BAR-CODE

1.1.    What is Barcode ?

      A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows certain data on
certain products. Originally, barcodes represented data in the widths (lines) and the spacings of
parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or 1D (1 dimensional) barcodes or symbologies.
They also come in patterns of squares, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns within
images termed 2D (2 dimensional) matrix codes or symbologies. Although 2D systems use
symbols other than bars, they are generally referred to as barcodes as well. Barcodes can be read
by optical scanners called barcode  readers, or scanned from an image by special software.

1.2. How It Works?

1.  Add together the value of all of the digits in odd positions (digits 1, 3,   5, 7, 9 and 11).
0 + 5 + 7 + 1 + 4 + 2 = 19
2.  Multiply that number by 3.
19 * 3 = 57
3.  Add together the value of all of the digits in even positions (digits 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10).
7 + 6 + 8 + 6 + 1 = 28
4.  Add this sum to the value in step 2.
57 + 28 = 85
5.  Take the number in Step 4. To create the check digit, determine the number that, when added
to the number in step 4, is a multiple of 10.
85 + 5 = 90
The check digit is therefore 5

 HISTORY OF  “UPC”  BARCODE :

1952 :
·       First patent was issued to Joseph Woodland & Bernard Silver.
1966 :
·       the National Association of Food Chains (NAFC) held a meeting where they discussed the
idea of using automated checkout systems.
1973 :
l     Mr. George Laurer of IBM conducted research work and invented a code in rectangular bars.
l     The Universal Product Code was the first bar code symbology widely adopted in April 1973.
1974 :
l     UPC become the first consumer item ever scanned and that was the beginning of the bar code
world.
1976:
     UPC led to the adoption of the EAN code format, similar to UPC, in December 1976.

TYPES OF BARCODE :
·        Universal Product Code(UPC) and European Article Number (EAN) in general are the two
types of bar codes.
·        Grocery industry formally established UPC as the standard bar code symbology for product
marking.
·        There are five versions of UPC & two versions of EAN code. The valid characters are
0,1,2….9.
·        Out of five versions of UPC code two versions namely UPC-A and UPC-E are widely
used. Other three versions namely UPC-B, UPC-C and UPC-D are not in wide use.
·        Two versions of EAN are EAN-13 and EAN-8.

3.1.   UPC :
          It is known as “Universal Product Code”.
There are five versions of UPC :

3.1.1.UPC version A :
   It is the basic version of UPC and is usually seen on grocery store                      items. This is
the symbology that encodes 12 digits. Grocery industry  formally established UPC as the
standard bar code symbology for     product  marking.

3.1.2.UPC Version E :
     UPC version E is the next most common version of UPC.  It is zero suppression version of
UPC. The code is smaller because it drops out zeros which would otherwise occur in a symbol.

l    Other Versions :-

3.1.3.UPC version B :
     It is a special version originally developed to handle the National Drug Code and National
Health Related Items Code. It allows for 11 digits plus one product type code. This version does
not have any modulo check digit.

3.1.4.UPC version C :
      It is a special code designed to promote industry-wide compatibility. The code is 12 digits
long with a product type digit and a modulo check sum digit.

3.1.5.UPC version D :
      It is a variable message length version of UPC. The symbol must contain at least 12 digits.
The first digit is a product type code. This is followed by 10 information carrying digits. The
twelfth digit is a modulo check sum, and
this is followed by a variable number of digits.

3.2.   EAN :
It is known as “European Article Number”.
           There are two versions of EAN :

3.2.1.EAN-8 Version : 
     EAN-8 is an 8 digit code. EAN-8 has a left hand guard pattern, four odd parity digits, a center
guard pattern, four even parity digits, and a right hand guard pattern. An EAN-8 bar code has
two flag digits, five data digits and one check digit.

3.2.2.EAN-13Version:          

     EAN-13 is a 13 digit code. Standard EAN has 10 numeric characters, 2 or 3 flag characters
which are usually a code for the country of EAN and a check digit. It is identical to UPC version
A. The thirteen digits are divided into three blocks: country code, item number, check digit.

BARCODE TECHNOLOGY :

    Bar Code technology became universally accepted in 1966.

Barcode has three major components –

4.1. Softwere Installation :

    Software installed in a computer generates a unique bar code-

the black & white lines which actually represents a unique identification tag.
4.2.Special bar Code Printer :
    Printed & pasted on product.

4.3.Bar Code Reader :

     Reads & identifies the unique  code & matches with the details of product already present in
the computer.

BARCODE  REPRESENTATION :
·        A barcode is an Optical Machine-Readable representation of data, which shows the certain
data on certain product.

·        It can be represented in two forms-

     a.)  1D or Linear barcode representation.

     b.)  2D or Matrix barcode representation.

·        a.)  1D or Linear representation :                                                                    if  the

barcode represented data in width ( lines) & the spacing of parallel lines, then it will be referred
to as a 1D or Linear barcode representation .

Ex. :  All version of UPC &  EAN .

·        b.)  2D  or  Matrix  representation :                                                         if the barcode

represented in squares, dots, hexagon  & other geometric patterns with in image termed as 2D or
Matrix barcode representation.

Ex. : boiler plate text as 4 segment data matrix 2D, semacode matrix 2D,

     QR code ,high capacity color barcode 2D matrix etc.

5.1. 1D OR LINEAR REPRESENTATION :

Continuous
Bar
Symbology or Uses
widths
discrete

U.P.C. Continuous Many Worldwide retail, GS1 approved

Old format used in libraries, blood

Codabar Discrete Two
banks, airbills
Code 25 – Non-
Continuous Two Industrial (NO)
interleaved 2 of 5
Code 25 – Interleaved 2
Continuous Two Wholesale, Libraries (NO)
of 5
Code 39 Discrete Two Various
Code 93 Continuous Many Various
Code 128 Continuous Many Various
Code 128A Continuous Many Various
Code 128B Continuous Many Various
Code 128C Continuous Many Various
Code 11 Discrete Two Telephones
CPC Binary Discrete Two Post office
DUN 14 Continuous Many Various
Addon code (Magazines), GS1
EAN 2 Continuous Many
approved

EAN 5 Continuous Many Addon code (Books), GS1 approved

EAN 8, EAN 13 Continuous Many Worldwide retail, GS1 approved

EXAMPLE OF 1D BARCODE REPRESENTATION :

1.)  UPC-A barcode symbol : 

    first & last digit always placed outside the symbol to indicate quiet zones that the necessary
for barcode scanners to work properly.

2.)  EAN-13 barcode symbol :

    first digit is always placed outside the symbol, additionally right quiet indicator (>) is used to
indicate quiet zone, that are necessary for barcode scanner to work properly.    

5.2  2D OR MATRIX REPRESENTATION :

It is similar to a linear (1-dimensional) barcode, but has more data representation capability.

Symbology Notes
3-DI Developed by Lynn Ltd.
ArrayTag From ArrayTech Systems.
Designed by Andrew Longacre at Welch Allyn (now Hand Held
Aztec Code
Products). Public domain.
Small Aztec Code Space-saving version of Aztec code.
Chromatic an artistic proposal by C. C. Elian; divides the visible spectrum into 26
Alphabet different wavelengths - hues.
Chromocode uses black, white, and 4 saturated colors.
Codablock Stacked 1D barcodes.
Code 1 Public domain.
Code 16K Based on 1D Code 128.
Code 49 Stacked 1D barcodes from Intermec Corp.
ColorZip developed colour barcodes that can be read by camera phones
ColorCode
from TV screens; mainly used in Korea.
Compact Matrix
From Syscan Group, Inc.
Code
CP Code From CP Tron, Inc.
CyberCode From Sony.
readable when printed on deformable gloves and stretched and
d-touch
distorted.
DataGlyphs From Palo Alto Research Center (also known as Xerox PARC).
From RVSI Acuity CiMatrix/Siemens. Public domain. Increasingly
Datamatrix
used throughout the United States.
Datastrip Code From Datastrip, Inc.

EXAMPLE OF 2D BARCODE REPRESENTATION :

1.) Boiler plate text as four segment  data matrix 2D :
2.)  semacode data matrix 2D :
3.)  QR Code :  “Quick Response” the most popular 2D barcode in Japan
is promoted by Google .  

 ADVANTAGES OF BARCODE :
     In point-of-sale management, the use of barcodes can provide very detailed up-to-date
information on key aspects of the business, enabling decisions to be made much more quickly
and with more confidence. For example:

 Fast-selling items can be identified quickly and automatically reordered to meet

consumer demand,
 Slow-selling items can be identified, preventing a build-up of unwanted stock,
 The effects of repositioning a given product within a store can be monitored, allowing
fast-moving more profitable items to occupy the best space,
 Historical data can be used to predict seasonal fluctuations very accurately.
 Items may be repriced on the shelf to reflect both sale prices and price increases.

•         When a manufacturer packs a box with any given item, a Unique Identifying Number
(UID) can be assigned to the box.

 A relational database can be created to relate the UID to relevant information about the
box; such as order number, items packed, qty packed, final destination, etc.

                                                                                   
 DISADVANTAGES OF BARCODE :

     Source of additional cost -- The only disadvantage is that data is coded in the barcode. This
can be an additional cost.
                         However the key to an effective barcode system is to
generate the barcode as cost to the source of the data as possible.

 APPLICATIONS OF BARCODE :
Bar Code is essentially used for 100% accurate & speedy data entry. 

The major applications are –

•           Retail
•           Manufacturing
•           Quality control
•           Packing 
•           Ware housing
•           Service industry such as Courier Industry, Hospital and Library 
Management
•           Export Industry