Barcodes

EAN-13

EAN barcodes are printed on virtually every consumer product in the world. They are the longest-established and most widely-used of all GS1 barcodes. The EAN-13 contains only a 13-digit GTIN number and no other additional information can be added to it.

EAN-8

The EAN-8 symbol can be used on small products that are read in point of sale if the EAN-13 symbol does not fit in the product. The EAN-8 contains only an 8-digit GTIN  number and no additional information can be added to it. GTIN-8 codes are ordered separately from GS1 Finland and require an active GS1 company prefix order

GS1-128  is commonly found on cases, pallets and other logistics units in the supply chain. These barcodes can include additional information about your trade items to improve supply chain efficiency.

The GS1-128 barcode was added to the GS1 System to enable companies to capture more information in a single barcode. Initially used in the food and grocery industries, it is now widely used in logistics and other application such as the identification of assets. 

The barcode uses a series of GS1 Application Identifiers to include a range of additional data such as:

• Best Before Date
• Batch Number
• Quantity
• GTIN-code

The GS1-128 also encodes the SSCC, used for the identification of logistics units.

This barcode is not scannable at point-of-sale.

AI (Application Identifier)

GS1 application identifiers are 2-4 digit identifiers that indicate the meaning of the information associated with them and determine its field length and format. Application IDs are enclosed in parentheses in plain text below the barcode. The plain text contains the same information as the barcode. However, parentheses should not be included in the barcode data.

Example:

AI 01 = Barcode contains GTIN-code AI 15 = Best before date AI 10 = batch number

The ITF-14 barcode symbol is used on transport unit when the product is not intended to be read at the point of sale. Especially if the symbol is printed directly on the cardboard packaging. The GTIN-code is given in 14 digits.

When printing a barcode directly on cardboard, the X-value of the barcode should be 1.016 mm. white areas should be left on both sides of the barcode and the barcode should be placed horizontally.

The GS1 DataBar family consists of 7 codes and has been developed to complement traditional GS1 barcodes as identifiers for consumer packaging in special  in store cash ins situations. The general objective is to get rid of limited and variegated packaging identifiers for variable measure trade items, or to always use the GTIN-13 or GTIN-12 codes generated by the GS1 Company Identifier on all consumer packaging. Using the DataBar avoids, for example, short numbering of small products (EAN-8 barcodes).

DataBar barcodes can be used to make the identifier contained in a full GTIN code smaller than traditional barcodes. In some of them, it is also possible to provide more detailed information related to GTINs using application identifiers (AIs). This provides solutions for the uniform identification of quantity or price data for variable-size packages and for the registration of batch and date data important for traceability, also in the context of financing.

The following are examples of different GS1 DataBar barcodes suitable for in store cash ins.

GS1 Databar Omnidirectional

• half the hight of the EAN / UPC symbols
• For 14 digits = all GTIN number lengths
• multidirectional scanning

GS1 DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional

• half the width of the EAN / UPC symbols
• For 14 digits = all GTIN number lengths
• multidirectional scanning

GS1 DataBar Expanded

• In addition to the GTIN number by using application identefiers (AI) additional information can be coded, eg serial or batch number, dates or weight / price information for variable measure trade items
• max capacity of 74 numeric or 41 alphanumeric characters
• multidirectional scanning

GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked

• In addition to the GTIN number by using application identefiers (AI) additional information can be coded, eg serial or batch number, dates or weight / price information for variable measure trade items
• max capacity of 74 numeric or 41 alphanumeric characters in a maximum of 11 stacked rows
• multidirectional scanning

In addition, DataBar barcode symbols that cannot be read by the cash register terminal have been specified. They are used in small products to display the product number outside of retail. These codes are GS1 DataBarTruncated, GS1 DataBarLimited, and GS1 DataBarStacked.

GS1 DataBarTruncated

GS1 DataBarLimited

 GS1 DataBarStacked

GS1 DataMatrix is ​​the so-called. a two-dimensional (2D) barcode symbol. It is possible to encode of up to 3116 numeric characters or 2335 alphanumeric characters in GS1 DataMatrix The GS1 DataMatrix symbol is aimed especially at the healthcare sector.

This technology provides, in addition to the traditional GTIN product number, a serial number or date information if necessary. This specific information can increase patient safety and improve the traceability of medicines and devices. DataMatrix can be labeled directly on the product, making it suitable for hospital instruments. Reading the GS1 DataMatrix symbol requires a camera reader

The GS1 QR code can be used in products for which information is to be read on a mobile device, by placing a link to a website where you can find more information about the product, in addition to the GTIN code. The code can encode the entire ASCII character set as well as binary data, and its maximum data content is 7089 characters when using numeric characters, 4296 characters when using alphanumeric characters, or 2953 bits of data.