On Wed, 20 Sep 2006, Brian Morrison wrote:

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 17:38:38 on Tue, 19 Sep
2006, Brian Morrison remarked:
Ensure that the same bar code cannot be printed more than
once by doing the printing from inside a custom application in Java or
possibly something that is downloaded and installed?

And how does that work when the printer jams, runs out of ink, falls off
the network suddenly, and so on?

Accepted that this is a bit tricky Roland, but then the whole deal seems
that way to me. Whichever part of the process has to ensure single use
of a given stamp is adding complexity to what was previously a simple
arrangement.

I do wonder if this is true though....let me play Devil's Advocate for a
second. Previously it was buy stamp, stick stamp on letter process. With
the new system its buy barcode, print bar code then they have some
checking system to ensure validity.

However to go back a step - prior to the barcode they had franking
machines as well as stamps. They must have had to have some check system
to ensure validity of franked mail - to prevent forgeries from 3rd
parties. Also the same with stamps they should have some check system in
place to ensure no forged/reused stamps are getting in.

Therefore is a check system for these barcode stamps really adding to the
complexity of the system. Any reader system to run them through the mail
can include a validity check method fairly trivially, presumably in a
similar manner to preventing fraud via false frank marks...checking 'real'
stamps for validity/non-forgery seems much more difficult.

Tim
--
When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart
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