POSTNET barcode API

What POSTNET is for

POSTNET encodes a US ZIP, ZIP+4 or delivery-point code as a row of tall and short bars along the bottom of an envelope. The Postal Service has since moved to Intelligent Mail, but POSTNET still appears on existing stationery and in older mailing systems.

Make one from a URL

Send the text and get the image back. Your API key goes in a header.

curl "https://barcode.fmdeploy.com/v2/barcode/postnet?text=01234&label=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer bc_live_your_key" -o postnet.png

Add &output=svg for a vector image that stays sharp at any print size.

From FileMaker

Insert from URL [ Select ; With dialog: Off ; Target: Items::Barcode ;
  "https://barcode.fmdeploy.com/v2/barcode/postnet?label=true&text=" & GetAsURLEncoded ( Items::Code ) ;
  cURL options: "--header \"Authorization: Bearer " & $$BARCODE_KEY & "\"" ]

What it accepts

5, 9 or 11 digits. The check digit is added for you. Example: 01234

If the text can’t be encoded, the API answers with a clear message instead of a broken image.

Options

Set the bar width with scale, the bar height with thickness, and turn the text under the bars on with label. You can also choose the label font and size, rotate the image in quarter turns, set the DPI stored in a PNG, or ask for SVG. The documentation lists every parameter and its default.

Related formats