|
Bar code glossary, examples and definitions |
| ANSI |
American National Standards
Institute |
2D barcodes or stacked bar
codes
|
Example of a stacked bar code. |
|
2D barcodes can store up to
several thousand characters in comparison to the more
familiar linear bar codes that generally hold between nine
and twenty characters. This makes it possible, for example,
that each label of a part shipment contains all of the
information of the whole shipment. This significantly
reduces the amount of paperwork needed for a shipment and
negates the need for an external database to be read. 2D bar
code symbols are more resistant to damage than linear
symbols because of their encoding. 2D barcodes are public
domain.
Examples of 2D bar codes are Datamatrix, Maxicode, PDF417
and PostNet (used by the United States Postal Service). |
| Bar code density or barcode
resolution |
Bar code resolution is measured
by the narrowest element and is divided into high, medium
and low resolution. High density -
less than 0.23 mm (0.009 inches)
Medium density - between 0.23 mm and
0.5 mm (0.009 - 0.2 inches)
Low density - greater than 0.5 mm
(0.2 inch). |
| CCD scanner |
Charged Coupled Device.
A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a light-sensitive
integrated circuit that stores and displays the data for
an image in such a way that each
pixel (picture element) in the image is converted into
an electrical charge the intensity of which is related to a
color in the color spectrum. For a system supporting 65,535
colors, there will be a separate value for each color that
can be stored and recovered. CCDs are now commonly included
in digital still and video cameras. They are also used in
astronomical telescopes, scanners, and
bar code readers. The devices have also found use in
machine vision for robots, in
optical character recognition (OCR), in the
processing of
satellite photographs, and in the enhancement of
radar images, especially in meteorology.
Source:
WhatIs.com |
| CEN |
European Committee for
Normalization |
| CODABAR |
Codabar is
a variable length bar code symbology capable of encoding a
maximum length of 16 characters. The code contains six
alphanumeric characters, capital letters A through D and the
numeric digits. It is rarely used anymore. |
| Code 39 |
Code 39 is a variable length
bar code symbology most popular in industrial bar code
systems. It is capable of using the 128 character ASCII set
by utilising any one of four special characters as an
indicator digit. It uses three wide bars and six narrow bar,
hence it's name - 3, 9. |
| Code 93 |
Code 93 is similar to Code 39
in that it can encode the 128 ASCII character set by using 9
sets of bars with an adjacent space. Two characters function
as check digits. |
| Code 128 |
Code 128 is a variable length
bar code symbology and one of the most popular and flexible
bar code symbologies. It can encode the 128 ASCII character
set, supporting all numeric and alphanumeric characters. It
has the highest number of characters per inch and a built-in
message integrity check routine. |
| Datamatrix |
Datamatrix is a 2D, variable
length symbology capable of encoding the 128 ASCII
character plus a number of other character sets. The Datamatrix
code can hold 500 MB of data per square inch with a
capacity of 1 to 2335 characters. It has a high
degree of redundancy and is resistant printing defects and
damage. |
| EAN |
European Article Number |
| EAN International |
EAN International, in Brussels,
Belgium jointly manages the EAN system with its American
counterpart the UCC based in Ohio. |
EAN-JAN code
 |
 |
|
EAN 8 at 100% |
EAN 13 at 100% |
|
The EAN/JAN 13 is a fixed length
bar code similar to the UPC-A symbology, but with a
13th digit used, together with the 12th digit, to indicate a
country designation.
The EAN/JAN-8 is fixed length and is similar to the UPC-E
code. It is often used for products that are physically too
small for the EAN-13 bar code label.
The nominal height for the EAN/JAN-13
and EAN/JAN bar codes is
one inch. The reduced size is 80% of the nominal size. |
EAN 128
|
 |
|
EAN 128 at 50% |
|
The EAN-128 symbology is used
in the retail industry for outer packaging of goods as an
alternative to the ITF14
barcode. It can be used on goods with a short shelf life and
showing the best before date Application Identifier (AI)
(15), other supplementary data and is the only symbology
recommended to show variable measure in traded units.
EAN-128 is used to show the 18 digit Serial Shipping
Container Code (SSCC) number which is allocated uniquely to
a shipment of, for example, pallets or boxes (which could
contain a mix of products).
Source:
Axicon UK |
| ECCC |
Electronic Commerce Council of
Canada - manages the Canadian EAN-UCC system for Canada. |
| GIAI |
Global Individual Asset
Identifier |
| GLN |
Global Location Number |
| GRAI |
Global Returnable Asset
Identifier |
| GSRN |
Global Service Relation Number |
| GTIN |
Global Trade Item Number |
| Interleaved 2 of 5 |
Interleaved 2 of 5 is a even
numbered, variable length bar code most often used in
industrial applications and master carton labelling. The
bars represent the first character with the second character
represented by the following white space in a two wide and
three narrow element set per character. |
| ISO |
International Standards
Organisation |
ITF-14
|
 |
|
ITF-14 at 50% |
|
The ITF-14 Traded Unit Case
Code is used in the retail sector on outer cases and pallets
(traded units). The 14 digit number is numeric and used to
display the unique traded unit number. Bearer bars must be
included, in the horizontal form for codes printed on
labels, and as a full box (with H gauges) for those printed
directly onto corrugated.
Source:
Axicon UK |
| Linear bar codes |
Linear bar codes are bar codes
that can be read |
| Matrix bar codes (2D) |
Matrix bar codes contain a
matrix of square, circular or hexagonal cells that make up
the bar code symbol. This configuration allows for a higher
data density than that of a stacked bar code, up to a ratio
of 4-1. Matrix symbols must be read by a camera or CCD bar
code scanner. |
| Maxicode (2D) |
The
Maxicode is a 2D matrix type of bar code symbol. It has a
fixed size of 1.1 by 1.05 inches and contains 866 hexagonal
cells arranged in 33 rows around a central finder pattern.
Primarily used by the United Parcel Service it can encode up
to 93 characters of data, using five different code sets to
encompass the full 256 ASCII set. |
| MSI Plessey |
MSI Plessey is a variable
length numeric bar code symbology. The characters are made
of four bars with intervening spaces for each encoded
digit, one or two symbol check digits, and a reverse start
code. MSI Plessey is primarily used in the retail industry. |
| PDF417 |
PDF417 is a 2D variable length
stacked bar code symbology which is able to encode all characters
numeric and alphanumeric. The characters consists of 4 bars and 4 spaces in
a 17 module structure and its name is derived from this
structure. PDF stands for "Portable Data
File". Each PDF417 symbol consists of 3 to 90 stacked
rows surrounded by a quiet zone on all four sides. It can
hold up to 340 characters per square inch with a maximum of
1850 text characters. |
| RSS |
Reduced Space Symbology |
Stacked bar codes
|
Example of a stacked bar code. |
|
Stacked bar codes are a set of linear bar codes
stacked on top of each other. |
| SSCC |
Serial Shipping Container Code |
| UCCEAND 128 |
|
| UCS |
Uniform Communication Standard |
UPC (A, E)
 |
 |
|
UPC-A at 100% |
UPC-E at 100% |
|
Universal Product Code.
The
UPC-A (Universal Product Code-A) is a 12 digit fixed length
bar code commonly used by supermarkets and other retail
stores in the United States. The first
six digits are assigned by the Uniform Code Council (UCC)
in Dayton, Ohio, for products in the USA and Canada. The next five digits are assigned by the
manufacturer, and the final digit is a modulo 10 check
digit. The nominal height for the UPC-A bar code is one
inch. The reduced size is 80% of the nominal size.
UPC-E (Universal Product Code-E) is a 6 digit fixed length
bar code symbology generally used for small packages
for example magazines and paperbacks. Printed, UPC-E code
reverts to a twelve digit code. The
nominal height for the UPC-E bar code is one inch. The
reduced size is 80% of the nominal size. |
