Support 805.461.7300
Sales
Our Technology. Your Success.
Tech Notes

Create a Business Reply IMB

In order to generate Business Reply IMB you will need to visit the following link.
https://pe.usps.com/MailpieceDesign/Index?ViewName=ABRMIntroduction
  • After the page loads you will want to click the tab labeled "ENCODER"
  • First select if you have a 6 or 9 digit MID
  • Enter the Barcode ID which is 00
  • Enter the Service ID which is 052 for Business Reply (other types of service types are listed below)
  • Enter your Mailer ID
  • Enter a Serial Number (NOTE: If your MID is 9 characters, then the serial number will be 6 characters. If your MID is 6 then your serial number will be 9 characters.)
  • Enter the Delivery Point Zip code, this includes the ZIP+4+Delivery Point (NOTE:the +4 is a special plus 4 that you will receive from the USPS used for Business reply mail)
  • Then Click "Encode"

You will see a field created with the 65 Character version of the IMB, you can print that on the envelope using the USPS4CB Barcode font size 16 that is installed with your AccuZIP6 software.

Other Service Types
050=Courtesy Reply Mail
051=Permit Reply Mail (PRM)
052=Business Reply Mail/QBRM
701=Permit Reply Mail (PRM)
703=Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM) and Meter Reply Mail (MRM) without Confirm
708=Business Reply Mail/QBRM

You can create the unique Business Reply IMb using the same Serial Number that is currently in the IMbdigits field, then generate and print the IMb for the Business Reply from AccuZIP or another variable data software. Since the serial number on the business reply IMB will match the serial number on the IMB of the addressed piece, now you will be able to associate who sent back the business reply. Here are your instructions:

1. Presort a database.

2. Click Labels, choose Disk File, check Print Barcode and Intelligent Mail Barcode and then click Continue.

3. Export all fields to a new database, e.g., BusReply.dbf

4. Open the exported database created from the presort.

5. Run the attached command. Excerpt below:

 
*Business Reply Mailer ID (Change this to yours)
com_BRMailerID="901128278"

*Business Reply 11-Digit ZIP+4 and Delivery Point (Change this)
com_BR11DIG="91206994780"

*Business Reply Service Type
com_BRServiceType="708"

ON ERROR cMessage=""
ALTER TABLE (ALIAS()) ADD COLUMN replyimbar C(65)
ALTER TABLE (ALIAS()) ADD COLUMN replydigit C(31)

*Initialize IMb Engine
Declare USPS4CB In "usps4cb.dll" String trackptr, String routeptr, String barptr
com_lcbar=SPACE(65)

com_BRIMbDigits=[LEFT(imbdigits,2)+com_BRServiceType+STUFF(SUBSTR(imbdigits,6,15),1,LEN("]+com_BRMailerID+["),"]+com_BRMailerID+[")+"]+com_BR11DIG+["]

REPLACE ALL replydigit with "", replyimbar with ""

REPLACE ALL replydigit WITH &com_BRIMbDigits, ;
replyimbar WITH TRANSFORM(USPS4CB(LEFT(&com_BRIMbDigits,20)+CHR(0),;
com_BR11DIG+CHR(0),@com_lcbar)), replyimbar with com_lcbar

« Back to Tech Notes

I Just wanted to let you know we are in the Postal Fort Worth Texas Division and I received a call from someone in their office today wanting to ask me some questions. He asked if I understood about the changes with the move update starting for this month, then he asked me what software we were using. I explained to him that we have been using AccuZIP Software for the last 20 years and I thought you were the #1 in the United States. I told him that you were the only software displayed in the Postal Section of the Smithsonian Institute. He asked me if I had to manually change the updated addresses and I told him no that the Software did it for us and I could print a report showing the old address and the new address. He told me out of 32,000 names that were updated only 3 were wrong and he just wanted to call me to see what Software we were using. Thanks for such good software and support from your company over the past 20 years.
C.K., Wichita Falls, TX