How to Generate POSTNET and PLANET Barcodes for Postal and Mailing Automation in .NET

What Are POSTNET and PLANET Barcodes?

POSTNET and PLANET are USPS postal barcodes used for mail sorting, tracking, and direct marketing. POSTNET encodes ZIP codes (5, 9, or 11 digits); PLANET is used for mail tracking and customer response, encoding up to 12 digits. Both are optimized for high-speed postal automation.

Quick Start (Minimal Example)

using Aspose.BarCode.Generation;
var generator = new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.Postnet, "12345");
generator.Save("postnet-mail.png", BarCodeImageFormat.Png);

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What Are POSTNET and PLANET Barcodes?
3. Quick Start (Minimal Example)
4. Prerequisites
5. Step-by-Step Implementation
6. Customizing Barcode Appearance
7. Supported Output Formats
8. Troubleshooting & Common Issues
9. FAQs
10. Use Cases and Applications
11. Best Practices
12. Related Articles
13. Conclusion

Introduction

This guide covers how to generate POSTNET and PLANET barcodes for postal, mail sorting, and direct marketing workflows using Aspose.BarCode for .NET. Features complete C# code and mailing best practices.

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2019 or later
• .NET 6.0+ or .NET Framework 4.6.2+
• Aspose.BarCode for .NET (NuGet)
• Basic C# knowledge

PM> Install-Package Aspose.BarCode 

Step-by-Step Implementation

POSTNET Example:

using Aspose.BarCode.Generation;
BarcodeGenerator gen = new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.Postnet, "12345");
gen.Save("postnet-mail.png", BarCodeImageFormat.Png);

PLANET Example:

BarcodeGenerator gen = new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.Planet, "012345678901");
gen.Save("planet-mail.png", BarCodeImageFormat.Png);

Customizing Barcode Appearance

• Bar Height/Width: csgen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight.Pixels = 60; gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension.Pixels = 2;
• Color/Background: csgen.Parameters.Barcode.BarColor = Color.SaddleBrown; gen.Parameters.Barcode.BackColor = Color.White;
• Caption: csgen.Parameters.CaptionBelow\.Visible = true;

Supported Output Formats

• PNG, JPEG, BMP – Standard print and digital mail
• TIFF – High-res/archival
• SVG, EMF – Vector for bulk mailers

Troubleshooting & Common Issues

• Barcode not scanning?

  • Check digit length, all-numeric input, proper contrast, and USPS format requirements.

• Wrong code length?

  • Use 5, 6, 9, or 11 digits for POSTNET; 12 digits for PLANET.

• Barcode too dense/small?

  • Adjust BarHeight and XDimension.

FAQs

Q: Can I use POSTNET for all US mail? A: POSTNET is legacy for ZIPs; Intelligent Mail is now standard, but POSTNET is still accepted for many mailers.

Q: Can I batch-generate barcodes for direct marketing? A: Yes, loop through your mailing list and generate each barcode in code.

Use Cases and Applications

• USPS ZIP and mail sorting (POSTNET)
• Direct mail campaigns and tracking
• Customer response mailers (PLANET)
• High-speed automation for postal facilities

Best Practices: Quick Reference Table

Conclusion

POSTNET and PLANET barcodes remain key for US postal automation and direct marketing. Aspose.BarCode for .NET delivers full USPS compatibility and high-volume workflow support. See the Aspose.BarCode API Reference for more options and postal barcode standards.