Barcode

EAN13 bar code.

The barcode is a code based on the representation of a set of parallel lines of different thickness and spacing that together contain certain information, that is, the bars and spaces of the code represent small strings of characters. In this way, the barcode makes it possible to quickly recognize an item in a unique, global and unambiguous way at a point in the logistics chain and thus be able to carry out an inventory or consult its associated characteristics.

The correspondence or mapping between information and the code that represents it is called "symbology". These symbologies can be classified into groups according to two different criteria:

• Go on. or discreet: a continuous symbolism is that in which the individual characters cannot be interpreted by themselves. This is due to the fact that the characters start with a bar and end with a space that "ends" in the initial bar of the following character. A character cannot be interpreted individually, since there is no way to know the width of the last space without knowing where the following character begins. Continuous symbolisms typically implement some type of special termination bar or a termination sequence, such that the last space of the last data character ends with the termination bar. On the contrary, a discreet symbol is that in which each and every character encoded in the symbol can be interpreted individually without taking into account the rest of the barcode. These symbols have characters that start and end with a bar, and are separated by a certain amount of blank space. The space between characters does not carry any information, its only task is to separate them.
• Bidimensional or multidimensional: in two-dimensional symbolics the bars can be wide or narrow. However, bars in multidimensional symbolologies are multiples of a given width (X). In this way, bars are used with width X, 2X, 3X,Y 4X

History

The first barcode patent was granted on October 7, 1952 (US Patent #2,612,994) by inventors Joseph Woodland, Jordin Johanson, and Bernard Silver in the United States. The implementation was possible thanks to the work of engineers Raymond Alexander and Frank Stietz. The result of his work was a method for identifying railroad cars using an automatic system. However, it was not until 1966 that the barcode began to be used commercially and it only became commercially successful in 1980.

Basic nomenclature

• Module: is the minimum or basic unit of a code. The bars and spaces are formed by a set of modules.
• Barra: the dark element within the code. It matches binary value 1.
• Space: the clear element in the code. It corresponds to binary value 0.
• Character: formed by bars and spaces. It usually corresponds to an alphanumeric character.

Technical functions of the characters contained in a bar code:
(1) Quiet Zone.
2) Starter Character (right); Termination Character (left).
3) Data Character.
(4) Checksum.

Example of data contained in a GTIN 13 barcode:

• Q: GS1 prefix (e.g. number 84 corresponds to Spain).
• Company code: code assigned to registered companies (5 to 8 digits, completed with zeros to the left).
• Product code: white digits for the owner of the brand.
• C: control digit.

Situation in the product

Barcodes are printed on product containers, packaging, or labels. Among its basic requirements are visibility and easy legibility, so an adequate contrast of colors is essential. In this sense, black on a white background is the most common, also finding blue on white or black on brown in corrugated cardboard boxes. The barcode is printed by the manufacturers (or, more commonly, by the packaging and label manufacturers on behalf of the former) and, in some cases, by the distributors.

In order not to interfere with the image of the product and its promotional messages, it is recommended to print the barcode in discreet places such as the sides or the back of the packaging. However, in cases of small products that are distributed individually, it cannot be avoided that it occupies a large part of its surface: markers, glue sticks, among others.

Types of one-dimensional barcodes

Simulation of an EAN-128 code.

One-dimensional (or 1D) barcodes use different widths and spacing of parallel lines to express data consistently. In order to speed up inventory workflows, 1D barcodes are widely used in business operations. These include some of the oldest and most well-known types of barcodes, such as UPC and EAN codes. Linear barcodes are another name for the commonly used 1D barcodes.

Linear barcodes

Some of the most common linear or one-dimensional barcodes are:

• EAN
• Code 128
• Code 39
• Code 93
• Codebar
• UPC
• EAN-13 and EAN-8

Matrix Barcodes

QR Code

Matrix or two-dimensional codes, which read both horizontally and vertically, were born as a logical evolution of one-dimensional ones to increase the ability to represent content.

Some of the most common two-dimensional barcodes are:

• PDF417
• Datamatrix
• QR
• IDBI

EAN-13 and EAN-8

European item numbers may look quite familiar to people living outside of the United States. They are mainly used in Europe for consumer products that are scanned at a POS.

The standard form factor is EAN-13, which has thirteen digits, while EAN-8 is used on products with a small amount of available space. Both models are convenient for scanning rental property and don't take up a lot of space.

Barcode Advantages

Among all the first justifications for the implementation of the barcode were the need to speed up the reading of the items in the boxes and to avoid typing errors. Other advantages that can be highlighted of this system are:

• Agility in labeling prices, since it is not necessary to do so on the article, but simply on the linear.
• Fast control of the stock of goods.
• Trade statistics. The bar code allows you to know the references sold at each time and can draw marketing conclusions.
• The consumer obtains a list of items in the purchase mark which allows their check and eventual claim.
• It is printed at low costs.
• It has very low rates of error.
• It allows you to quickly capture the data.
• The bar code reading and printing equipment is flexible and easy to connect and install.
• It allows automating the registration and tracking of products.

The information is processed and stored based on a binary digital system where everything is summarized in sequences of ones and zeros. The memory and logical decision center is an electronic computer of the universal type, already available in many commercial companies and generally compatible with the different brands and models preferred in each country. These equipments also allow different branches or distributors to interconnect with each other, centralizing all the information. Now the distributor can better understand the dynamic parameters of their commercial circuits, allowing them to improve performance and decision-making, since they will know exactly and instantly all the information coming from the sales outlets, whether or not they are at their headquarters. It knows the storage time of each product and the days and hours in which consumers carry out their shopping routines, being able to then decide when to present offers, for which products and at what prices.

Among the few disadvantages attributed to it is the impossibility of remembering the price of the product once it has been removed from the shelf. It must also be clarified that the QR code is not a barcode itself, their reading methods differ and clearly the QRs are not bars. They are included here because they are used for the same purpose as barcodes.

Color Combinations

To make the barcode easier to read, high contrast is applied between the dark and light components of the code.

Non-technical uses

• In the Chinese town of Lingang New City, German architects Gerkan, Marg und Partner designed a unique building, characterized by a gigantic bar code on its facade.

Sample Applications

• Inventory control

• Point of sale
• Quality control
• Control of shipments and receipts
• Control of documents and traces of the same
• Precise tracks in activities
• Precise tracings of goods transported
• Billing
• Library service