two-thirds
- Tracker, Ascender (A): Occupies the top two-thirds
- Tracker, Ascender, Descender (H): Occupies the entire height
History of Royal Mail barcodes
Development of Royal Mail barcodes began in the early 1990s. Royal Mail was looking for a barcode system that would streamline mail sorting processes while reducing the need for manual intervention. In 1993, they officially introduced the RM4SCC. However, it wasn’t until 1995 that the initial implementation phase across all Royal Mail sorting centers would be completed. Between 1996 and 2000, feedback from sorting centers was implemented to refine the barcode’s design and encoding methodology.
In the 2010s, the RM4SCC system evolved into the Mailmark system, opening up new possibilities. Following a successful trial in March 2021, Royal Mail introduced stamps enhanced with barcodes in February 2022 that can also be linked to a digital message by the sender, such as a video.
Applications
Both RM4SCC and Mailmark barcodes are both used in mail sorting and delivery processes by Royal Mail in the UK.
The RM4SCC barcode’s ability to encode postcodes and Delivery Point Suffixes (DPS) allows fast and efficient mail sorting, while Mailmark barcodes enable more automated processing thanks to their ability to encode additional information.
The newer Mailmark barcodes also enhance mail tracking and give access to delivery status information.
Your new alternative to dedicated handheld scanners: The Scanbot Royal Mail Barcode Scanner SDK
Using the Scanbot Royal Mail Barcode Scanner SDK, you can…
- Scan Royal Mail barcodes with smartphones
- Cut costs for outdated scanner hardware
- Enable flexible barcode scanning on the go and on the road, no network connection required
- Cut time-to-value – implemented within one week
