USPS tracking barcodes have improved

Hi -,

On January 11th, Shippo started upgrading USPS shipping labels to include two Intelligent Mail Matrix Barcode (IMmb) tracking barcodes to improve the label’s readability and increase package tracking accuracy. You may have noticed that your USPS labels look a little different; if not yet, you will in the next week as we continue this rollout.

This update does not require any action from you. You will see the new barcodes automatically applied to your shipping labels.

See Example

More About 2D IMmb Barcodes and Their Benefits

Shipping labels placed on irregularly shaped packages, softpacks, and polybags might become distorted or wrinkled during automated parcel processing, making the traditional barcode (IMpb) difficult to scan. USPS created 2D IMmb barcodes to address these issues in order to increase package tracking accuracy and improve parcel delivery.

The new barcodes carry the same data as the traditional barcodes, but they use a more robust, space-saving barcode symbology for encoding. The reduced barcode size allows two IMmb barcodes to be placed on different positions of standard shipping labels. The result is redundancy of the barcode data giving USPS package sorters two additional chances to read the barcode, reducing the chance for package delays.

Happy shipping,
Team Shippo