Zip Code

The Zip Code is used by United States Postal Service. It is often used to make the mail travel more efficient and quick, when senders use this code. The Boston Zip code includes five digits and is used as a service mark by the postal service. The post office sorts the mail on the basis of first three digits which are also called as Sectional center facility or the SCF.

An SCF usually processes the post with first three digits. The sorted mails are then sent to their respective zonal post office, where the mail is again sorted to the final two digits and then sent to their corresponding post offices.

Later in 1983, U.S. Postal service expanded Zip code to plus four codes which uses a five digit code plus four additional digits identifying the delivery area such as block or apartments.

Today the Boston zip codes use a multiline optical character reader that instantly determines the correct zip plus four code from the address thus increasing the speed and accuracy of the mail delivery, with a constant cost for over a decade.

A post box has its own Zip plus 4 code, however no uniform rules have been assigned for these numbers. So, the code must be looked up individually for each of the box.

Today the Boston Zip codes are often translated into bar codes which are also called as postnet usually printed on the mailpiece making it automated and easy to sort. The system uses long and short bar printed by the person who sends the mail, or the post office may put on when sorting. The post office uses OCR technology to identify each bar code. One may also get a discount on their mail if they pre-print the barcode themselves.

Every single mail address has its own twelve digit number to identify the delivery points. The last digit of the code is usually a check digit and is obtained by simply adding the fifth, ninth and eleventh digit from the code. So, if you feed in the twelve digits they are translated into a sequence of short and long bars.

Certain Boston zip codes may also use FIM code on business reply mail, as these mail generally do not have a stamp or postage meter. The mail is scanned straight to the MOCR for bar code identification or computer generated indicia from online postage meters.

For your nice Boston travel info tips, the Boston zip codes are numbered such that the first digit represents a group of U.S. States, whereas the second and third represents the region. Fourth and fifth digits stand for the delivery address region. So the order often goes from country to state and then to city and deliver area. The system may sound a bit complicating, but it often delivers the mail at the right address.