Codabar was developed in 1972 by Pitney Bowes, Inc. It is a discrete, self-checking symbology that may encode 16 different characters, plus an additional four start/stop characters.

This symbology is used by U.S. blood banks, photo labs, and on FedEx airbills.

Since Codabar is self-checking, there is no established checksum digit. This symbology starts and finishes with one of four possible characters. These characters are A, B, C, or D.

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Code 11 was developed as a high-density numeric-only symbology. The symbology is discrete and is able to encode the numbers 0 through 9, the dash symbol (-), and start/stop characters.

It is used primarily in labeling telecommunications equipment.

Code 11 is not terribly secure in that printing imperfections can quite easily convert one character into another valid character. Data integrity is obtained by using one, or sometimes two, check characters. We recommend setting the AddChecksum property to True and Barcode Professional will automatically calculate and attach the checksum value.

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Code 16K was developed by Ted Williams in 1989 to provide a simple to print and decode multiple row symbology. Williams also developed Code 128, and the structure of 16K is based on Code 128. The code is a continuous, variable-length symbology that can encode the complete ASCII 128-character set.

It is used in the health care industry.

This symbology has six modes 0 through 5, but Barcode Professional only supports the Modes 0, 1, and 2. See Code16kMode property.

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Code 39, the first alpha-numeric symbology to be developed, is still widely used-especially in non-retail environments. Code 39 is a discrete, variable-length symbology. It is self-checking in that a single print defect cannot transpose one character into another valid character.

It is the standard barcode used by the United States Department of Defense, and is also used by the Health Industry Bar Code Council (HIBCC).

You can use Code 39's extended version or "Full ASCII Mode" to encode all 128 ASCII characters. See Extended property.

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Code 93 was designed to complement and improve upon Code 39. Code 93 is similar in that it, like Code 39, can represent the full ASCII character set by using combinations of 2 characters. It differs in that Code 93 is a continous, variable-length symbology and produces denser code. It also encodes 47 characters compared to Code 39's 43 characters.

In the same manner that Code 39, you can use Code 93's extended version to encode all 128 ASCII characters. See Extended property.

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Code 128 is a very effective, high-density symbology which permits the encoding of alphanumeric data.

The symbology includes a checksum digit for verification, and the barcode may also be verified character-by-character verifying the parity of each data byte. This symbology has been widely implemented in many applications where a relatively large amount of data must be encoded in a relatively small amount of space.

The Code 128 has three "character sets" or "character modes". See Code128CharSet property.

Note: When the character set is Auto, Neodynamic Barcode Professional will automatically switch between code sets to encode the ASCII values.

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DataMatrix is a two-dimensional (2D) barcode symbology which can store from 1 to about 2,000 characters.
DataMatrix ECC200 version supports advanced encoding error checking and correction algorithms (reed-solomon). Those algorithms allow the recognition of barcodes that are up to 60% damaged.

DataMatrix is being used to encode product and serial number information on electrical rating plates; to mark of surgical instruments in Japan; to identify lenses, circuit boards, and other items during manufacturing.

DataMatrix Formats: Barcode Professional supports all DataMatrix Formats. See DataMatrixFormat property.

DataMatrix Encoding: The data represented in the symbol can be compressed using one of following algorithms. See DataMatrixEncoding property.

• Ascii: it is used to encode data that mainly contains ASCII characters (0-127).
• C40: it is used to encode data that mainly contains numeric and upper case characters.
• Text: it is used to encode data that mainly contains numeric and lower case characters.
• Base256: it is used to encode 8 bit values.

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EAN-8 is the EAN equivalent of UPC-E in the sense that it provides a "short" barcode for small packages.

EAN-8 is encoded using the three EAN-13 character sets. EAN-8 also has a check digit that is calculated in the same way as EAN-13.

This symbology may include an additional barcode to the right of the main barcode. See EanUpcSupplement property.

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EAN-13, based upon the UPC-A standard, was implemented by the International Article Numbering Association (EAN) in Europe.

EAN-13 is a superset of UPC-A. This means that any software or hardware capable of reading an EAN-13 symbol will automatically be able to read an UPC-A symbol. The only difference between EAN-13 and UPC-A is that the number system code in UPC-A is a single digit from 0 through 9 whereas an EAN-13 number system code consists of two digits ranging from 00 through 99, which is essentially a country code. Each country has a numbering authority which assigns manufacturer codes to companies within its jurisdiction. The manufacturer code is still five digits long, as is the product code, and the check digit is calculated in exactly the same way.

This symbology may include an additional barcode to the right of the main barcode. See EanUpcSupplement property.

JAN (Japanese Numbering Authority) are EAN codes that use the number system "49".

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Industrial or Stanadard 2 of 5 is a low-density numeric symbology that has been with us since the 1960s.

It has been used in the photofinishing and warehouse sorting industries, as well as sequentially numbering airline tickets.

NOTE: A more efficient implement of Industrial 2 of 5 is the Interleaved 2 of 5 symbology.

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Interleaved 2 of 5 is a higher-density numeric symbology based upon the Industrial 2 of 5 symbology.

It is used primarily in the distribution and warehouse industry.

NOTE: Interleaved 2 of 5 is essentially identical to Industrial 2 of 5 except for the fact that Interleaved 2 of 5 encodes information in both the bars and spaces while Standard 2 of 5 only encodes information in the bars. However, the encoding scheme is the same for both in terms of their use of wide and narrow elements for each element.

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The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally.

The purpose of the ISBN is to establish and identify one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.

Every ISBN consists of ten digits and whenever it is printed it is preceded by the letters ISBN. The ten-digit number is divided into four parts of variable length, each part separated by a hyphen.

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MSI was developed by the MSI Data Corporation, based on the original Plessey Code.

MSI, also known as Modified Plessey, is used primarily to mark retail shelves for inventory control. MSI is a continuous, non-self-checking symbology.

While the length of an MSI barcode can be of any length, a given application usually implements a fixed-length code.

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PDF417, or Portable Data File 417, is a two-dimensional stacked barcode symbology capable of encoding over a kilobyte of data per label.

Large amounts of text and data can be stored securely and inexpensively when using the PDF417 symbology. The printed symbol consists of several linear rows of stacked codewords. Each codeword represents 1 of 929 possible values from one of three different clusters. A different cluster is chosen for each row, repeating after every three rows.

PDF417 Compaction Types: See Pdf417CompactionType property.

• Text: permits all printable ASCII characters to be encoded, i.e. values 32 - 126 inclusive in accordance with ISO/IEC 646, as well as selected control characters.
• Binary: permits all 256 possible 8-bit byte values to be encoded. This includes all ASCII characters value 0 to 127 inclusive and provides for international character set support.

PDF417 Error Correction Levels: PDF417 uses Reed Solomon error correction instead of check digits. This error correction allows the symbol to withstand some damage without causing loss of data. AIM standards recommend a minimum error correction level of 2. See Pdf417ErrorCorrectionLevel property.

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This US Postal Service uses a combination of two tracking numbers (the POSTNET code and PLANET code ) to track customer's piece of mail.

PLANET Codes have 12 or 14 digits and consist of tall and short bars. PLANET Code symbology is the inverse of the POSTNET Code because each POSTNET Code digit has a combination of two tall and three short bars and each PLANET Code digit has three tall and two short bars.

Unlike most other barcodes in which data is encoded in the width of the bars and spaces, Planet actually encodes data in the height of the bars. That is why when you look at the barcode all the bars are essentially the same width but vary only in height.

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Postnet was developed by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to allow faster sorting and routing of mail. Postnet is the familiar, funny-looking barcodes often printed on envelopes and business return mail.

Unlike most other barcodes in which data is encoded in the width of the bars and spaces, PostNet actually encodes data in the height of the bars. That is why when you look at the barcode all the bars are essentially the same width but vary only in height.

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The UCC/EAN-128 Symbology is a subset of the more general Code 128 Symbology. By agreement among AIM, Inc., EAN International and the UCC, use of the Function 1 Character (FNC1) in Code 128 Symbols in the first symbol character position following the Start Character has been reserved exclusively for the EAN.UCC System.

UCC/EAN-128 was developed to provide a worldwide format and standard for exchanging common data between companies. While other barcodes simply encode data with no respect for what the data represents, UCC/EAN-128 encodes data and encodes what that data represents.

UCC/EAN-128 has a list of Application Identifiers (AI). The Application Identifier is a 2, 3, or 4-digit number that identifies the type of data which follows. By convention, the Application Identifier is enclosed in parentheses when printed below the barcode (the parentheses are only for visual clarity, and are not encoded in the barcode).

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The UPC-A barcode is by far the most common and well-known symbology, at least in the United States. An UPC-A barcode is the barcode you will find on virtually every consumer good on the shelves of your local supermarket, as well as books, magazines, and newspapers.

UPC-A encodes 11 digits of numeric (0 through 9) message data along with a trailing check digit, for a total of 12 digits of barcode data.

This symbology may include an additional barcode to the right of the main barcode. See EanUpcSupplement property.

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UPC-E is a variation of UPC-A which allows for a more compact barcode by eliminating "extra" zeros. Since the resulting UPC-E barcode is about half the size as an UPC-A barcode, UPC-E is generally used on products with very small packaging where a full UPC-A barcode couldn't reasonably fit.

UPC-E may only be used if the number system is 0 or 1. See UpcESystem property.

This symbology may include an additional barcode to the right of the main barcode. See EanUpcSupplement property.

How to use this symbology...