Symbology Guide

BIPAD barcodes are used on magazines for inventory control and checkout.

EAN-13 barcodes appear on retail products sold worldwide. This symbology encodes a 13-digit Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) and an optional extension of 2 or 5 digits...

EAN-8 barcodes appear on smaller retail products sold worldwide. They are only used on products that may be too small for a full-size EAN-13...

GS1-128 barcodes are used on coupons for retail items. This symbology combines a UPC-A barcode and a GS1-128 barcode.

UPC-A barcodes appear on retail products sold in the United States and Canada. The symbology encodes a 12-digit Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN), along with...

UPC-E is a special version of a UPC barcode used in the United States and Canada, designed to appear on smaller retail items. They're rarely used – only on products whose labels may be too small fo...

ISBN barcodes appear on the backs of books for retail and inventory use. This symbology encodes an International Standard Book Number and an optional price extension...

ISMN barcodes are used on printed music publications to represent an International Standard Music Number...

ISSN barcodes appear on serial publications, such as magazines and newspapers, for retail and inventory use. This symbology encodes an International Standard Serial Number...

Codabar is an older symbology used in libraries, blood banks, and on some shipping labels. Codabar can store number and six symbols (-$:/.+). Each value must also...

Code 128 barcodes encode a full range of characters, including digits, letters, and punctuation. This symbology is used for shipping, asset management, and unique identifiers...

Code 39 encodes digits and uppercase letters. This symbology is widely used for inventory management, unique identifiers, and industrial applications. Code 39 is common due...

GS1-128 barcodes store data for various applications, including product container information, dimensions and weight, inventory management, and internal codes...

Interleaved 2 of 5 is a high-density symbology that stores an even number of digits. It is used for industrial applications and film cartridge identification.

Code 93 is similar to Code 39 but with higher density and two mandatory check characters. Code 93 natively supports all 128 ASCII characters.

ITF-14 barcodes are used on cartons, cases, and pallets of retail products. They denote that multiple EAN or UPC labeled products are inside. The items inside the containers...

SSCC-18 barcodes represent Serial Shipping Container Codes. The symbology is a special case of GS1-128 with 00 as the application identifier...

QR Code is a 2D symbology used with barcode scanners and camera phones. This symbology is often used to encode text, URLSs, telephone numbers, and...

DataBar Expanded encodes a GTIN plus data such as expiration dates, weights, and lot numbers. It is intended for retail use, including coupons and variable measure products...

DataBar Expanded Stacked encodes a GTIN plus data such as expiration dates, weights, and lot numbers.

DataBar Limited encodes a 14-digit Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). It is intended for use on very small items, must be read with a handheld scanner, and is...

DataBar Omnidirectional encodes a 14-digit Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). It is intended for retail use and is appropriate...

DataBar Stacked encodes a 14-digit Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). It is intended for use on very small items, must be read with a handheld scanner, and is...

DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional encodes a 14-digit Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). It is intended for retail use and...

DataBar Truncated encodes a 14-digit Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). It is intended for use on very small items, must be read with a handheld scanner, and is...

UPC-A National Drug Code (NDC) barcodes identify drugs in the United States.