British Royal Mail Mailmark CMDM

This Symbology is also known as 2D CMDM Mailmark, Complex Mail Data Marks

This Barcode Symbology is supported by the following Neodynamic products:

Overview

British Royal Mail 4-State Customer Barcode Mailmark Complex Mail Data Mark (CMDM) is a 2 Dimensional barcode that has the specified format of a Data Matrix type ECC200

A CMDM Mailmark barcode has a format, data structure and content that adheres to the Royal Mail specification. A 2D CMDM Mailmark barcode can be any of the following formats of Data Matrix type ECC200 as defined in ISO/IEC 16022: Format 7 (24 x 24 modules), Format 9 (32 x 32 modules) and Format 29 (16 x 48 modules)

The desired CMDM Format is set through the DataMatrixFormat property: C24X24 for Format 7, C32X32 for Format9 and C16X48 for Format 29. If Auto option is selected, then Barcode Professional will select the best format size based on the length of the value to encode which is set to the Code property.

Identification: The CMDM Mailmark barcode is differentiated from other Data Matrix symbols that may be present on the mail piece by the first 6 characters of the data within the barcode. Each of the Mailmark CMDMs will have the following content in the first part of the data string:

  • UPU identifier – 1 Characters (J)
  • Royal Mail identifier assigned by the UPU – 3 Characters (e.g. GBA, or GB<SPACE>)
  • Information (Product) type ID – 1 Character
  • Information type ID version number – 1 Character

Therefore the first six characters of the data string will demonstrate the barcode is a Royal Mail Mailmark barcode of a certain product and version. Each field within any CMDM is of a fixed and defined length, and therefore the next data field starts from a fixed point in the data string, ensuring its location can be defined. As all of the attributes must start at a defined point in the data string, any missing or optional attributes must be filled with the SPACE character. The one exception to this rule is the customer data space that is available in some barcodes. Any unused customer data space should not be filled with space characters as this maximises the amount of error correction employed in the Mailmark barcode.

Customer content: 2D Mailmark barcodes have spare space for customers and/or mailing houses to place information. Any ASCII char from Dec 0 to 127 can be used. The character capacity depends on each CMDM Format selected:

  • Format 7 (C24X24) -> 6 characters max
  • Format 9 (C32X32) -> 45 characters max
  • Format 29 (C16X48) -> 25 characters max

Common Data used in CMDM Mailmark barcodes
The following data definitions are common to various formats of CMDM:

Field Length example
UPU country ID 4 JGB<SPACE>
Information type ID 1 0
Version ID 1 1
Class 1 1
Supply chain ID 7 0000000
Item ID 8 12345678
Destination postcode 9 AB19XY1A
RTS flag 1 0
RTS postcode 7 7 <SPACES>
reserved 6 6 <SPACES>
Customer content variable  

Data Matrix Encoding: Barcode Professional products line encodes Mailmark CMDM data in C40 Encoding Mode as requested by Royal Mail spec.

How to create Mailmark CMDM barcodes using Barcode Professional for

Note: Please refer to the Class Reference documentation for more information about the properties and methods stated in this document.
In order to get a Mailmark CMDM barcode image, please follow these steps:
  • Set the Symbology property to MailmarkCMDM.
  • Set the DataMatrixFormat property.
    The desired CMDM Format is set through the DataMatrixFormat property: C24X24 for Format 7, C32X32 for Format9 and C16X48 for Format 29. If Auto option is selected, then Barcode Professional will select the best format size based on the length of the value to encode which is set to the Code property.
  • Setting up dimensions and quiet zones:
    • Set the DataMatrixModuleSize property (Value is expressed in Inches) to 0.0275 (=0.7mm)
    • Set the QuietZoneWidth property (Value is expressed in Inches)
    • Set the TopMargin and BottomMargin properties (Values are expressed in Inches)
  • Set the Code property with the value to encode.
Note: Please refer to the Class Reference documentation for more information about the properties and methods stated in this document.
In order to get a Mailmark CMDM barcode image, please follow these steps:
  • Set the Symbology property to MailmarkCMDM.
  • Set the DataMatrixFormat property.
    The desired CMDM Format is set through the DataMatrixFormat property: C24X24 for Format 7, C32X32 for Format9 and C16X48 for Format 29. If Auto option is selected, then Barcode Professional will select the best format size based on the length of the value to encode which is set to the Code property.
  • Setting up dimensions and quiet zones:
    All values for barcode dimensions are expressed in INCHES by default. However, Barcode Professional supports other unit of measurement such as Millimeter, Centimeter, and Mils. For modifying the unit of measurement for barcoding, please set up the BarcodeUnit property as needed.
    • Set the DataMatrixModuleSize property (Value is expressed in Inches) to 0.0275 (=0.7mm)
    • Set the QuietZone property (Value is expressed in Inches)
  • Set the Code property with the value to encode.

Example of Mailmark CMDM barcode

DataMatrixFormat property = C24X24 and Code property = JGB<SPACE>012800011000000744BN189AA1B0W1T1HQ<SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE>TEST will produce the following barcode image:

Mailmark CMDM Barcode - Format 7 - 24x24

DataMatrixFormat property = C32X32 and Code property = JGB<SPACE>011123456712345678CW14NJ1T<SPACE>0EC2M2QS<SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE>REFERENCE1234567890QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM will produce the following barcode image:

Mailmark CMDM Barcode - Format 9 - 32x32

DataMatrixFormat property = C16X48 and Code property = JGB<SPACE>011123456712345678CW14NJ1T<SPACE>0EC2M2QS<SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE><SPACE>REF1234567890QWERTYUIOPASD will produce the following barcode image:

Mailmark CMDM Barcode - Format 29 - 16x48