Learn decode mysterious barcodes.
Barcodes are symbols read by machines that store data. There are two types of barcode symbologies: the standard numeric symbols we see on ordinary packaging, which refer to an external database, and data-matrix symbols carrying data encoded in the symbol itself. A board of standardization regulates the physical characteristics of bar-codes and how they are used . Of the two types, numeric symbols are the more common, identifiable primarily by the types of products on which they're found.
Instructions
1. Determine what kind of product the barcode is on. Retail bar-codes are the most common. Retail goods in America and Canada have a UPC symbol, while other countries in the world have their own retail symbol. Books contain another kind of symbol called a Bookland: two sets of bar lines, one next to the other, and a numeric code. Postal materials are encoded with a series of tall and short lines called a Postnet, used to identify parts of the address and the zip code.
2. Take note of the product's country of origin. Just as America and Canada has a UPC symbol, Japan has their own version called a JAN. An EAN is used in Europe and the rest of the world. Each retail symbol has numeric code beneath the bars.
3. Observe the physical characteristics of the barcode. UPC symbols, for instance, have two notches cut out at the bottom where the numeric code appears, containing five digits apiece. EAN and JAN have six digits apiece. A Bookland has two distinct blocks of lines with a numeric code at the bottom of the first block and a supplemental code at the top of the second block. A Postnet code is a long series of tall and short lines with no numeric code. Extremely dense symbols that resemble a crossword puzzle or honeycomb are called data-matrix symbols. These symbols are actually PDFs, portable data files, because they do not refer to an outside database, but have a considerable amount of data encoded directly in the symbol.
4. Notice the symbols that have no numeric or alphanumeric code listed. A symbol called Code 39, for example, is just a tall block of thick and thin lines that only an electronic reader can decipher. Another example is Code 128, similar to the Code 39 symbol, but this one is a short block of lines and spaces whose thick lines are much more prominent. Both symbols are used for inventory and tracking in the shipping industry.
5. Identify the start and stop bars of the symbol. On Code 39, all blocks begin and end with the same sequence of lines and spaces. The first five lines and spaces match the last five lines and spaces. Code 128 is further broken down into Code 128-A, -B and -C, determined by the start bars at the left of the symbol.
Tags: numeric code, lines spaces, America Canada, data encoded, data-matrix symbols, digits apiece