Microcom 438TM Operator's Manual page 143

Chapter 8
8.1.12 Postnet (ZIP+4), TCI 36
Postnet is a numeric-only symbology that is commonly used in postal application to sort
mail. The five-digit zip or five-digit zip plus four-digit extension may be used to generate this
Postnet (TCI 36) bar code. Example: 12345 or 12345-1234.
8.1.13 Postnet (ZIP+6), TCI 37
Postnet is a numeric-only symbology that is commonly used in postal application to sort
mail. The five-digit zip plus six-digit extension may be used to generate this Postnet (TCI
37) bar code. Example: 12345-123456.
8.1.14 Code 128 (Automatic Compression), TCI 40
The Code 128 bar code is a variable length, high density, alphanumeric symbology that is
extensively used worldwide. This bar code uses three subsets (A, B, and C) which allows
for the encoding of the full 128 ASCII character set along with special control codes. This
bar code uses automatic compression. The printer will automatically choose the most
efficient subset and insert the appropriate special function code listed in Table 16. It is
possible to force a subset change by inserting the appropriate code while in automatic
compression, however it is not recommended. Please note that if a subset is forced while
using automatic compression the printer will automatically switch to subset C if 6 or more
numeric characters are contained in the data string. Once the even number of characters
has been processed, the printer will then switch to subset B. This could create problems if a
user sent 6 numeric characters while forcing subset A ("#7123456"). The printer would
automatically switch to subset C and then back to subset B resulting in an undesired bar
code due to the extra function codes. If specific control of the subsets is a requirement,
then the manual compression bar code should be used.
Code
#0
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
##
8.1.15 Code 128 (Manual Compression), TCI 41
The Code 128 bar code is a variable length, high density, alphanumeric symbology that is
extensively used worldwide. This bar code uses three subsets (A, B, and C) which allows
for the encoding of the full 128 ASCII character set along with special control codes. This
bar code uses manual compression, which provides full control by manually shifting
between the available subsets using the special function access codes. The codes (#n) are
438TM Operator's Manual - 880049-0113
SUBSET A
FNC3
FNC2
SHIFT
CODE C
CODE B
FNC4
FNC1
START
N/A
N/A
#
Table 8-2 Code128 Special Function Access
SUBSET B SUBSET C
FNC3
FNC2
SHIFT
CODE C
FNC4 CODE B
CODE A CODE A
FNC1 FNC1
N/A
START
N/A START
#
Bar Codes
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
8-7