Using FIM Barcodes

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:

  1. Choose Envelopes and Labels from the Tools menu. Word displays the Envelopes and Labels dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Envelopes tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Envelopes tab of the Envelopes and Labels dialog box.

  4. Use the controls in the dialog box to create your envelope addresses, as desired.
  5. Click on the Options button. Word displays the Envelope Options dialog box.
  6. Make sure the Delivery Point Barcode check box is selected. A representation of the barcode should appear in the preview window. (See Figure 2.)
  7. Figure 2. The Envelope Options dialog box.

  8. Make sure the FIM-A Courtesy Reply Mail check box is selected. A representation of the barcode appears in the preview window just to the left of the stamp.
  9. Click on OK.
  10. Make any other changes to the envelope, as desired.
  11. Choose to either print the envelope or include it with the current document.

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:

  1. Select the FIM-A barcode in the envelope.
  2. Press SHIFT+F9 to display the field that created the barcode. It should look something like this:
BARCODE ENV_ZIPCODE1\b \u \f "A"
  1. Change the "A" portion of the field code to "C".
  2. Press F9 to collapse the field and display the resulting barcode.
  3. Print your envelope, as desired.

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.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Controlling Field Shading

If you use fields in your documents, you may want to highlight them in some way so that you can find them easier. Word ...

Discover More

Drop Shadows for Tables

When adding borders and shading to a document's elements, Word allows you to quickly add drop shadows to paragraphs, text ...

Discover More

Determining Winners, by Category

Do you need to determine the top three values in a range of columns? The techniques discussed in this tip will come in ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!

More WordTips (menu)

Saving an Envelope for Future Use

It can take a while to get an envelope to appear just the way you need. Why throw your work away when you are done with ...

Discover More

Technique for Adding a Text Box to an Envelope

Text boxes can be a great design feature to use in laying out a document. You may want to add one to an envelope, ...

Discover More

Printing Post Office Permits on Envelopes

When preparing to snail-mail information, you may want to print your envelopes with permit information in the upper-right ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 7 - 7?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.