ASP Portable Barcode Reader
17
Barcode Types
Product Codes - UPC, EAN and APN
UPC (Universal Product Code), EAN (European Article Number) and APN
(Australian Product Number) codes are compatible article numbering systems
used for consumer products sold in retail outlets. Product codes are numeric
only, and are assigned to manufacturers by a national organisation.
Code 39
Code 39 was the first alphanumeric symbology developed. Widely used, it is
now the "de facto" non-retail symbology. Although there are only 43
characters used in Code 39's character set, it is possible to encode all 128
ASCII characters using Code 39's Full ASCII mode.
Code 128 and EAN-128
Code 128 is a relatively new symbology, providing a very high density
alphanumeric barcode. Code 128 consists of 106 different printed characters,
with each character having three possible meanings depending on which of
three different character sets is in use. EAN-128 is a specialised version of
Code 128 used for Trade Unit Numbering.
Code 93
Code 93 is also relatively new, and was specifically designed to complement
Code 39, providing the same facilities at a higher density.
Codabar
Codabar is commonly used in library and blood bank applications, having the
digits 0 - 9 and the characters $, :, /, ., + and -. There are four different
start/stop codes, allowing useful information to be conveyed in these overhead
characters.
Interleaved 2-of-5 and ITF-14
Interleaved 2-of-5 is a numeric-only code with the advantage of high
information density. It is not as reliable in use as other codes, and is
accordingly not recommended. ITF-14 is a specialised 14-digit-only version of
Interleaved 2-of-5 code used for Trade Unit Numbering.
