{"id":2075,"date":"2025-09-24T12:15:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T11:15:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/?p=2075"},"modified":"2025-10-09T16:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:22:29","slug":"nederlands-postnl-verscherpt-eisen-van-kwaliteit-2d-datamatrix-barcodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/2025\/09\/24\/carriers-2d-datamatrix-barcode-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"Carriers raise the bar for 2D Datamatrix barcode quality"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<article class=\"blog-post prose prose-lg max-w-none space-y-6\">\n<header><em>Barcode quality is becoming increasingly important for reliable shipping and automated processing.<\/em><\/header>\n<header><\/header>\n<p>More and more carriers, including PostNL, are emphasizing the quality of 2D Data Matrix barcodes on shipping labels. A clearly readable code is essential for reliable handling within the sorting process and helps prevent delays or delivery errors.<\/p>\n<h2>Why the print quality of the 2D Data Matrix is so important<\/h2>\n<p>The Data Matrix code contains crucial shipping information that is automatically read by sorting systems. Poor print quality or incorrect code size can lead to misreads or unrecognized shipments.<br \/>\nTherefore, the logistics sector applies stricter standards for the quality, module size, and quiet zone around the code.<\/p>\n<h2>Guidelines for 2D Data Matrix codes according to PostNL<\/h2>\n<p>According to the most recent technical specifications from PostNL, the 2D Data Matrix code must meet the following requirements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The print quality must comply with the <a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iso.org\/standard\/76876.html\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\">ISO 15415<\/a> standard, with a minimum grade of 4.0 \/ A or 3.0 \/ B.<\/li>\n<li>The module size (the smallest squares in the code) must be at least 0.5 mm and no more than 0.7 mm.<\/li>\n<li>A module size of 0.5 mm is recommended; this corresponds to 6 dots at 300 dpi.<\/li>\n<li>If print quality is insufficient, the module size may be increased up to 0.7 mm to meet the ISO quality standard.<\/li>\n<li>A quiet zone (<em>quiet zone<\/em>) must be maintained around the barcode, with a minimum width of four times the module size.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These guidelines are derived from PostNL\u2019s technical documentation and are intended to ensure consistent readability in automated sorting systems.<br \/>\nSource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.postnl.nl\/Images\/partijenpost-2d-matrixcode_tcm10-198468.pdf\">PostNL presentation<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>How to check whether your label meets the requirements<\/h2>\n<p>With a <a href=\"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/oplossingen\/verificatie\/\">barcode verifier<\/a>, you can measure the quality of your 2D Data Matrix code according to the <strong>ISO\/IEC 15415<\/strong> standard.<br \/>\nThis helps prevent rejections or delays when shipping through PostNL.<br \/>\nAt AIS Scanology, we support organizations with<br \/>\n<a title=\"Learn more about barcode verification\" href=\"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/oplossingen\/verificatie\/\">barcode verification solutions<\/a><br \/>\nand advice on optimal print settings for printers and labels.<\/p>\n<p><em>Would you like to know if your labels meet the latest PostNL requirements?<\/em><br \/>\n<a class=\"cta-button\" title=\"Contact us for a barcode quality check\" href=\"\/contact\"><br \/>\nContact us for a free check or demonstration.<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Barcode quality is becoming increasingly important for reliable shipping and automated processing. More and more carriers, including PostNL, are emphasizing the quality of 2D Data Matrix barcodes on shipping labels. A clearly readable code is essential for reliable handling within the sorting process and helps prevent delays or delivery errors. Why the print quality of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[21,22,23,24,25,26],"class_list":["post-2075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-verificacion","tag-postnl","tag-datamatrix","tag-verzendlabel","tag-kwaliteit","tag-2d-data-matrix","tag-data-matrix-code"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2097,"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075\/revisions\/2097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scanology.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}