Use of symbologies

Home - bar code

Symbologies and Their Use:

Symbology is the equivalent to a language, the mapping between messages and barcodes.
Several systems require that you conform to a specific company-specified symbology.
With a few systems, you have the choice of using any symbology you want.

Linear Symbologies can be classified properties:

Continuous or discrete:
Continuous is when the characters are adjoin, with one character ending with a space,
the following character starting with a bar, or conversely.

Discrete Symbologies begin and end with bars ignoring the intercharacter space providing
it doesn't appear to be the code ends.

Two-width or many-width:
Two-width Symbologies can be wide or narrow. Their width has no significance providing
the symbology specifications for wide bars are adhered.

Many-width Symbologies are multiples of the basic modules, usually using four widths
of 1, 2, 3, and 4 modules.

Stacked Symbologies are a given linear symbology that is repeated vertically in
multiple rows.

2-D Symbologies feature square or dot-shaped modules position on a grid pattern.
The most common 2-D Symbologies are matrix codes. There are numerous 2-D Symbologies
that use steganography to hide various sized or shaped modules within a user-specified
image.

Scanner/symbology interaction:

Linear Symbologies are read by a laser scanner. The scanner sweeps a light beam
across the barcode, reading the barcodes light-dark patterns.

Stacked Symbologies are also read by laser scanning. With stacked Symbologies,
the laser makes multiple passes across the barcode.

2-D Symbologies cannot be read by a laser they must be read or scanned by a camera
capture device.

Below are listed some of the most common, but not all Symbologies and the applications
where they are frequently but not limited to use.

Symbologies	Use
Codabar Libraries	Blood Banks
MSI	Grocery Industry
UPC	Worldwide retail
ISBN Books	serial publications
Code 39 Various civilian	government, and military
Code 93	Various
Code 123	Various
Code 11	Telephones
Zip +4 and DPBC POSTNET	Post Office
Post Bar	Post Office
CPC Binary	Post Office

Bar code info pages | Terms and legal | Business info

Bar codes business resources

Symbologies and Use