Understanding Barcode Numbers

How to Read Barcodes: What the Numbers Mean Now that you know how to read th

e bars, let’s talk a little bit about what the numbers mean. Typically, the first 6-10 digits, called the company prefix, represent the company selling the product or the company that manufactures the product.

At this time the UPC numbering code has twelve (12) digits. It is divided in

to two sections of variable length. The first section is known as the Company Prefix (CP) and is assigned by the Uniform Code Council. It varies between six (6) and nine (9) digits.

Barcode prefixes Some prefixes denote what type of barcode or country specif

ic origins. However, the most important aspect of your barcode is that it is a unique number and of the correct type ie. a 13-digit EAN number for Nigerian products. You do not specific company prefixes in order for your barcode to scan.

The row of numbers found on a barcode is known as the Global Trade Item Numb

er (GTIN). The first six digits represent the GS1 Company Prefix, which is a unique identifier assigned to your business by GS1 US, the organization that established standards for barcodes. The prefix is used to identify your company around the world.

Bar codes are tricky. There are dozens of different kinds, each defined by t

he industry represented. Ultimately, the information and types of codes are maintained by the Uniform Code Council in Ohio. The basic purpose of a bar code is to make each item in a certain class (such as industrial or consumer products) completely unique.

The first 6–10 digits of a 12-digit barcode identify the company that manu

factures or sells the product (either company may choose to add a barcode). This code is assigned and sold by a non-profit organization, GS1, upon request. The remaining digits, except for the very last one, are invented by that company to describe each of its products.

Numeric-only barcodes are one-dimensional barcodes that encode only numbers.

“One-dimensional, or 1D barcodes, systematically represent data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or one-dimensional,” explains Scandit.. “These include some of the traditional, or most well-recognized barcode types such as the UPC and EAN code types.”

When it is necessary to encode uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, pun

ctuation and ASCII functions such as returns and tabs, up to about 40 digits, use Code 128 Barcode Fonts or the Universal Barcode Fonts. When encoding any data of any type over 40 characters, use the PDF417 or Data Matrix barcodes.

Checksums are required elements of barcodes such as Code 128 or UPC. A check

digit is an extra character added to a barcode as a redundancy check for error detection—a “digital fingerprint”—used in barcode land. It consists of a single digit computed from the other digits in the message.

The GTIN is a number identifier and the barcode allows scanners to quickly r

ead what the number is. (Apologies for the poor resolution. Took the photo while waiting for my car to be serviced in a dimly lit lounge!) GTIN, UPC and EAN Codes

A barcode is simply a graphical representation of a number or product code t

hat computers can read automatically. Different types of barcodes are used for different tasks. 1D (linear) barcodes These are the most common type of bar code for products in the retail and wholesale world.

GS1 utilises the ISO/IEC method, but specifies the minimum grade necessary f

or every GS1 barcode based on which symbol is used, where it is used, or what identification number it is carrying. In addition to the minimum grade, GS1 also specifies the verifier aperture width and wavelength.

Understanding UPC-A Barcodes. Number System Character: the first number of t

he UPC, this number assigned by the Uniform Code Council simply indicates the number system that is to follow. Different types of products have different number system characters. For example, “2” is for random-weight items like meat, and “3” is usually used for ...

On the back of your books you’ve probably seen a number above the barcode

labeled “ISBN.” This is a unique number used by publishers, libraries, and bookstores to identify book titles and editions. The number is less useful to the average book reader, but we can all learn something about a book from the ISBN. Part 1

Two-dimensional barcodes such as QR Codes are more complicated because they

are non-linear, so it is easier to read them electronically. On the other hand, one-dimensional barcodes, such as UPCs and ISBNs, can be deciphered manually. For this, you just need to understand how barcodes work and what the numbers represent.

At Bar Code Graphics, we define a GS1 UPC Barcode as one which correctly con

tains a GS1 Company Prefix. There is a tremendous amount of incorrect information advertised online for cheap UPC codes , and companies really need to understand the severity of the problems which may occur if they are enticed by cheap alternatives.

They are used to encode information such as product numbers, serial numbers

and batch numbers. Barcodes play a key role in supply chains, enabling parties like retailers, manufacturers, transport providers and hospitals to automatically identify and track products as they move through the supply chain. GS1 manages several types of barcodes.

Commonly found in warehouse, distribution, and manufacturing, Code I 2 of 5

is a numeric-only barcode used to encode pairs of numbers. Every two digits are paired to create one symbol. The number of digits used must be even for this format to work, so a zero is commonly added at the end of an odd set of numbers.

The first two to three digits of the Universal Product Code (UPC) indicate w

here a product was produced and packaged. By knowing how to read this valuable information, you can avoid fake products from China or other countries with questionable standards.

The first few digits of a barcode are called the Block ID number or GS1 comp

any prefix. They are sort of like a license plate on your car because they’re specific to your company and no one else’s. The rest of the digits (except the last digit) are for your item. The best advice is to start a spreadsheet with the numbers and what they equal.

Understanding UPC Codes: Everything You Need to Know about UPC Numbers One o

f the most important moves a new company can make is to secure UPC code numbers for their products. UPC numbers allow companies to distribute and sell their products in a variety of Point of Sale scenarios, which is why they are a necessary component in any sales strategy.

ISSN barcodes are for magzines and serial publications. ISSNs are 8 digits l

ong and issued by the Australian National Library. When turned into a barcode they become 13 digits or 13+2 digits if you wish to show edition number. They start 977.

So, the way to read it would be – 101321122212122. When separated, each of

the numbers are represented by a four digit number, with 101 in the beginning, to tell the scanner that the barcode has started.

Understanding Call Numbers. Call numbers are the system that people use to f

ind the specific books they’re looking for in a library.Without a very specific system of organization, it would be virtually impossible to find a certain title or subject in a collection of thousands of books.

For example, the bar codes found on food items at grocery stores don't conta

in the price or description of the food item; instead the bar code has a "product number" (12 or 14 digits in the USA) in it. When read by a bar code reader and transmitted to the computer, the computer finds the disk file item record(s) associated with that item number.

Labeling copies with Barcodes makes circulation efficient, especially when u

sing actual barcodes and a barcode scanning device. Labels containing text and numbers can be printed using a PDF report; Reports tab, Print Labels. Actual barcodes can be produced outside OpenBiblio, for example by using a word processor and a barcode font.

These numbers assist businesses in tracking inventory through barcode scanne

rs or other technology to access information associated with products. Existing items with lot numbers allow the business to determine which production batch these products were manufactured in.

Understanding Sku, Product Number, UPC, Lookup and Barcode ... BARCODE: A ba

rcode is a square or rectangular image consisting of a series of parallel black lines and white spaces of varying widths that can be read by a scanner. Barcodes are applied to products as a means of quick identification. They are used in retail stores as part of the ...

What is a UPC barcode? And how does it work? In short, the UPC is a 12-digit

unique code for your product represented by scannable bars. Universal Product Codes (also known as GTIN-12) appear as lines (bars) of varying widths representing the series of numbers commonly shown below the bars. Barcode scanners read the bars and convert them back to the 12-digit UPC number that they represent.

There's a lot of data in that code -- if you know how to read it. And one of

the key things that a bar code can do is read coupons to help you save money. Just about every UPC coupon code is made up of five sections that include a total of 12 numbers. Each section is used to help match coupons to products and determine the value of the coupon.

How barcodes represent the numbers 0–9. A barcode is a really simple idea:

give every item that you want to classify its own, unique number and then simply print the number on the item so an electronic scanning device can read it. We could simply print the number itself, but the trouble with decimal numbers is that they're easy to confuse (a misprinted eight could look like a three to a ...

A growing number of online merchants now include product UPC, EAN and ISBN b

arcodes in their shopping cart back-end systems. Here's where we come in… Barcode Lookup helps you fill in the gaps for missing product barcodes. Just run a search by product and brand name or manufacturer part number (MPN) to find the barcodes you're missing.

Barcodes In One Lesson. Barcodes have revolutionized modern life. Discover w

hat happens every time you hear a beep at the checkout.I was inspired to make thi...

Two-dimensional (2D) barcodes use rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geome

tric patterns, called matrix codes, that can contain a great deal more information than a typical 1D barcode. There are a vast number of barcode symbologies available. Let’s look at some of the more common ones used by ID Label in its engineering and design process.

The Difference Between an ISBN and Barcode. A necessary requirement for sell

ing physical books through booksellers, wholesalers, and distributors is the assignment of unique ISBN numbers for each title and a corresponding barcode symbol on the back cover ISBN identification is a global standard to uniquely identify individual titles and formats.

Understanding EAN Codes — 5 Things You Should Know About EAN Barcodes EAN

stands for European Article Number (AKA: GTIN-13 / EAN-13) and is the type of bar code that is used internationally to identify unique products at the point of sale.

A simple explanation is that EANs are unique identifiers (barcodes) used to

identify new, branded products sold at retail. The EAN, which originally stood for European Article Number but is now referred to as International Article Number, is a 13 digit number found below the barcode:

A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, machine-

readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly referred to as linear or one-dimensional (1D), can be scanned by special optical scanners, called barcode readers.

A barcode visually represents numbers, letters (and other characters) using

combinations of light and dark bars so scanners can read them quickly and accurately. Black and white bars create the most effective barcode images, although some other combinations can be used. In retail, barcodes are printed on product packaging or labels for scanning at the point of sale.

The UPC-A barcode format is a 12-digit numeric that is assigned to each trad

e item/product. We see barcodes on almost all the products we purchase. But have you ever wondered what all those lines and numbers represent? Even better, have you ever thought about creating barcodes in Excel?

GTIN, the numbering sequence within barcodes and commonly called Universal P

roduct Codes (U.P.C.), are the foundation of the GS1 System of Standards and have...

Barcodes and Your LMS. A barcode symbology is simply a visual arrangement of

bars and spaces that represents numbers, letters or punctuation marks. There are several types of barcode symbologies, including Code 39, Follet classic, and Codabar, all of which are popular in libraries.

All UPC-A barcodes (12 digit barcodes) originate from either the US or Canad

a and do not show the country code in the human readable numbers (the numbers below the barcode). If it’s a 12 digit number, its a UPC Barcode and the company received their barcode prefix or barcode number either in the US or in Canada.

4: Understanding barcode rules A barcode visually represents numbers, letter

s (and other characters) using combinations of light and dark bars so scanners can read them quickly and accurately. Black and white bars create the most effective barcode images, although some other combinations can be used.

An FAQ published on bar code information website Bar Code 1 explains: Does t

he barcode number indicate the country of origin of a product? No it doesn’t. The 3-digit prefix code indicates which numbering organization has allocated the bank of numbers to the company. For example, a company may have it’s headquarters in South Africa.

Build a Sample U.P.C. Barcode. Solution Provider Finder. GS1 Global Attribut

e Explorer. Rapid Recall Express. EPC Item Level Readiness Program. EPC Encoder/Decoder. User Memory Encoder/Decoder. UNSPSC. GTIN Management Decision Tool. ... Understanding the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)

A barcode is the optical translation, in the form of alternating vertical ba

rs and spaces, of a digital or alphabetic code used to identify a product. To learn more about GTIN 13 barcodes For any question on barcodes, contact your GS1 national agency or your ISSN national centre

We normally supply EAN-13 barcodes with a leading ‘0’ i.e. in the format

0213456789104. In some places however (mostly the USA) they prefer UPC-A 12 digit barcodes. This is fine in the case of our numbers as the actual barcodes of the EAN-13 barcode are identical to those of a UPC-A barcode if the leading ‘0’ is ignored.