Types of Barcodes
Barcodes seem like a fact of life these days. Everything is barcoded, from the products you buy at the store to the books you check out at the library. But did you ever consider that there are many different ways to barcode information? There are dozens of barcodes, but most of them fit into three main types.
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Numeric-Only Barcodes
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These types of barcodes are used for library systems, telecommunication equipment, automated mail sorting and as a European retail product code (Reference 1). Numeric-only barcodes can only encode numbers, hence their name. The UPC barcode, found on the products you buy, is the most limiting numeric-only code. A few other examples of this type of barcode are Interleaved 2 of 5 and MSI code (Reference 2).
Alpha-Numeric Barcodes
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As is indicated by their name, these barcodes encode both numbers and letters. Code 39, a general purpose barcode used worldwide, is an alpha-numeric code that is also the U.S. Department of Defense's preferred code. Characters in Code 39 consist of five bars and two spaces and can be read by virtually any scanner (Reference 1).
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Two-Dimensional Barcodes
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The first two-dimensional barcode is Code 49 and like other barcodes of this category, information is stored both horizontally and vertically in the code. Because of this two-dimensional information, these barcodes are more often misread than traditional one-dimensional codes that store information only horizontally. To prevent misreads, most 2D codes contain check words to ensure proper data transmission (Reference 3).
Choosing a Barcode
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One key element to consider when choosing a barcode is the length and characters of what you'd like to encode. Numeric-only and alpha-numeric codes are useful for simple coding that may go on products or inventory, like books or equipment. If you have more detailed information to encode, you will most likely appreciate the functionality of 2D barcodes as they allow for longer, more detailed codes (Reference 3).
Fun with Barcodes
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With a little study, some barcodes can be read by the human eye. Numeric-only barcodes are especially simple to learn. Just memorizing the digit equivalent of each four-line character set will allow you translate a barcode from lines and spaces to actual numbers.
In addition, you can purchase fonts for your computer that will allow you to print in barcode format (Reference 1). Many font-selling web sites also sell barcode fonts, including Elfring Fonts and IDAutomation. A barcode font basically creates a barcode from numbers or text, which means it can be read by a scanner that supports the barcode type. You can find simple barcode fonts for free, or you can pay much more for sophisticated barcodes with multiple variations (Reference 1).
If you want to see your name in barcode but don't want to bother downloading a font, simply use one of the many barcoding web sites available.
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