Barcode Primer or How Do Those Barcodes Work Anyway


Many people ask us "How easy is it to set up a barcoding system, with no knowledge of barcodes?"

The answer is "Easier than you think".

What follows is a basic introduction to barcode technology from a laymans point of view.

Barcodes are simply a set of lines which represent information. In most cases this information is a reference number for an item. This reference number is then used to lookup full information such as Title and Price from a database hosted on a computer when the barcode is scanned.

Printed barcodes

There are many barcode types, some of the most commonly used are:

EAN 13, used for retail items in shops in the whole world apart from America. This barcode number is centrally allocated to stop duplicate numbers. Each barcode consists of a Country Number then a manufacturer number and finally the product number.

UPCa, used for retail items in shops in America. This barcode number is centrally allocated to stop duplicate numbers. Each barcode consists of a Start number to indicate use then a manufacturer number and finally the product number.

Code 39, these barcodes can contain numbers and letters. They are still mostly used for a reference number, but in this case the structure of the number is up to you. These barcodes can only be used in a closed system, either in house or between trading partners.

Code 128, these barcodes can also contain numbers and letters. They are still mostly used for a reference number, but in this case the structure of the number is up to you. These barcodes can only be used in a closed system, either in house or between trading partners. Code 128 also has a check digit built into the code, this makes the code self checking and can help eliminate errors