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UPC / EAN Specifications – GS1-12, GS1-13
UPC
GS1-12 symbols are found on almost all grocery products and many other retail items. The UPC
code most people are familiar with (UPC-A) is a fixed-length (12 digits) numeric only code, with the first
digit controlled by UPC coding assignments and the last digit a checksum. UPC-E and UPC-E1 are varia-
tions of the standard UPC-A code. Each digit is constructed of two bars and two spaces. UPC has very
precise standards of code size, structure, and numbers to be used.
EAN
GS1-13 is an international superset of UPC. EAN-13 has 13 digits, with the first two digits represent-
ing a country code. The final digit is, as with UPC, a check digit. EAN-8 is a shorter version on the EAN-13
code containing seven data digits and ending again with a checksum.
The exact UPC/EAN symbol specifications are available from:
GS1 USA, Inc.
7887 Washington Village Drive, Suite 300
Dayton, OH 45459
937-435-3870
Specifications are also available via the Internet at:
Keep the following guidelines in mind when printing UPC bar codes:
If you plan to use a "supermarket-type" in-counter scanner to read the codes, specify a bar code height of at least .9" for an op-
timal first read rate.
Make it an early practice to observe the numbering conventions of the UPC Council. Do not label unmarked merchandise with a
bar code whose numbers may conflict with those already assigned. If products with these numbers are not in your store now,
they are likely to be in the future, causing conflicts in your inventory system.
The leading
N
umber
S
ystem
C
haracter, (the first number of the 11 digits to be entered) should conform to these UPC assignments:
0,6,7,8
Regular UPC 12 digit codes with numbers assigned by the UPC Council. (Do not use
0
as the leading num-
ber for in-store marking).
2
Store-marked random weight items of meat and produce.
3
Reserved for National Drug Code and Health Related Items.
4
Use this leading digit for in-store marking of non-food items.
5
Reserved for coupons. Do not use this today, or you will not be able to process coupons through your sys-
tem tomorrow.
Supplemental codes
The UPC standards include the addition of a 2 or 5-character supplemental code as well as the Extended
Coupon Code. To read the supplements, you must first enable them using the RF Terminal Setup Menu.
NOTE:
Enabling the supplements disallows the reading of UPC codes from right to left to assure that the 2
and 5 digit supplements are not get missed. Coupon codes can be read from right to left or left to right.
Summary of Contents for 7100 RF Terminal Series
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