LINEAR SYMBOLOGIESClick HERE to learn more about Track'Em™, a Windows based Inventory and Fixed Asset tracking application available from RVB Systems Group. UPC-A / EAN-13 - (Universal Product Code) Used in grocery and retail through-out the world. A common misconception is that these are two different symbologies. Actually, these symbologies are identical. The only difference is in the data. UPC-A data is 12 digits plus a leading 'implied' or 'invisible' zero, while EAN-13 data is thirteen digits and always starts with a digit other than zero. UPC-E / EAN-8 - This symbology can be used to suppress multiple zeroes in a UPC-A symbol in order to create a shorter barcode. The scanner should expand the 8 digits to the full 14 digits for data storage. UPC SUPPLEMENTAL - A special subset of the UPC family of barcodes used for books and magazines. I 2/5 - Interleaved 2 of 5 is named for the 2 wide bars in every group of 5. It is the ideal symbol for printing directly onto shipping containers. UCC/EAN CODE 128 - This is the recommended symbology for most industrial applications today. The UCC and EAN have set standards for barcodes using this symbology. The three different subsets (A,B & C) within UCC/EAN Code 128 allow this symbology to encode all 128 ASCII characters. CODE 39 - This symbology is capable of encoding all numeric characters, upper and lower case letters, plus several special characters. It is used by AIAG, HIBC, and in many proprietary industrial applications. CODABAR - A barcode symbol in which four bars and three spaces are used to represent 0 through 9 and certain special characters. This code is characterizied by four unique start/stop codes. CODE 11 - Developed by Intermec, this symbology encodes 0 - 9 and the dash. Each character has three bars and two spaces. POSTAL CODE - Used to encode either the 5 digit or 9 digit zip code. CODE 93 - Identical structure to Code 39. Developed by Intermec. RSS - This new symbology has been endorsed by the UCC for small packages. It encodes the entire 14 digit GTIN in a single code packet. It is based upon Channel Code, arelatively new symbology which was developed by a small group of barcode industry leaders during a trip across the English Channel.
TWO DIMENSIONAL SYMBOLOGIESPDF 417 - A 2 dimensional barcode symbology developed in 1989 by Symbol Technologies Inc. Over 1800 alphanumeric characters or over 2700 numeric digits can be encoded in a single PDF417 barcode. It can be scanned using any scanning technology (except wands). Up to 900 characters can be encoded per square inch. The Department of Defense has recently (late 1996) declared PDF417 its "official 2-D symbology". SUPER CODE - A 2 dimensional barcode symbology developed by Metanetics in 1994. It is similar to PDF 417. However, the individual "codewords" do not need to be grouped together to form a rectangle. They can be printed in any pattern, such as company logos or geometric shapes. CODE 49 - Introduced by Intermec in 1987, this was the first stacked symbology. CODE 16K - Designed by Ted Williams of Laserlight Systems in 1988, this symbology stacks Code 128. IDENTCODE MLC-2D Alpha - Created by a German firm in 1989, this symbology uses rows of Code 39. IDENTCODE MLC-2D 25 - Another symbology introduced in 1989 from Germany. Uses rows of Interleaved 2 of 5. CODE ONE - A 2 dimensional symbology developed by Laserlight Systems. This symbology was placed in the public domain in 1991. A single Code One barcode symbol is capable of containing 3550 numbers or as many as 2218 letters. Over 2000 characters can be printed in a single square inch. One unique feature of Code One is it's ability to correct errors. Over 2,200 data errors can be corrected in the largest symbol. Scanning is accomplished by the use of area array CCDs (Charged Coupled Devices). MAXICODE - Developed for highspeed overhead scanning by UPS, this symbol is known for the "bulls-eye" pattern in the middle. It contains address information for a package. DATA MATRIX - This is a dynamically variable, two-dimensional matrix code. It can be any physical size from .001 inch square to 14.0 inches square. It can contain from 1 to 2000 characters of information (in any language). It uses a visual representation of binary code (0 or 1) to encode any character. The symbol is ideal for marking very small containers. It is currently being used by the pharmaceutical industry for unit dose and product marking. QR CODE - Introduced by Denso, this symbology is similiar to Data Matrix in both appearance and characteristics.
COMPOSITE CODESGS1 (formerly Uniform Code Council) has recently introduced a new form of barcodes. These new symbols are called Composite Codes. They are a single barcode which is composed of both linear and 2D barcodes. This symbol, formerly named RSS, is now called GS1 DataBar. |