When I send out envelopes for rebates and such, I use the ‘Delivery point barcode’ option in MS Word when printing out my envelopes. Question is, is this useful for anyone? Is it ever scanned? Or does it not matter?
(Wife of a postal worker, here.) It’s scanned by the machines at the processing centers, to be sorted for forwarding to the appropriate post office. Other envelopes get scanned and whatever can’t be machine read gets kicked out to be read by humans. It arrives with a bunch of other mail that also uses this system, presorted by route. As to what actual effect it has on delivery time, I have no idea. It helps (in an ideal world) to ensure that the address is read more accurately and thus in theory would reach its destination more efficiently.
As stated above, it helps to get it there faster and more accurately. And for businesses that do mass mailings, they get a discount if its all barcoded. At least I think they do, or did…
I routinely barcode my mail in the hopes that it reduces delivery errors. But…
I have a relative that lived on a street that is a state name. Guess where the letters frequently went despite the bar code. Guess. How do people in DC get their mail if the post office screws up like this so regularly?
If that mail arrives without any added barcode printing, then the barcode you put on it was scanned and used to route it there without error.
But if your barcode has been overprinted with a PO version, there may have been something wrong with the first one. And ftg, I wonder if your code and/or address is correct? Since only problem or hand-written addresses are viewed by humans, yours has to be interpreted by machines, and they know the difference between a state and a street if properly addressed.
The USPO has a site where you can look up addresses and get the official, unambiguous spelling. Try it.