UCC/EAN 128 — Designed to identify a shipping package or shipping container anywhere in the world, UCC/EAN 128 is an open standard for any industry. It is a very reliable, secure, space-saving symbology based on Code 128 (see page 34). A special reserved start code, called Function Code 1 (FNC 1) ensures that the initial digits are treated as application identifiers (AIs). This allows scanners to auto discriminate between UCC/EAN-128 and other bar code symbologies. It is an alphanumeric code. The UCC/EAN 128 symbol is composed of a leading quiet zone, a Code 128 start character A, B, or C, and FNC 1 character, data (application identifier plus data field), a symbol check character, a stop character and a trailing quiet zone.

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UPC/EAN — Generally recognized as the first popular use of bar coding (first U.P.C. scanning reportedly was of a pack of gum in Troy,OH, June 26, 1974), the U.P.C. symbol dominates grocery and retail industry tagging. It is used for product identification and price lookup at the point of sale and lately is seeing wider use to analyze customer purchasing behavior. To apply the code to your products, U.S. manufacturers must obtain a six-digit manufacturer ID from the Uniform Code Council, Dayton, OH, (800-543-8137). Manufacturers supply a five-digit item n u m b e r, followed by a one-digit calculated check digit. Europeans use the generally equivalent European Article Numbering system, obtainable from EAN. By 2005, all US retailers must be capable of scanning the EAN symbology that has 13 digits plus a check digit. These fixed-length, numeric-only codes are omnidirectional, meaning they can be scanned in either direction. They are printable in several standardized versions. Two dark bars and two light spaces represent each character or digit of a code. Each character is made up of seven data elements or modules. Symbol size can vary to accommodate various printing processes, but U.P.C./EAN scans best if height exceeds width. It accommodates high-speed printing.

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CODE 128 —This high-density code is widely used in many industries; in fact, it is replacing Interleaved 2 of 5 which can mis-scan if bearer bars are not used. Code 128 is alphanumeric, can be of variable length and is scanned bidirectionally. It can encode the entire 128 ASCII character set plus four non-data characters. Numeric data can be represented in a double-density mode. It uses less space to encode six characters than any other linear technology. The symbol includes a quiet zone (10 X-dimensions), a start character, the encoded data, a check character, the stop character, and a trailing quiet zone (10 X-dimensions). Each data character encoded in a Code 128 symbol is composed of 11 black or white modules. The stop character is made up of 13 modules. Three bars and three spaces are formed out of these 11 modules. Bar and spaces can vary between one and four modules wide. A special start code pattern designates when the symbol complies with UCC/EAN system standards.

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CODE 39 — Code 39 is probably the most widely used symbology after the U.P. C . / E A N code. It meets the needs for many applications in a large variety of industries, including the Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), and the Health Industry Business Communication Council (HIBC). Code 39 encodes alphanumeric data in any length, including the full ASCII characters. It will also encode decimal numbers, the upper-case alphabet, and some special symbols. It works with the greatest selection of printers and scanners. This symbol, created by Intermec Technologies in 1975, uses nine elements: five bars and four spaces. Of these nine elements, two of the bars and one of the spaces are wider than the rest. Wide elements represent binary ones (1), and narrow elements represent binary zeros (0).

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INTERLEAVED 2 OF 5 — Popular in warehouse applications, Interleaved 2 of 5 (I 2 of 5) is a variable-length, numeric-only code. It gains its compactness by encoding data in pairs of bars and spaces. This also guarantees there are always an even number of digits. Interleaved 2 of 5 can contain up to 18 digits per inch when printed using a 7.5-mil X dimension. A check digit is optional. Code 128 is replacing I 2 of 5 in popularity. One concern with I 2 of 5 is that partial scans can occur, especially with very long codes, if the scan beam exits the symbol before scanning all the bars. Code 128 has a unique start/stop code which eliminates the misread problem. To prevent this in I 2 of 5, include bearer bars. These bars run along the top and bottom edges of the symbol in the scanning direction. If a partial scan of the symbol occurs, the scanning beam will hit the bearer bar and will not decode.

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POSTNET — The US Postal Service Code is not classified as a linear symbology because it is based on bar height encoding. It can encode a five-digit (32 bars) ZIP code, a nine digit ZIP + 4 Code (52 bars) and an 11-digit delivery point code (62 bars). The Postnet code can be printed as part of the address block (above the recipient line or below the city, state and ZIP code line) or in the lower right-hand corner of the mail piece. To download the United States Postal Service regulations, go to: http://new .usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub25.pdf The basic elements are binary digits represented as full bars and half bars. A full bar is the number 1 and half bars represent zero.

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CODABAR — An older symbology, Codabar originally was used in libraries and blood banks, as well as air parcel express applications. It was developed in 1972 by Pitney Bowes Corp. Codabar has lost favor because newer symbologies hold more information in a smaller space. Codabar uses a total of 18 different widths for bars and spaces specified by the symbology instead of the common wide and narrow element widths to encode the logic 1`s and 0`s in the characters.

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MSI PLESSEY — This linear, numeric code is a variation of the Plessey code developed in England. It has been used for grocery and library shelf labels. MSI is a pulse-width modulated, no-self-checking code. Each character consists of eight elements, four bars and four spaces. The character set includes the digits 0 through 9. A Modulo 1- checksum is appended to the end of the code.

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CODE 93 — Code 93 encodes the same characters as Code 39, but uses nine bar code elements per character instead of 15.

It is more compact than Code 39, but not in as wide use. The Modulus 43 checksum is optional, just as with Code 39

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MAXICODE — MaxiCode is a two-dimensional code, created by UPS for high-speed sortation and tracking of unit loads and transport packages. It is ideal for applications where the label is on a moving package, label orientation is random, space is limited, and the scanner is placed so a large view of the package is taken. Like most 2-D codes, it packs a lot of information in a small space: 100 characters of data in 1 square inch.

The symbol is composed of a central bull's eye surrounded by an array of 866 black hexagonal shapes. The bull's eye helps the scanner locate the code regardless of its orientation.

MaxiCode is 15% denser than square dot codes and can be read by a scanner even if 25% of the code is damaged. It can be read by either CCD or laser scanners, but must be printed by high-resolution printers such as thermal transfer ones. Built-in error correction is part of the code.

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PDF417— When large amounts of information must be carried on a document, package, or ID card, consider the highly secure, self-checking PDF417. It is in use by the DoD, electronics industry, in healthcare, logistics, and in manufacturing. It is used on drivers' license cards and for national ID cards globally.

A single PDF417 symbol carries up to 1.1 kilobytes of machine-readable data. It can contain biometric data files such as photographs, fingerprints, and signatures, as well as text, numerics and graphics. Its error rate is 1 out of 10 million scans. Up to 50% of the symbol can be destroyed and it can still be accurately scanned and read.

Special rastering scanners are the easiest to use with PDF417, but certain laser and 2D CCD scanners successfully scan it also. It is best printed with high-density printers such as thermal or laser devices.

This stacked symbol was created in 1991 by Ynjiun Wang at Symbol Technologies.

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CODE 49 — Code 49 was among the first codes developed to pack a lot of information into a small space. A continuous, variable-length symbol, it can encode the full ASCII character set. I t 's read with modified laser or CCD scanners, but can be printed by standard labeling technology. Creator David Allais at Intermec Technologies designed this stacked code with two to eight rows, each row having 18 bars and spaces. Its structure is a cross between UPC and Code 39.

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DATA MATRIX — Data Matrix was designed for small parts marking and is today used for small electrical parts, by the pharmaceutical industry for unit dose packaging, by the automotive industry and by NASA.

Data Matrix's high degree of redundancy (data is scattered throughout the symbol) and resistance to printing defects makes it highly reliable. The symbol's sides can be adjusted to carry more data in the same space or to fit the product. It has built-in error correction, but does not include human-readable data.

This code has a minimum print contrast requirement of 20% when reading with an industrial-quality CCD video camera.

Data Matrix is a 2 dimensional bar code which can store from 1 to about 2,000 characters. The symbol is square and can range from 0.001 inch per side up to 14 inches per side. As an example of density, 500 numeric only characters can be encoded in a 1-inch square using a 24-pin dot matrix printer. Two adjacent sides of the square symbol are solid black lines; the other two adjacent sides are printed as a series of equally spaced square dots.

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DATASTRIP — Originally created by Softstrip Systems to publish software in books and magazines in a machine-readable form, Datastrip is now used for printing information on ID cards and passports. An extremely secure 2D code, it is usually 0.75 inches by 3 inches (so it would fit in the margin of a book). That area can store 2,100 bytes of information, including multiple biometrics, photographs and text. It can be printed by most standard bar code printers, but must be read by special contact readers from Datastrip. The code is a matrix pattern of very small rectangular black and white areas. Markers down the side and across the top contain alignment information. Details about the stored data are in the header. Full data recovery is possible even when as much as 50% of the bar code has been damaged.

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REDUCED SPACE SYMBOL (RSS) — Composite code The principle use of the RSS family of symbologies is to identify items that could not be marked with current linear symbols because of size restrictions. It is to be used with UCC/EAN and can be stacked in two rows. The Composite Symbols family will provide additional supply chain data while allowing for the coexistence of symbologies already being used. It is composed of one of the EAN/UCC linear symbologies and one of the 2D symbologies.

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