Royal Mail have introduced a new Mailmark that will supersede the old way envelopes were franked.
So if you print your own Mailmark on the envelope, this may be a change that you may need to undertake.

The changes to the new Mailmark barcoding are optional, however customer will be encouraged to undertake the changes with the lure of cheaper postal rates.

What are the changes?

Well the barcode will look different to the current barcode, the new barcode is a 2d, or 2 dimension readable barcode, meaning that rather than only reading a barcode from left to right as was the way with a 1d barcode, the 2d barcode is read from left to right and up and down meaning that a lot more data can be condensed in to the barcode, it also means the barcode can be smaller.

Why change the barcode, the old style of barcodes have been around for years!

This is progress, things improve. So by utilising the new barcode on your printed media means you can;

• Put more date into the barcode itself
• Potentially reduce the footprint size of the barcode
• 2d Barcodes also help allow for data-correction and achieve a higher successful read rate
• Use less ink to print the barcode
• Connected franking machines that can talk to RoyalMail for billing
• Track your advertising campaign all the way to your customers letter box

Additionally, franking machines now will be able to feed back data to the Royal Mail, allowing for a computer and database to manage invoicing and billing and potentially reducing handling costs, these reduced costs could result in a saving on the cost of posting your mail.

We at Phoenix Digital Solutions have been working with our suppliers to source and create a solution to these printing changes.
It could be that some of your existing printing equipment's resolution is too low and will not be able to print the new 2d barcode successfully. Or you will have to scale the barcode up to a larger size because the dots per inch of you printer is too low.

With the tests we have run, we recommend printing with a resolution of 300x300 dpi. It is possible to print with a lower dpi printhead, for example the Kodak Versamark DS6240 printhead will print at 240x240 dpi resolution, however you may have to increase the size of your barcode to achieve a 100% barcode read rate. This is something we can assist you with if required.

Contact us today to discuss printing with a higher dpi resolution, we have printing solutions for any sized business and all budgets.

RoyalMail customers can get more information here: RoyalMail Mailmark Website.