CPC binary barcode

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CPC Binary Barcode:

Canada's Post's proprietary symbology or CPC Binary barcode is used to automate
mail sorting process. This barcode is used on mail that is sent by Canada Post's
Letter mail service and is printed on the lower-right hand corner. This barcode
is printed with unique ultraviolet-fluorescent ink.

Symbology description:

The CPC barcode has printed and non-printed bars, which are spaced 3 mm apart, and
are made up of two fields. The right side has 27 bars varying in width, encoded
with the destination postal code. The left side has 9 bars in width and is directly
below the printed destination address. The use of this field is unknown at this
time.

The postal code field, located on the rightmost bar is always printed, which permits
the sorting equipment to lock onto the barcode, then scans it. The parity field
is located on the leftmost bar. The parity field is only printed when its necessary
to give the postal code an odd number of bars. The 25 other bars correspond to
the destination postal code. Run-length restrictions are used within the postal
code field to reduce any risk of ambiguity during the scanning procedure.

The postal code is divided into four sub fields of the barcode. Each sub field
has its own separate encoding table. The first and last sub fields shares a common
encoding table. These two fields consist of eight bars. The second sub field is
five bars and encodes the third character of the postal code. The third sub field
is four bars and encodes the fourth character.

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