Barcode
Definitions
ABC Symbol — The American Blood Commission (ABC) developed
this symbol as a bar code standard for automated systems in the blood
service community. The particular symbology used for the ABC symbol
is Codabar.
AIM International (AIMI) is a global affiliation of trade associations
whose member companies are involved with application of automatic identification
technology. For more information access http://www.aimi.org.
AIMI MISSION: The mission of AIM International, Inc., is to grow the
worldwide market for Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC)
products and services. We accomplish this through concerted action to
set international standards, increase global awareness of AIDC solutions
and identify and educate current and potential new users on the effective
application of the technology.
ANSI — American National Standards Institute has served in its
capacity as administrator and coordinator of the United States private
sector voluntary standardization system for 78 years. Founded in 1918
by five engineering societies and three government agencies, the Institute
remains a private, nonprofit membership organization supported by a
diverse constituency of private and public sector organizations. For
more information access http://www.ansi.org/.
Aperture Size — The dimension of the opening through which the
scanning beam passes. Normally used in conjunction with a wand (pen)
type bar code scanning device. The aperture size will determine the
bar code density which may be read with the scanning device.
ASCII — The character set and code described in American National
Standard Code for Information Interchange between data processing systems,
communication systems and associated equipment. The ASCII set consists
of both control and printing characters.
Aspect Ratio — The numeric ratio of the bar's height to the symbol's
length.
Background — The area surrounding a printed symbol, including
the spaces and quiet zones. Also referred to as the Substrate.
Bar Code Character — A group of bars and spaces that represent
an individual character (alpha, numeric or other ASCII character).
Bar Code Density — A measure of the number of characters which
may be printed per lineal inch. This measure normally does not include
the space required for the "Quiet Zone".
Bearer Bars — A minimum of two parallel bars running the length
of the top and bottom edge of a bar code. Bearer bars, if used, reduce
the probability of a misread when a skewed scanning beam enters and/or
leaves the symbol through the top or bottom.
Bi-Directional — Characteristic of most bar code symbologies
which permits scanning of the bar code symbol in either the left-to-right
or right-to-left direction.
Character Set — The set of characters permitted within a particular
bar code symbology type.
Check Character — A character used to check the integrity of
the preceding bar code symbol. A check character is normally found at
the end of the data encoded within the bar code.
Clear Area — The area which precedes the first printed bar of
the start character, and follows the last printed bar of the stop character.
This area should be free from any printing, and should be of the same
color and reflectance as the background of bar code symbol. The clear
area should be ten times the width of the narrowest element in the bar
code, or 0.25 inch minimum. Clear Area is also known as Quiet Zone.
Code 39 — An alphanumeric bar code that can encode decimal numbers,
the upper case alphabet, and the following special symbols: _ . * $
/ % + Also see Extended Code 39.
Codabar — A01234B.
Codabar is a discrete, numeric code with special characters and four
different start/stop characters. Allowable data characters are (0 -
9), special characters (- $ : / . + ), and start-stop characters ( A,
B, C, D ).
Code 128 is a continuous, multilevel, full ASCII code. There are three
types of code 128 encoding. Type A provides the character set of all
upper case alphanumeric characters plus all of the ASCII control characters.
Type B provides the character set of all upper and lower case alphanumeric
characters. Type C provides increased density for numeric encoding with
double density numeric characters for all number pairs from 00 to 99.
Code 11 — A numeric, high density code.
Code 93 — A continuous, multilevel, full ASCII bar code.
Color Scheme — Scanners read bar codes by using red light to
recognize the contrast between the bars and spaces of the symbol. Colors
that will scan effectively need to be chosen. Black bars against a white
background are the safest choice, but other combinations will also work.
Quiet Zone: The margins around the bar codes are vital, they enable
the scanner to identify the beginning and the end of the bar code.
Data Identifier — A character (or set of characters) that uniquely
defines the specific use of the data encoded in the bar code symbol
following the data identifier. Also known as a Flag Character.
Decoder — An electronic device which translates the electrical
signals from a scanner into computer compatible data. The decoder performs
checks on the electronic signal to validate it, and processes the signal
through a decode algorithm designed to detect errors in the signal.
The output of the decoder may drive a keyboard input to a terminal (see
Keyboard Wedge Decoder) or may interface with a communications port
on a computer (see Serial Decoder).
Demand Printer — A printer capable of creating individual documents
one at a time, as needed.
Dot Size (Printer) — The size of the printed dot on a substrate
in a matrix or line to form characters. Minimum dot size is determined
by the size of the thermal element of the print head being used by the
thermal printer. Dot size determines the X dimension. The X dimension
is always a simple multiple of the dot size.
Dot Size (Scanner) — The diameter of the beam of light projected
by the scanner used to read a bar code symbol. The scanner dot size
should be no larger than the X dimension of the bar code symbol.
EAN is an association which manages a world-wide system that allows
the identification and communication of products, services, utilities,
transport units and locations. It develops and maintains coding standards
for all users, and has the aim of developing a global standard with
the objective of providing a common language for international trade.
EAN International is a voluntary, not for profit International standards
association, established to meet the communication needs of its users.
EAN International was founded in 1977, as a result of the initiative
of European manufacturers and distributors and has expanded to cover
the world. The organization has a membership of 79 Numbering Organizations
covering 86 countries. The EAN/UCC system is used by more than 600,
000 companies world-wide. For more information access http://www.ean.be/.
EAN Bar Code (European Article Number) — The international standard
or system for applying unique article numbers and bar codes to products.
The EAN bar code is a numeric only code, generally encoding 13 digits
(known as EAN-13), though in specific circumstances shorter codes (EAN-8)
and supplementary codes are used. The North American equivalent (now
technically a subset of the EAN system) is the Universal Product Code
(UPC).
Extended Code 39 — The full 128 character ASCII character set
can be encoded by pairing Code 39 characters. Enabling Extended Code
39 causes the following characters to be output for each character pair.
FACT (Federation of Automated Coding Technology) — A bureau of
AIM consisting of organizations that use and promote automatic identification
among their members.
Flat Bed Scanner — A fixed scanner (used at supermarket checkouts)
which can read bar code symbols at any angle in a plane parallel to
or near parallel to the scanner window. Flat bed scanners are typically
capable of reading bar code symbols from many different orientations.
The term "Omni-Directional" scanning is referred to with this
type of scanner.
Guard Bars — The auxiliary characters at both ends and center
of EAN and UPC bar code symbols which provide reference points for scanning.
In most cases the bars of these auxiliary characters are elongated.
The guard bar function as start/stop characters; for omni-directional
scanning the center guard bar (where present) acts as a stop character
and the outer guard bars act as two separate start characters. There
are no center guard bars on UPC-E symbols (and other less common architectures).
Light Pen — See wand.
Human Readable — The text equivalent of the encoded information
within the bar code symbol, normally printed below or above the bar
code symbol, for convenience or confirmation of encoded data by humans.
Interleaved 2 of 5 code is a numeric only bar code. Due to the interleaving
of the characters, the number of characters in an Interleaved 2 of 5
message must be even. The check character, if used, must be included
in the character count Especially adapted to the poor quality of packaging
materials frequently used for trade items (corrugated cardboard), it
is designed to be read by a fixed or portable bi-directional scanner.
Inter-Character Space — The space between two adjacent bar code
characters in a discrete code. Also called the Inter-Character Gap.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) — is a worldwide
federation of national standards bodies from some 100 countries, one
from each country. ISO is a non-governmental organization established
in 1947. The mission of ISO is to promote the development of standardization
and related activities in the world with a view to facilitating the
international exchange of goods and services, and to developing cooperation
in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic
activity. For more information access http://www.iso.ch/.
Keyboard Wedge Decoder — See Decoder.
Ladder Code — A bar code printed in a vertical position such
that the bars can be thought of as rungs on a ladder. Contrast with
Picket Fence.
LOGMARS (Logistic applications for Marking And Reading Symbols) —
A Department of Defense program intended manage inventory by placing
Code 39 bar code symbols on all items sold to the Federal Government.
Manufacturer Identification Number — The Manufacturer Identification
Number is a six digit number assigned to a manufacturer by the UCC (Uniform
Code Council). This number is found on the left side of the U.P.C. number.
The number is composed of a number system character and a five digit
manufacturer's code.
Matrix Symbols — A symbol which appears as a checker board; they
are most likely square in shape, and contain some form of unique "finder
pattern," which distinguishes them from others and provides a decoding
reference for scanners.
Mil — One thousandth of an inch (0.001 inch), or approximately
0.0254 millimeter. Commonly used to refer to the width of bar code elements,
for example, 0.013 inch would be expressed as 13 mils.
Minimum Reflectivity Difference — A white space will reflect
more light than a black bar. The minimum reflectivity difference is
the variance between the least amount of light reflected by the narrowest
white space, and the most amount of light reflected by the widest black
bar. Minimum reflectivity difference is one measure of the read-ability
of the bar code symbol.
Mis-Read — The situation which occurs when a bar code reading
device detects a bar code symbol incorrectly (different than intended).
A mis-read may be due to a defective symbol, to a mis-match between
the reading device and the printed symbol, or to a defective reader
or decoder. A mis-read may occur as as substitution error (the reader
substitutes an incorrect character) or as a transposition error, or
as a missing character in a character string.
Module — The narrowest of bars, sometimes referred to as the
X dimension. Wider bars and spaces are stated as multiples of this narrow
bar.
Modulo Check Character(s) — The modulo check character is based
on the remainder in a mathematical formula where characters within the
data string are assigned weighted values, summed and then divided by
the modulus. This value is then appended to the data string. Modulo
check characters are used to ensure the accuracy of a data scan.
Number System Character — The first digit or left hand digit
in a U.P.C., number. This digit identifies the type of manufacturer
or how the bar code will be used. For example "0, 6 and 7"
are generally used in the retail industry, while "3" is assigned
to the health and drug manufacturing industries.
OCR — Optical Character Recognition.
OCR-A; OCR — Abbreviations commonly applied to the character
set contained in ANSI Std. X3.17-1974 (A) and ANSI Std. X3.49-1975 (B).
ODETTE (Organization for Data Exchange by Tele-Transmission in Europe)
— a group that represents the interests of the automotive industry
in Europe; equivalent of AIAG in America.
Opacity — The property of a substrate material that minimizes
show-through from the back side or the next sheet. The ratio of the
reflectance with a black backing to the reflectance with a white backing.
Ink opacity is the property of an ink that prevents the substrate from
showing through.
Picket Fence Code — A bar code printed in a horizontal position
such that the individual bars appear like the slats in a picket fence.
See Ladder Code.
Print Contrast Signal (PCS) — Compares the amount of light reflected
by the bars, in contrast to the amount of light reflected by the spaces
in a bar code symbol. The Print Contrast Signal value is the bar reflectance
expressed as a percentage of the space reflectance.
Print Quality — The measure of compliance of a bar code symbol
to the requirements of dimensional tolerance, edge roughness, spots,
voids, reflectance, PCS, quiet zone, and correct encoding.
Quiet Zone — See Clear Area.
Resolution — A measure of the smallest "X dimension"
printable by a particular device or method. Also the measure of ability
of a scanner to distinguish a bar code symbol.
SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) — with a secure bar code
symbology, UCC/EAN-128. This combination allows all participants in
the supply chain to use a common, standard solution for their individual
tracking and tracing needs.
Self-Checking — A bar code or symbol using a checking algorithm
which can be independently applied to each character to guard against
undetected errors.
Serial Decoder — See Decoder.
Space — Any of the light elements between the dark bars of a
bar code, which may or may not carry encoded information. The space
may be formed by the substrate, or by a colored ink which is lighter
in color than the bars.
Slot Reader — A bar code reading device requiring the substrate
be drawn through a narrow slot to fix the position of the bar code symbol
relative to the face of the bar code scanner. Typically used for scanning
badges or membership cards.
Spectral Band — A specific range of wavelengths or light, from
a minimum to a maximum, often named after a central value. The value
of 633 nanometers is visible light, while 900 nanometers represents
infrared light. Spectral band B633 includes those wavelengths (plus
or minus 5 percent) of the 633 nanometer peak. Spectral band B900 includes
those wavelengths (plus or minus 10 percent) of the 900 nanometer peak.
The spectral band or scanning device is generally listed in bar code
specifications.
STAC (Symbol Technical Advisory Committee) to the Uniform Code Council
Inc., (see UCC).
Stacked Codes — 16K, Code 49 and PDF417 are examples where a
bar code symbol is broken into sections and "stacked" one
upon another in order to increase the information density in the bar
code symbol.
Start/Stop Characters — A distinct character or pattern of bars
used at the beginning and end of each bar code symbol, which provides
initial timing references and direction of read information to the decoding
logic.
TSR — An executable program which is loaded into computer memory,
is initialized and remains in memory awaiting a specific instruction
in order to accomplish its execution. TSR stands for "Terminate
and Stay Resident". The TSR is normally a device driver intended
to perform specialized functions such as driving a serial port or directing
data from the serial port to the keyboard buffer.
UCC (Uniform Code Council, Inc.) — is the central management
and information center for manufacturers, distributors and retailers
participating in the U.P.C. system. This organization is not a government
agency and is an administrative council which exists specifically to
develop standard product and shipping container codes, control the issuing
of company identification codes, provide detailed information and to
coordinate the efforts of all participants. Although membership in the
UCC is voluntary it is required to obtain a U.P.C. identification number.
For more information access http://www.uc-council.org/.
UCC/EAN-128 — UCC/EAN-128 is not intended to be used for data
to be scanned at the point of sales in retail outlets. UCC 128 facilitates
the encoding of the full 128 ASCII character set. The use of three different
character sets (A, B and C), one of the most compact linear bar code
symbologies. Character set C enables numeric data to be represented
in a double density mode. Here, two digits are represented by only one
symbol character saving valuable space. This symbology uses two independent
self-checking features which improves printing and scanning reliability..
Production Volume Requirements - Based on your compliance and tracking
requirements, you must then assess your projected daily, monthly and
peak label volume usage. Does it justify the cost of off-site label
printing or on-site, on-demand printing?
Print Volume - What is your daily label output? Zebra 's High Performance
Xi Series printers are designed to operate continuously, during peak
print cycles or non-stop for 24 hour cycles. Other models are better
suited for lower volume, intermittent printing. Print speed is also
a factor in meeting print volume requirements.
Print Speed - Print speed is an important consideration if you require
a high volume of labels to be printed daily or during peak cycles. That
is because print speed is an element of "throughput": the
time lapsed between receipt of the print command and completion of the
printing process. Throughput depends not only on printing time, but
also on label formatting time: the time required to convert the program
and data to an image on the label. Depending on the complexity of the
label format and the printer's ability to process this information in
an efficient manner, label-formatting time can sometimes cause significant
print delays, affecting a printer's overall print speed capability.
Such delays can be costly in productivity if they occur in a production
environment where time and on-demand print capability are of the essence.
Bar codes are fast. - Speeding both data entry and data collection,
they allow instantaneous, real-time data capture and exchange. Bar codes
are also accurate. Studies show that the entry and read error rates
when using bar code technology is approximately one error in one million
characters, vs. one error per every 300 characters using manual key
entry.
Dot Matrix - Dot matrix print technology is one of the oldest techniques
used for on-site label printing. The typical dot matrix bar code printer
is a modified line printer requiring pin-feed paper stock. Solenoid-driven
needles strike an ink-coated nylon ribbon, transferring ink onto the
paper or label. The image is built up dot-by-dot in a matrix as the
needle and paper are moved relative to one another.
Direct Thermal Printing - Direct thermal printing is an old technology,
originally designed for copiers and fax machines, that utilizes chemically
coated paper. It has since been transformed into a highly successful
technology for bar coding. The direct thermal printhead consists of
a long, linear array of tiny resistive heating elements (about 100 to
300 per inch) that are arranged perpendicular to the paper flow. Each
printhead element locally heats an area directly below it on the chemically
coated paper. This produces a chemical reaction that causes a black
dot to form in that area. The image is built by rows of dots that are
formed as the media passes beneath the active edge of the printhead.
Thermal Transfer - Thermal transfer printers use the same basic technology
as direct thermal printers, but replace the chemically coated material
with a non-sensitized face stock and a special, inked ribbon. A durable,
polyester ribbon film coated with dry thermal transfer ink is placed
between the thermal printhead and label. The thermal printhead transfers
the ink onto the label surface, where it cools and anchors to the media
surface. The polyester ribbon is then peeled away, leaving behind a
stable, passive image.
BAR CODE PRINT TECHNOLOGY MATRIX
Technology Print Quality Scanner Readability Initial Installation Cost
Long-Term Maintenance Cost Materials Waste
Dot Matrix Fair Low Low/ Moderate Moderate/ High High Ink Jet Moderate
Low/ Moderate High Moderate/ High High
Laser Moderate Moderate Moderate/ High Moderate/ High High Direct
Thermal Moderate/ Excellent Moderate/ Excellent Moderate/ High Low Low
Thermal
Transfer Excellent Excellent Moderate/ High Low Low 12
U.P.C. (Universal Product Code) — is a 12-digit all-numeric code
that identifies the company/product combination. The code uses a six-digit
number to uniquely identify each company coupled with a five-digit number
to identify each of the company's products. The combination of these
eleven digits plus a check character form the 12-digit U.P.C. number
which uniquely identifies one and only one item.
According to a new independent capacity study commissioned by the Uniform
Code Council, Inc. (UCC), the organization will deplete its supply of
new company prefixes for the 12-digit Universal Product Code (U.P.C.)
numbers by the year 2005. To provide for continued expansion of the
code system and the inclusion of new companies in the future, the UCC
has established a sunset date for its membership to accept the 13-digit
EAN-13 code as well as the U.P.C. at the point of sale no later than
January 1, 2005. EAN-13 is the global counterpart of the U.P.C. For
more information access http://www.uc-council.org/aboutupc.htm.
USS (Uniform Symbol Specification) — The current series of symbology
specifications published by AIM; currently includes USS-I 2/5, USS-39,
USS-93, USS-Codabar and USS-128.
Verification — The technical process by which a Bar Code symbol
is evaluated to determine whether it meets the specification for the
specified symbol.
Verifier — A device that measures a symbol's bars, spaces, quiet
zones, and optical characteristics to determine whether it meets the
requirements of a specific symbol. A verifier should not be confused
with a bar code reader.
Void — An area within a bar (of a bar code symbol) which is of
high reflectance relative to the dark reflectance criteria, i.e. the
bar or character is poorly inked, or where the intended printed area
is missing. A void may cause a mis-read or cause the reader for fail
to read the symbol. See Mis-Read.
Wand — A handleld reading device in the form of a pen or wand,
which requires the user to make contact with the printed symbol and
stroke the barcode several times in a uniform and complete fashion.
If the stroke is non-uniform, or is too rapid, or too slow the wand
reader will not read the bar code symbol. Many wands are being replaced
with more effective and "user-friendly" reading device, such
as CCD readers or Laser readers.
Wide to Narrow Ratio — The relationship of the wide to the narrow
element widths, in a bar code having two element widths. Generally between
2.0 to 1 through 3.2 to 1.
X Dimension — The dimension of the narrowest element (bar or
space) in a bar code symbol.
Zero Suppression — A technique used to shorten U.P.C. codes by
removing zeros from the bar code in a predetermined manner.
2-Dimensional Symbology — A machine readable symbol composed
of rows of encrypted data arranged in a rectangular or square pattern.
The rows of data may be composed of bar code strips, "stacked"
to form the two-dimensional block pattern or arranged as a checkerboard
"matrix" of typically square elements. Examples of 2-dimensional
symbologies are data matrix, supercode, maxicode, and PDF417.
Information in this glossary has been taken from:
Scansmart
Barcode Dictionary
Uniform Code Council
AIM International
