Barcode types

This chapter contains detailed explanations on some of the supported barcode types. We do not guarantee that this information is complete.

EAN 13/EAN 8

EAN is the abbreviation for: European Article Numbering.

Basic structure of an EAN barcode

Two-digit country code + five-digit manufacturer + five-digit product no. + 1 check digit (for EAN13).

The EAN barcode can only describe the numbers 0-9. Each character has 11 times the module width. This barcode type basically provides ten different, defined sizes. EAN is used, for instance, in supermarkets because their data collection is extremely labor-intensive due to the large number of articles per customer.

The European Article Number is printed on the packaging material of the product encoded as barcode. Normally, an article number consists of 13 digits. However, an additional eight-digit short symbol was created for smaller articles (EAN 8).

The first two digits of an EAN 13 code identify the country of origin (country code). Numbers 40-43 stand for Germany. The next five digits identify the product's manufacturer. The next five digits comprise the individual article number and classify the manufacturer’s product. This number is assigned directly by the manufacturer. The final digit is the check digit and is determined by calculating. EANs are assigned by GS1 Germany GmbH (www.gs1-germany.de).

Code 39

This barcode is an alphanumeric code whose character set comprises the digits 0 to 9, 26 upper-case letters (A-Z), a space character as well as several special characters ($ – + / . % ,). In the following example, a barcode created with Code 39, contains the word "CODE 39:

Every character consists of nine elements (five lines and four gaps). Of these nine elements, three are wide and six are narrow. This feature allows for a self-test of Code 39. There is a gap between the individual characters for separation purposes. The advantage of this code is the large character set. Character combinations allow additional character representations. The drawbacks are the low information density (8 mm) and the low error tolerance.

Interleaved 2 of 5 (Code 25 Interleaved)

This code is a variation of the original Code 25 which also has a character set of only digits 0 to 9. The objective is to save space by representing coded digits in pairs. Code 25 Interleaved has no integrated check digit. Each digit is represented by five symbols (two wide and three narrow ones). The first character consists of lines, the second of gaps, the third of lines, then the fourth of gaps, etc.

Code 25 Interleaved offers, similarly to Code 39, advantages such as self-testing as well as high information density and the therefore resulting low storage requirement. The low tolerance and representation of the usable symbols in pairs could be considered as a drawback. The start and stop characters contain only two symbols, which may lead to incorrect or partial recognition because only an even number of characters can be represented.

If an uneven number of characters is required, you have to place a zero in front of the code (123 becomes 0123) or add a check digit.

UPC A

UPC (Universal Product Code) A is the 12-digit standard version of the UPC code. It is similar to the EAN code and is also referred to as UPC 12. The UPC is a numeric code that can display the digits 0-9. Each symbol contains two bars and two gaps.

The first digit of the UPC A shows the contents of the code:

• 0: Normal, standard UPC code
• 1: Reserved (possibly for later use)
• 2: Products charged by weight. The barcode is created in the store to price a product.
• 3: National Drug Code (NDC) and National Health Related Items Code (HRI)
• 4: UPC code that can be used without formatting restrictions.
• 5: Coupon
• 6: Normal, standard UPC code
• 7: Normal, standard UPC Codex
• 8: Reserved for later use
• 9: Reserved for later use

The second to sixth digits of the UPC identify the manufacturer of the product (UPC ID number). This number is assigned by GS1 US Inc. (www.gs1us.org). Digits seven to eleven of the UPC comprise the individual part number and classify the manufacturer’s product. The last digit (twelve) is the check digit which is determined by calculation.

UPC E

The UPC E is a numeric code that can display the digits 0-9. A UPC E has eight digits. The first digit is the system identifier and is always set to "0". The eight digit is the check digit.

The coded digits are written in plain text below the code.

Table of supported barcode types

The table shows an overview of the barcode types supported by ELO.

Barcode type	Numeric characters (numbers)	Alphabetic characters (letter)	Special characters	Length (+check digit)	Check digit
EAN - 13	0-9	-	-	12+1	Optional
EAN - 8	0-9	-	-	7+1	Optional
UPC A (GTIN 12)	0-9	-	-	11+1	Always
UPC E	0-9	-	-	6+1	Always
Code 39	0-9	-	-	No limit	Optional
Code 128	All ASCII characters	All ASCII characters	All ASCII characters	No limit	Always
Code I 2 of 5	0-9	-	-	No limit (even numbers)	Optional
Codabar	0-9	a, b, c, d (Must be the first or last digit)	-.$:+/	No limit	Optional
Data Matrix	0-9	A-Z, a-z	Yes	No limit	-
QR code	0-9	A-Z, a-z	Yes	No limit	-
PDF417	0-9	A-Z, a-z	Yes	-	Yes
GS1 DataBar	0-9	A-Z, a-z	Yes	-	-