Barcode Symbology

Barcode is an automatic identification technology consisting of a series of parallel, adjacent bars and spaces. It allows real-time data to be collected accurately and rapidly.The combination of barcode with appropriate hardware and application software creates the potential for improving performance, productivity, and ultimately profitability.

The very early history of barcode concepts can be traced back to the very first patent issued to J.T. Kermode et al. in 1934. Retail applications drove the initial technological development of bar coding, but industrial trial applications soon followed.

The early success of U.P.C in US and Canadian supermarkets encouraged foreign, particularly European, interest in the system. This led to the adoption of the EAN (European Article Numbering) code and symbol in 1976.

The section below describes the different symbologies for both 1 dimensional and 2 dimensional barcodes.

Linear Barcode

• Code 39 (Regular/Full ASCII)
• Code 128 (A/B/C/Auto)
• Code 93
• EAN 13 (European Article Numbering)
• EAN 8
• EAN/UCC 14
• GS1 DataBar
• I2OF5 (Interleaved 2 of 5)
• ISBN (International Standard Book Numbering)/ISBN13
• ISSN (International Standard Serial Numbering)
• ITF14
• MSI (Modified Plessey)
• POSTNET (Postal Numeric Encoding Technique)
• Rational Codabar
• RSS 14 (Reduced Space Symbology)
  
• S2OF5 (Standard 2 of 5)
• SCC14 (Shipping Container Code)
• SSCC18 (Serialized Shipping Container Code)
• UCCEAN 128 (or EAN/UCC 128)
• UPCA (Universal Product Code)
• UPCE
• UPCEXT2
• UPCEXT5
• HIBC (Health Care Industry Barcode)

2D Barcode

• Data Matrix
• PDF417
• Micro PDF417
• QR Code

Circular Barcode

• Circular I2of5 Barcode