Barcodes - the right coding makes all the difference!

Which barcode should I use? Many customers who are not given a barcode are faced with this question, e.g. for archiving labels or for inventory management. Here it is clear what has to be used, as well as for product labels.

A basic distinction is made between 1D and 2D codes: one-dimensional codes (1D) are the barcodes that are attached to all kinds of products. They allow a certain number of possible codes, which are significantly extended by the two-dimensional (2D) codes.

However, if I have a free choice, there are many variants, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Barcode overview

Barcode 128B

Very common, good compression, encodes numbers as well as letters and characters

Barcode 128C

Very common, good compression, only encodes numbers with an even number of digits. Example: “123456” works, “1234567” does not

Barcode 39 without check digit

Medium compression, encodes numbers as well as letters and characters

Barcode 39 with check digit

Medium compression, encodes numbers as well as letters and characters. Due to the check digit, one useful character is omitted with the same barcode width, the plain text line below the barcode is slightly smaller and bordered by asterisks

Barcode 2aus5 Interleaved

Very good compression, only encodes numbers with an even number of digits. Example: “123456” works, “1234567” does not

Barcode 2aus5 Interleaved with check digit

Very good compression, encodes only numbers with an even number of digits, due to the check digit, a useful character is omitted with the same barcode width (example: Useful digits “1234567” works, as together with the check digit there are then 8 digits)

Datamatrix

Datamatrix is a 2D code that was established in the 1980s and cannot be read with standard scanners - you need 2D-capable scanners here.

QR-Code

Very good compression thanks to modern two-dimensional (2D) coding, encodes numbers as well as letters and characters that can only be scanned by 2D-capable scanners

Which one is best for your application?

Sie sind sich nicht sicher welche Codierung für Sie die richtige ist? We are here for you and will be happy to advise you!