Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 14, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you are using Word to help with an advertising campaign that utilized direct mail, you may want to take advantage of some of the automation features allowed by the US Postal Service. These include the delivery point barcode (as described in a different WordTip) and the FIM barcode. FIM is an acronym for Facing Identification Mark, and is used by the Post Office to determine the type of mail being processed.
There are two types of FIM barcodes. The first is called an FIM-A barcode, and is used to identify courtesy reply mail. The other is called an FIM-C barcode, and identifies business reply mail. Word helps you insert an FIM-A barcode by following these steps:
Figure 1. The Envelopes tab of the Envelopes and Labels dialog box.
Figure 2. The Envelope Options dialog box.
You should note that Word only allows you to insert the FIM-A barcode in this manner. If you want to use the FIM-C barcode, you should follow the above steps and make sure you include the envelope with the current document. Then, follow these steps:
BARCODE ENV_ZIPCODE1\b \u \f "A"
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (896) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.
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