| Industry-standard
barcode formats |
| Codabar format is commonly
used in libraries, blood banks, and the air parcel
business. The variable-length format allows encoding
of the following 20 characters: 0123456789-$:/.+ABCD.
The start and stop characters of a Codabar message
must be A, B, C, or D. |
| Code 25, also known as
"Code 2 of 5," is a discrete, variable-length
numeric code format. Code 25 format consists of two
thick bars in a total of five bars for each encoded
character. It is used primarily for inventory handling,
identification of photo-finishing envelopes, airline
ticketing, and baggage and cargo handling. |
Code
39, also known as "Code 3 of 9," is the
most popular format used in the nonretail market for
inventory and tracking. The format consists of three
thick elementsbars or spacesin a total of nine elements
for each encoded character. This bar code is used
extensively in manufacturing, military, and health
applications. The discrete, variable-length format
will accept the following 43 characters:
0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-.*$/+%
The asterisk (*) is used as the start/stop character
and cannot be used in the body of the bar code.
You can also add a check digit that helps to ensure
the security of the bar code. Code 39 supports Modulo
43 and xxx-nnnnnnn-c check digit formats used by US
Customs for import/export shipping. |
Code
128 is a variable-length, high-density, alphanumeric
format that is used in the shipping and labeling industry.
This code has 106 bar and space patterns. Each pattern
can have one of three meanings, depending on which
of the three character sets is employed. One character
set encodes all uppercase and ASCII control characters;
another encodes all uppercase and lowercase characters;
and the third set encodes the numeric digit pairs
00 through 99. The character set used is determined
by the start character.
Code 128 also lets you encode the following four function
codes:
FNC1reserved for use in European Article Numbering
(EAN)
FNC2used to instruct a bar code reader to link together
the message in a bar code symbol with the message
in the text symbol
FNC3used to instruct a bar code reader to perform
a reset
FNC4used in closed system applications
A variation of Code 128 format is EAN-128. This symbol
uses the same code set as Code 128; however the function
codes FNC2 to FNC4 cannot be used, and FNC1 is used
as part of the start code. An advanced option of Code
128 in Barcode wizard lets you enable or disable the
EAN-128 format. Cod 128 is fully supported in ASCII
text. |
The European
Article Numbering (EAN) system is the European version
of the Universal Product Code (UPC). This code is
now called the International Article Number; however,
the EAN abbreviation remains. EAN codes are found
on European retail items.
EAN-8 encodes eight numbers, consisting of two country-code
digits, five data digits, and one check digit. In
Barcode wizard, you must enter seven digits, and the
eighth digitor the check digit
is automatically generated.
An optional two- or five-digit number can be added
to the main bar code. This number is designed for
use on publications and periodicals, and appears as
an additional bar code to the right of the main bar
code.
|
EAN-13
is the European version of the Universal Product
Code (UPC (A)). The difference between EAN-13 and
UPC (A) is that EAN-13 encodes a 13th number into
the left six number of a UPC (A) symbol. The 13th
number, combined with the 12th number, represents
a country code.
An optional two- or five-digit number may be added
to the main bar code. This number is designed for
use on publications and periodicals and appears
as an additional bar code to the right of the main
bar code.
ISBN (International Standard Book Number) codes
are printed on books. This format is not a separate
bar code type. ISBN codes have a specific structure
and are encoded using EAN-13 bar codes. The bar
code is formed by a fixed three-digit country code
of 978, followed by the 10-digit ISBN number. The
10th digitor the check digitis discarded. Enter
the digits using the x-xxxx-xxxx format. ISBN codes
must be numeric.
|
UPC
(Universal Product Code) symbols are used for retail
applications in the United States and Canada. UPC(A)
is a 12-digit format. The symbol consists of 11 digits
of data and one check digit. The first digit usually
represents the type of product being identified. The
following five digits are a manufacturer's code, and
the next five digits are used to identify a specific
product. UPC(A) codes must be numeric.
Like UPC(A), UPC(E) is used for retail applications;
however, since the bar code is smaller, it is better
suited to smaller items. This format is also called
"zero-suppressed," because UPC(E) compresses
a 12-digit UPC(A) code into a six-digit code. UPC(E)
suppresses the number-system digit, trailing digits
in the manufacturer's code, and leading zeros in the
product identification part of the code.
An optional two or five-digit number may be added
to the main UPC(A) or UPC(E) bar code. This number
is designed for use on publications and periodicals,
and appears as an additional bar code to the right
of the main bar code. UPC(E) codes must be numeric. |
PDF417
is a high-capacity two dimensional bar code developed
by Symbol Technologies, Inc. A PDF417 symbol can hold
approximately 2000 characters of information, whereas
a traditional linear bar code has difficulty holding
more than 30 characters.
PDF417 symbols are constructed from 4 bars and 4 spaces
over 17 modules. The symbol size is from 3 to 90 rows.
There is no specified minimum or maximum for X or
Y dimension. With at least the recommended minimum
level of error correction, the recommended Y dimension
is 3X. With less than the minimum recommended level
of error correction, the recommended Y dimension is
4X. A quiet zone of 2X is specified on each side of
a symbol. Because of delta decode techniques the symbology
is immune from uniform bar width growth.
The key characteristic of PDF417 is its large information
capacity. This also explains its name. "PDF"
stands for Portable Data File. PDF417 is designed
with enough capacity to contain an entire data file
of information. With traditional linear bar codes,
the bar code contains only a key or "license
plate". The bar code is read to extract the key,
and the key is used to look up the information about
the object which has been marked. For example, you
read the bar code on a can of peas, get a product
number, and use this to look up the needed information,
such as price and weight, in a database.
With PDF417, no external database access is needed,
because the PDF417 symbol can hold all the information
needed an entire portable data file. A box can be
labeled, for example, with a single symbol detailing
all the individual items in the box.
PDF417 is used today in a wide variety of applications,
including logistics & transportation, retailing,
healthcare, government, identification, and manufacturing.
|
| MaxiCode
is an error correcting two-dimensional matrix symbol
developed by UPS. It is designed specifically for
sortation and tracking applications. MaxiCode symbols
are constructed of codewords represented by 6 elements
that are hexagonal in shape. Generally the 6 elements
are arranged in three rows of two elements. Each MaxiCode
symbol is of a fixed size, having 866 hexagonal elements
arranged in 33 rows around a central finder pattern.
Each row has a maximum of 30 elements. Each MaxiCode
symbol including quiet zones shall be 32X wide by
35Y. Each element is a hexagon measuring 0.035 inch
(0.89 mm) vertically and 0.040 inch (1.02 mm). The
size of a MaxiCode symbol is 1.1 inch (28.14 mm) by
1.05 inch (26.65 mm). A quiet zone of 1 X/Y is specified
on each side of a symbol or isolated packet. |
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