A multiline optical-character reader, or MLOCR, is a type of mail sorting machine that uses

optical character recognition Optical character recognition or optical character reader (OCR) is the electronic or mechanical conversion of images of typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text, whether from a scanned document, a photo of a document, a sc ...

(OCR) technology to determine how to route mail through the postal system. MLOCRs work by capturing images of the front of letter-sized mailpieces, and extracting the entire address from each piece. It looks up the

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

within each address in a master database, prints a

barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly referred to as linear or o ...

representing this information on the mailpiece, and performs an initial sort. All of this occurs in a fraction of a second as the mailpiece passes through the machine. After this point, mail is further sorted by barcode sorters that read this barcode to determine its destination throughout its journey all the way down to the walk sequence of the mail carrier. If the MLOCR is not able to decode the address (usually due to being handwritten,) it puts the mailpiece on "hold" by putting a unique fluorescent barcode on the back of the mailpiece, and these un-coded letters are set aside while the Remote Bar Coding System (formerly called Remote Video Encoding) scrutinizes these. An image of the mailpiece is sent to a Remote Encoding Center where human Data Conversion Operators process the images. These operators convert the information on the mailpiece into abbreviated codes and enter the data into the computer. This data is sent back to the MLOCR site where it is matched with the unique barcodes on the back of the un-coded mailpieces, and these pieces finally are given barcodes like the rest of the mail. All this effort is put into deciphering these mailpieces so that they never need to be examined again. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

is the largest user of these machines; however, large volume mailers and mail consolidators also have their own MLOCR systems to barcode outgoing mail, in order to receive significant postage discounts. An option called ''FASTforward

can be added to an MLOCR that allows it to automatically forward mail to a new address.{{Update inline, date=August 2017, reason=FASTforward retired since January 2013, replaced with NCOALink. This additional computer hardware/software combination looks up decoded addresses in the National Change Of Address, National Change of Address database to see if the recipient has recently moved. If so, a

POSTNET POSTNET (Postal Numeric Encoding Technique) is a barcode symbology used by the United States Postal Service to assist in directing mail. The ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code is encoded in half- and full-height bars. Most often, the delivery point is add ...

barcode representing the new address is sprayed on the mailpiece thus routing it to new address although the old address is still visible—a testament to the degree at which mail can be mechanically sorted. Generally all OCR equipped letter sorting machines ordered since the late 1980s have been equipped with OCR systems capable of reading multiple lines of address.

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Mail Factory Migrates To Teterboro
Mail sorting Optical character recognition