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Help & Information
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Bar Code Information
Self-Service Bar-coding
We automatically encode barcodes
with the appropriate start/stop characters and checksums (if required) so you
don't have to worry about this. However, we don't do exhaustive error checking
on the values you enter for the barcode field. It may be possible that you
enter values that don't get included into the generated barcode. For example,
Codabar only uses digits so if you enter letters within the barcode value, they
will not be encoded into the barcode symbol but will be ignored. However, if
you read this FAQ, you'll know exactly what rules to follow for creating good
barcodes on your custom cards!
We provide 5 of the most popular barcode symbologies available to you
for your cards. There are many affordable laser and CCD barcode scanners (and
badge slot readers) available today with built-in encoders that support all of
the symbologies that we provide. The "keyboard wedge" style scanners plug in
between your keyboard and computer. The wedge reader decodes the barcode,
converts it to text, and sends the string of characters to the current
application as though it was typed on the keyboard. Since your computer thinks
that the data came from the keyboard, nearly any application can receive input
from a barcode wedge reader.
Perhaps the trickiest thing about using barcodes is
deciding which symbology to use. In general, if you are creating a new system,
we recommend you choose the Bar Code 128 symbology because it provides the most
flexibility. It is dense (holds more data in a smaller space) and can
encode the full ASCII character set (letters, digits, and punctuation). If
you're using a legacy system, you may need to do some research to
determine which symbology to use for your cards.
Following is an explanation of the barcode
symbologies we provide in our online card designer:
Bar Code 2 of 5 Interleaved
Bar Code 3 of 9
Bar Code 93
Bar Code 128
Codabar
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Bar Code 2 of 5 Interleaved |
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Bar Code 2 of 5 Interleaved is a high density numeric bar code. It can only
encode pairs of numbers, (the bar code must have an even number of digits).
Each bar code pattern encodes the odd digit in the pattern of bars, and the
even digit in the pattern of spaces between bars. Odd number of digits are
padded to the left with a zero. Bar codes can be of variable length and don't
normally use a checksum, although a modulo 10 check character is used in some
special situations. Partial scans are possible, since bar code 2 of 5
interleaved is not self checking, so fixed length data fields are often used to
circumvent this problem.
Site Notes
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Acceptable characters: 0-9
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Non-digits are ignored and are not encoded into the barcode.
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We automatically encode the barcode with a prefixed zero for an odd number of
digits.
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We don't add a checksum since it isn't required by most encoders.
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We automatically add the { and } start and stop characters to the barcode.
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Bar Code 3 of 9 |
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Bar Code 3 of 9 is a self checking, medium density alpha-numeric bar code. It
was the first alpha-numeric bar code to be developed and is the most widely
used bar code. Bar code 3 of 9 is surrounded with a start/stop code character (the
*). It is typically used in a non-retail environment. The standard
version can only encode 43 characters: A-Z, 0-9, space, and -.$/+%. A Full
ASCII version is available, provided your bar code reader supports it, and can
encode the entire ASCII character set, at the cost of print density. Bar codes
can be of variable length and don't normally use a checksum. A few industries
use an optional modulo 43 checksum.
Site Notes
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Acceptable characters: A-Z, 0-9, space, and -.$/+%.
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Since bar code 3 of 9 does not support lower case characters, we automatically
map these characters to their upper case equivalents.
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We automatically add the stop and start characters "*" to the barcode.
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Bar Code 93 |
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Bar Code 93 was introduced in 1982 and was designed to complement bar code 3 of
9. Generally, bar codes 3 of 9 and 93 can be mixed together and automatically
read. Bar code 93 is a high density alpha-numeric bar code that also supports a
Full ASCII version without the ambiguity that 3 of 9 has. The standard version
can encode 47 characters: A-Z, 0-9, plus "-", ".", " ", "$", "/", "+", "%", and
4 special characters for Full ASCII mode.
Site Notes
Acceptable characters: A-Z, 0-9, space, and -.$/+% plus full ASCII
We automatically calculate checksums and add start and stop characters to the
encoded barcode
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Bar Code 128 |
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Bar Code 128 is a high density alpha-numeric bar code. It has 106 different
characters and three subsets: A, B, & C, which are just different ways of
interpreting the data encoded by the bar code. UCC / EAN 128 is another
variation of subset C. When you use a subset A or B start code you can encode
the entire ASCII character set, including control codes. With a subset C start
code you encode high density numeric data in much the same way that interleaved
bar code 2 of 5 works. Bar code 128 requires a checksum. Bar codes can be of
variable length, although subset C requires an even number of digits.
Subset A is used to print upper case letters, numbers, and the standard ASCII
control characters. Subset B is used to print upper and lower case letters,
numbers, and punctuation. Subset C encodes pairs of numbers 00 through 99. The
UCC/EAN option adds an FNC1 character after the start codes for subsets A, B,
and C to uniquely identify that bar code as a shipping code.
Site Notes
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We encode subset B (upper and lower case letters, numbers, and punctuation).
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We automatically calculate and encode the start, stop, and checksum characters
into the barcode.
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Codabar |
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Codabar was developed in 1972 and is used in labeling air parcels, blood
packages, and libraries. Codabar is a low density numeric bar code. It covers
16 characters: 0-9, plus "-", ".", ":", "$", "/", and "+". There are 4 separate
start and stop characters, which allows useful information to be encoded by
characters that are normally considered overhead. Bar codes can be of variable
length and do not require a checksum.
Site Notes
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Acceptable characters: 0-9, plus -.:$/+
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Invalid characters are ignored.
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We use A for the start character and B for the stop character.
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