Types of Barcode Labels
In the early 1970s, the Universal Grocery Products Identification Code (UGPIC) was created and Kroger grocery stores was the first commercial outlet to use this bar-code technology as a standard operational device. Today, bar codes can be found anywhere there are products that need to be accounted for. Because there are so many different types and classes of products, there are likewise a wide variety of bar codes in use.
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Linear Symbologies
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The linear (one-dimensional) bar-code symbologies are the most familiar and widely used bar-code format; they consist of a series of parallel lines and spaces of varying width. There are more than 100 different kinds of this particular class of bar codes, with about 20 that are accepted worldwide. They include Codabar, Code 39, Code 128, EAN, Telepen and UPC.
Stacked and Matrix Symbologies
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The need to encode much more information into much smaller spaces led to the creation of the stacked and the matrix (two-dimensional) bar-code symbologies. Examples include Aztec Code, Code 16K, Code 49, Maxi Code, Supercode, and USS Code One.
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Composite Symbologies
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Composite bar-code symbologies are basically specific combinations of one-dimensional and two-dimensional symbologies. They include Composite Code C, GS1 (EAN.UCC), and MicroPDF417.
History of Bar Codes
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The idea of bar-coding was originally conceived in 1932 when Wallace Flint, the vice president of an association of grocery stores, proposed an automated retail checkout system. It was not until a couple of decades later, in 1952, that Bernard Silver and Joseph Woodland, a pair of Drexel University students, were able to obtain a patent for the first bar-coding system.
Usage of Bar Codes
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The main reason to use bar codes is to automate data collection. Each of the many bar codes in existence is defined by the type and amount of information needed to encode data and the type of device used to read it.
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