Who is the IMcb for?
The Intelligent Mail Container barcode provides visibility at the mail aggregate level. It is used on mailer-generated pallet labels to uniquely identify pallets and similar containers (i.e. All Purpose Containers, hampers, pallet boxes, etc.) in addition to identifying the mail owner and, it provides a link between the electronic mailing record and the physical mail aggregate.
The IMcb uniquely identifies the mail owner, mail preparer, or consolidator by way of the Mailer ID field. Furthermore, the IMcb establishes a unique "serial number" for each container. These two features allow each container to be associated with a unique mailing and facilitate tracking of containers as they are loaded and unloaded from transportation.
The IMcb is printed on Mailer-generated pallet labels and is designed to be scanned at acceptance and at other points throughout the transportation and processing network. Other human-readable data elements, beyond the IM Container barcode, such as text identifying the mail owner, destination, and type of mail are also required on the container placard. Further information on the use of this barcode can be found in the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service®, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM 300).
Currently, the USPS® is recommending two form factors for the Container Label. View dimensioned layouts for the recommended placement of information on the 8" min. x11" format and the 4"x7" self-adhesive format.