Symbology Printing v1

EAN Australia User Manual
Symbology and Printing

Copyright, July 2004 by EAN Australia Ltd Unit 100, 45 Gilby Road Mt Waverley Victoria 3149 Australia Tel: 61 3 9558 9559 Fax: 61 3 9558 9551 National number: 1300 366 033 www.ean.com.au Email: eanaust@ean.com.au Edition 1, 2004
Table of Contents
Introduction
Symbology Operational Bands .............................................................................2 Disclaimer .............................................................................................................3
Symbology details
EAN/UPC symbology ............................................................................................5 EAN-13 bar code format .......................................................................................6 Variable parity encoding of the 13th digit ........................................................7 Symbol character representation of human readable digits for EAN-13 and EAN-8 ...................................................................................................................8 EAN/UPC auxiliary symbol characters ..........................................................12 EAN-13 bar code dimensions in nominal size ....................................................13 Overall EAN-13 dimensions ..........................................................................13 EAN-13 bar code height ................................................................................13 EAN-13 light margin areas ............................................................................13 EAN/UPC symbol character dimensionsNominal size ...............................14 Total EAN/UPC bar code width in modules. ..................................................14 Measuring symbol characters .......................................................................14 Magnification factor .......................................................................................15 Human readable digits ..................................................................................16 EAN-8 bar code format .......................................................................................16 EAN-8 bar code dimensions in nominal size ......................................................18 Overall EAN-8 dimensions ............................................................................18 EAN-8 bar code height ..................................................................................18 EAN-8 light margin areas ..............................................................................18 Human readable digits ..................................................................................19 ITF-14 symbology (Interleaved Two of Five) ......................................................19 Introduction ....................................................................................................19 ITF-14 bar code format .......................................................................................20 Symbol character representation of human readable digits for ITF-14 ...............21 How to compose an ITF bar code .................................................................22 ITF-14 auxiliary symbol characters ...............................................................23 ITF-14 bar code dimensions in nominal size ......................................................23 Overall ITF-14 dimensions ............................................................................23 Formula for calculating the ITF bar code width using nominal dimensions ...24 ITF-14 bar code height ..................................................................................24 ITF-14 bearer bar ..........................................................................................25 H marks .........................................................................................................25 ITF light margin areas at nominal size ..........................................................26 Magnification factors .....................................................................................26 Human readable interpretation ......................................................................27 ITF-14 symbol character dimensionsnominal size .....................................27 UCC/EAN-128 symbology ..................................................................................28 Introduction ....................................................................................................28 UCC/EAN-128 bar code format ..........................................................................30
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EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing
Symbol character representation of human readable characters for UCC/EAN-128 .................................................................................................... 30 Character sets ............................................................................................... 30 Auxiliary characters ....................................................................................... 30 UCC/EAN-128 double start character ........................................................... 33 Codes A, B, and C ........................................................................................ 33 The use of start, shift, and code characters .................................................. 33 Shift character ............................................................................................... 34 Symbol check character ................................................................................ 35 UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimensionsnominal size .......................................... 36 Overall UCC/EAN-128 dimensions ............................................................... 36 UCC/EAN-128 bar code height ..................................................................... 36 UCC/EAN-128 light margin areas ................................................................. 37 UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimensions for numeric data .................................. 37 UCC/EAN-128 symbol character dimensionsnominal size ........................ 37 UCC/EAN-128 bar code width in modules ................................................... 38 Human readable characters .......................................................................... 39 Concatenation ............................................................................................... 39 UCC/EAN-128 system considerations and processing software ........................ 40 UCC/EAN-128 field length indicators ............................................................ 41 User application AIs ..................................................................................... 42 Scanner/decoder ........................................................................................... 42 Symbol input processing ............................................................................... 43 Transmitted data ........................................................................................... 44 Symbology identifiers .................................................................................... 44 RSS & Composite Bar Codes ............................................................................. 46 Introduction ................................................................................................... 46 Reduced Space Symbology ............................................................................... 50 Introduction ................................................................................................... 50 Symbology Characteristics ............................................................................ 51 Additional Features ....................................................................................... 52 RSS 14 Versions ........................................................................................... 52 RSS-14 .......................................................................................................... 53 RSS-14 Truncated ........................................................................................ 53 RSS-14 Stacked ............................................................................................ 53 RSS-14 Stacked Omni-directional ................................................................ 54 RSS Limited .................................................................................................. 54 RSS Expanded Versions ............................................................................... 55 RSS Expanded .............................................................................................. 56 RSS Expanded Stacked ................................................................................ 56 Compressed Element String Sequences ...................................................... 57 Fixed-Length Sequences .............................................................................. 57 Open-Ended Sequences ............................................................................... 58 Human Readable Interpretation in RSS Symbols ......................................... 58 Data Transmission and Symbology Identifier Prefixes .................................. 59 Width of a Module (X-dimension) .................................................................. 60 Print Quality Grade ........................................................................................ 60 Advice for Selecting the Symbology .............................................................. 60
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EANUCC Composite Symbology ....................................................................62 Introduction ....................................................................................................62 EANUCC Composite Symbology Characteristics ......................................62 Symbol Structure ...........................................................................................64 CC-A Structure ..............................................................................................65 CC-B Structure ..............................................................................................67 CC-C Structure ..............................................................................................69 Special Compressed Element String Sequences ..........................................70 Human Readable Interpretation in Composite Symbols ...............................71 Data Transmission and Symbology Identifier Prefixes ..................................72 Width of a Module (X) ....................................................................................73 Print Quality ...................................................................................................73 Advice for Selecting the Symbology ..............................................................74
Printing and production

Introduction .........................................................................................................77 General printing and production information .......................................................78 Different ways to print a bar code ..................................................................78 Production processes for source marked bar codes .....................................78 Print gain and variation .......................................................................................79 Assessing print gain and variation .................................................................80 Print quality checks .............................................................................................80 Colours, contrast, and reflectance ......................................................................81 Reflectance factor and reflection density ......................................................81 Contrast .........................................................................................................83 Colour ............................................................................................................85 Show through ................................................................................................85 Transparent wrapper .....................................................................................85 Specularly reflecting materials ......................................................................86 Obscuring patterns ........................................................................................86 Special production features of the EAN-13 and EAN-8 bar codes .....................88 Basic assessment method for determining the print gain and variation ........88 EAN/UPC magnification factor ......................................................................88 EAN/UPC bar code size ................................................................................89 EAN/UPC film master tolerances ..................................................................91 EAN/UPC bar width reduction .......................................................................91 EAN/UPC printability gauge assessment method ..............................................92 Evaluating EAN/UPC printability gauge results .............................................93 On-site production of EAN/UPC bar codes .........................................................95 Special production features of the ITF bar code .................................................97 Basic assessment method for determining the print gain and variation ........97 ITF-14 magnification factor ............................................................................97 ITF bar width reductions ................................................................................98 ITF printability gauge assessment method .........................................................99 Evaluating ITF printability gauge results .....................................................100 Specification for the dimensions of the film master .....................................102 Printing H marks ..........................................................................................102 Bearer bars ..................................................................................................103 On-site production of ITF bar codes .................................................................104
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Special production features of the UCC/EAN-128 bar code ............................. 105 Basic assessment method for determining the print gain and variation ...... 105 UCC/EAN-128 magnification factor ............................................................. 105 UCC/EAN-128 bar width reduction ............................................................. 108 UCC/EAN-128 printability gauge assessment method ..................................... 108 Evaluating UCC/EAN-128 printability gauge results ................................... 109 On-site production of UCC/EAN-128 bar codes .......................................... 110
Appendix 1
Thermal bar code label printers ........................................................................ 113 Symbology design considerations for direct thermal and thermal transfer printers ........................................................................................................ 113 General considerations for direct thermal printing ...................................... 114 General considerations for thermal transfer consumable supplies ............. 114 Initial direct thermal and thermal transfer printer set-up .............................. 114 Maintaining Acceptable Quality ................................................................... 115 General office printers ................................................................................. 117 Bar code design considerations for general purpose printers ..................... 118 Initial general-purpose printer set-up .......................................................... 119 Maintaining acceptable quality .................................................................... 119
Glossary .......................................................................................................... 121 List of Figures ................................................................................................ 135 List of Tables .................................................................................................. 137
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Introduction
The EANUCC system uses the following bar code symbologies as the data carriers:
The EAN/UPC symbology is exclusively reserved for encoding

EANUCC Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs). EAN/UPC bar codes must be used for all trade items which are scanned at the point of sale in retail outlets and may be used on other non-retail trade items. (EAN-8 bar codes are only used on very small retail trade items to encode EAN/UCC-8 identification numbers.)
The ITF-14 symbology is exclusively used for encoding GTINs printed

on non-retail trade items not passing through the retail point of sale. The ITF-14 bar code symbology is better suited for direct printing on to corrugated fibreboard.
The UCC/EAN-128 symbology is a precise subset of the Code 128

symbology. Its use is exclusively licensed by EAN International (EAN) and Uniform Code Council (UCC). This extremely flexible symbology is used for the encoding GTINs as well as encoding attribute information using EANUCC application identifiers. UCC/EAN-128 bar codes are used to represent Global Location Numbers (GLN), assets, services and logistics units.
Unit type Retail items Non-retail items (ie logistic units) Global location numbers Assets Table 1 Bar code options EAN-8 UPC-E EAN-13 UPC-A UCC/EAN-128 ITF-14

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Introduction
Symbology Operational Bands

Consideration for selecting the correct bar code specification is based on where the bar code will actually be scanned, or the bar code operative scanning environment. The four operative scanning environments for EANUCC bar codes are;
Figure 1 Symbology Operational Bands
EAN/UPC retail Retail markets were the first users of the EAN/UPC symbology. Bar codes on all trade items processed in retail environment must conform to the EAN/UPC symbology requirements. These are based on an omni-directional scanning environment and associated ergonomic factors in retail environments. General Distribution The general distribution operating environment includes trade items packaged for transport, logistics units, assets, and location tags. It includes their related attributes. Both EAN/UPC Retail and General Distribution These are trade items in specific packaging suitable for transport purposes in general distribution, but that are also scanned in the EAN/UPC retail environment.
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Introduction
All Others This category includes trade items used in industries in both the supply and demand sides of the supply chain (e.g. healthcare, paper, packaging, electrical, communications, and information technology), assets, and location tags.
Disclaimer
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information and specifications in this manual are correct, however EAN Australia expressly disclaim liability for any errors. In addition, no warranty or representation is made that this manual will not require modification due to developments in technology or changes or additions to the EANUCC system.
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Introduction
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Symbology details
EAN/UPC symbology
Common characteristics for EAN/UPC bar codes are:
an overall rectangular shape with a light margin on all sides a series of light and dark parallel bars at right angles to an imaginary
base line or reference line
light and dark bars formed from light or dark modules of uniform
width
each human readable digit is represented by seven light or dark

modules, collectively called a symbol character
a symbol character has two dark bars and two light spaces
see Figure 2.
a dark bar can comprise one to four dark modules; a light space can
comprise one to four light modules
auxiliary symbol characters in addition to the symbol characters

representing human readable digits. These comprise fewer modules and are used as guard or centre bars for beginning, ending, and separation
they can be read omni-directionally by fixed position scanners and

bi-directionally by hand held scanners
the size is variable between limits in magnification, to accommodate

the ranges in quality achievable by the various printing processes
dimensions are specified for the nominal size

(100%, ie magnification = 1.0)
X-dimension (single module width) of all EAN/UPC bar codes at

100% magnification is 0.33mm. X-dimensions (module widths) may range between 0.264mm and 0.66mm (magnifications 80% to 200%).
For EAN/UPC bar codes which may be scanned in both retail and
general distribution environments, the X-dimension range should be 0.50mm to 0.66mm (magnification 150% to 200%).
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7 modules
two dark bars
two light bars
Figure 2 EAN/UPC symbol character
EAN-13 bar code format

EAN/UCC-13 identification numbers are represented by an EAN-13 bar code. The format is:
left light margin area start guard bars left halfsix digits from number sets A or B centre guard bars right halfsix digits from number set C stop guard bars right light margin area.
See Figure 3.
Left half characters: six symbol characters from number sets A&B Start guard bars Right half characters: six symbol characters from number set C Stop guard bars
Centre guard bars
Figure 3 EAN-13 bar code format
The bar code itself comprises 12 symbol characters. The 13th human readable digit is not represented by a symbol character.
The 13th digit is always the digit in the left most position of the
EAN/UCC-13 identification number. The remaining 12 digits in the number are represented by symbol characters, in sequence from left to right.
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Symbology details
Variable parity encoding of the 13th digit

You encode the value of the 13th digit by permutation, using number sets A and B for the six digits in the left half of the bar code. This is known as using variable parity coding. For all possible permutations for the 13th digit, see Table 2. Australias country prefix is 93; therefore, the 13th digit for numbers using this prefix is always 9. Using prefix 9 causes the left half of the bar code to have variable parity, because it comprises a combination of number set A (odd parity) and number set B (even parity) symbol characters. Figure 4 uses EAN/UCC-13 identification number 9312345678907 as an example.
Number sets used for coding left half of bar code Value of 13th digit 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12th digit A A A A A A A A A A 11th digit A A A A B B B B B B 10th digit A B B B A B B A A B 9th digit A A B B A A B B B A 8th digit A B A B B A A A B B 7th digit A B B A B B A B A A
Table 2 Coding system for the 13th digit
Start guard bars
A B B A B A 3 1 2 3 4 5
Centre guard bars
C C C C C C 6 7 8 9 0 7
Stop guard bars
Check digit Figure 4 EAN-13 permutation for bar code digit positions
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Symbol character representation of human readable digits for EAN-13 and EAN-8
Each human readable digit in an EAN-13 and EAN-8 bar codes global trade item number (GTIN) is represented by a combination of seven dark and light modules arranged in different number sets known as A, B, and C. See Table 3 on the following page for a list of all combinations of dark and light modules for each human readable digit. The number sets in this table are shown graphically in Figure 5. Note that symbol characters representing digits in:
number set A have an odd number of dark modules (shown as 1s in

Table 3). These are called symbol characters with odd parity.
number sets B and C have an even number of dark modules. These are
called symbol characters with even parity.
number sets A and B always begin on the left with a light module
(shown as 0s in Table 3), and end on the right with a dark module.
number set C always begin on the left with a dark module and end on
the right with a light module. The combinations of number sets derived from the 13th digit are used in conjunction with Table 3 to establish the representation of human readable digits into symbol characters shown as bars and spaces made up as light and dark modules. Every symbol character in a bar code begins and ends with a different module than the one before or after it, be it light or dark. This means that you can always visually distinguish the boundary between two characters, which is essential for unambiguous decoding. The left half of UPC-A bar codes are encoded from Number Set A, whilst the right half is encoded from Number Set C. UPC-E bar codes are encoded by variable parity from either number sets A or B, the combination of which is dependant on the value of the check digit. Please refer to Table 24 in EAN Australia User Manual - Numbering and Bar Coding.
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Value of digit
Number set A
Number set B
Number set C
0001101
0100111
1110010
0011001
0110011
1100110
0010011
0011011
1101100
0111101
0100001
1000010
0100011
0011101
1011100
0110001
0111001
1001110
0101111
0000101
1010000
0111011
0010001
1000100
0110111
0001001
1001000
0001011
0010111
1110100
Note: 0 represents a light module and 1 represents a dark module. Table 3 EAN-13 and EAN-8 number sets
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Value of digit
Number set A & nominal Number set B & nominal dimensions (mm) dimensions (mm)
Number set C & nominal dimensions (mm)
0 0.33 0.66 1.32 .99 1.65 1.98 .99 1.65 1.98
1 .69 1.32 2.01
.30 .99 1.62
.69 1.32 2.01
2 .63 1.32 1.62 .69 .99 1.68 .69 .99 1.68
3 .33 .66 1.98 .33 1.65 1.98 .33 1.65 1.98
4 .66 1.65 1.98 2.31 ** .33 .66 1.65 2.31 .33 .66 1.65 2.31
**
**
5 .33 1.32 1.98 .33 .99 1.98 .33 .99 1.98
6 1.32 1.65 1.98 .33 .66 .99 .33 .66 .99
Note: Film master tolerances are 0.005 mm except ** which are 0.013 mm Figure 5 Human readable digits represented as symbol characters from number sets with X-dimension (module widths) of 0.33mm (nominal size)
Symbology details
Value of digit
Number set A & nominal Number set B & nominal dimensions (mm) dimensions (mm)
Number set C & nominal dimensions (mm)
7 .69 .99 2.01 .30 1.32 1.62 .30 1.32 1.62
8 1.02 1.32 2.01 .30 .99 1.29 .30 .99 1.29
9 .66 .99 1.32 2.31 ** .99 1.32 1.65 2.31 ** .99 1.32 1.65 2.31
**
Note: Film master tolerances are 0.005 mm except ** which are 0.013 mm Figure 5 Human readable digits represented as symbol characters from number sets with X-dimension (module widths) of 0.33mm (nominal size)
In Figure 5, all dimensions given are ideal, theoretical dimensions

corresponding to an X-dimension of 0.33mm (nominal size). These dimensions are not intended for use directly in the preparation of bar codes.
In Figure 5, the internal dimensions for symbol characters representing

the human readable digit 1, 2, 7, and 8 do not exactly correspond to multiples of the X-dimension (module width) of 0.33 mm. This is not an error. Some of the bars and spaces are reduced or enlarged by 1/13 of a module to provide a uniform distribution of bar width tolerances and to improve scanning reliability.
Number Set A Character Value 1 2 7 8 Bar (Dark Bar) mm -0.025 -0.025 +0.025 +0.025 Space (Light Bar) mm +0.025 +0.025 -0.025 -0.025 Number Sets B & C Bar (Dark Bar) mm +0.025 +0.025 -0.025 -0.025 Space (Light Bar) mm -0.025 -0.025 +0.025 +0.025
Table 4 Reduction/Enlargement for characters 1, 2, 7 & 8
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See page 14 for

further explanation of symbol character dimensions.
Auxiliary character Start guard pattern and light margin (Film master tolerance 0.005) Nominal dimensions (mm) Left edge EAN-13 Left edge EAN-8 .33 .66 .99 3.30 4.62 min.
Centre guard pattern (Film master tolerance 0.013)
Start of adjacent characters
.33 .33 .66 .99 .33 1.65 Stop guard pattern and light margin (Film master tolerance 0.005) Right edge .33 .66 .99 3.30 min.
Figure 6 Encoding auxiliary characters.
EAN/UPC auxiliary symbol characters

An auxiliary symbol character is a representation in dark bars and light bars (spaces) of data other than human readable digits; that is, start pattern, stop pattern, or centre pattern; also known as guard bars. The composition of modules for these auxiliary symbol characters is shown in Table 5.
Number of modules 3 5
Auxiliary character Start and stop guard bars Centre guard bars
Module set 101 01010
Table 5 EAN-13 and EAN-8 module composition of auxiliary symbol characters
Extend the start, stop, and centre guard bars below the lower edge of all other bars by 1.65 mm at nominal size. This measurement equals 5x (five module widths).
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EAN-13 bar code dimensions in nominal size

Overall EAN-13 dimensions
Figure 7 shows the nominal dimensions of the EAN-13 bar code. The Xdimension (module width) is 0.33mm at 100% magnification.
Light margins 3.63 2.31
25.93
24.50 23.18
22.85
<
Light Margin Indicator
31.35 37.29
>
2.75
Figure 7 EAN-13 bar code with X-dimension 0.33mm (nominal size)
EAN-13 bar code height

The height of the bars in the nominal size bar code is 22.85 mm (the stop, start & middle guard bars extend a further 1.65mm). This dimension is not modular, but is an essential function of the width in order to ensure omnidirectional scanning.
EAN-13 light margin areas

Ensure an adequate light margin area surrounds the bar code. A useful device to help maintain the light margin in some production processes is to include a less than (<) and/or greater than (>) character in the humanreadable field aligned with the edge of the light margin. These are referred to as light margin indicators. Light margin area dimensions are given in Table 6.
Light margin Right of bar code Left of bar code Between lower edge of symbol characters and top of human readable digits Dimension 7x (module widths) 11x (module widths) 1x (module width) Size in mm 2.31 3.63 0.33
Table 6 EAN-13 light margin dimensions at nominal size, x = X-dimensions
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EAN/UPC symbol character dimensionsNominal size

At the nominal size (100%), the X-dimension (module width) of an EAN13 and EAN-8 is 0.33 mm. The width of symbol characters is shown in Table 7.
EAN character Human readable character Start and stop guard patterns Centre guard pattern Total number of modules 7 3 5 X-dimension mm 0.33 0.33 0.33 Total width mm 2.31 0.99 1.65
Table 7 EAN/UPC character dimensions in nominal size (100% magnification)
The sizes for each individual symbol character are shown in Figure 5.
Total EAN/UPC bar code width in modules.

Start guard bars EAN-13 EAN-8 3 modules 3 modules Left half character 6x7 = 42 modules 4x7 = 28 modules Centre guard bars 5 modules 5 modules Right half character 6x7 = 42 modules 4x7 = 28 modules Stop guard bars 3 modules 3 modules
Total 95 modules 67 modules
Table 8 EAN-13 and EAN-8 total modules
An EAN-13 bar code has a total of 95 modules, excluding light margins. An EAN-8 bar code has a total of 67 modules, excluding light margins. See Table 8. The total width of a EAN bar code in nominal size (X-dimension 0.33mm) without light margins is: EAN-13 = 95 modules x 0.33 mm = 31.35 mm EAN-8 = 67 modules x 0.33 mm = 22.11 mm
Measuring symbol characters

Measure all symbol characters, with the exception of the start and stop symbol characters, from a visually indicated dark edge to the next visually indicated edge of the adjacent character. See Figure 5. Measure the width of the start and stop pattern from a visually indicated edge to the edge of the light margin area. See Figure 6.
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Magnification factor
Magnification limits are from 80% to 200% of the nominal size (100%) for retail environments. (An allowable minimum magnification of 75% is applicable only to on demand processes such as thermal. In this case, the bar height should never be truncated below the minimum required height for 80%.) Where a trade item may also be scanned in a general distribution environment, the magnification limits are 150% to 200%.
Dimensions of EAN bar codes (mm) EAN-13 Mag. Factor 0.80 0.85 0.90 0.95 1.00 1.05 1.10 1.15 1.20 1.25 1.30 1.35 1.40 1.45 1.50 1.55 1.60 1.65 1.70 1.75 1.80 1.85 1.90 1.95 2.00 X-dim. 0.264 0.281 0.297 0.314 0.330 0.347 0.363 0.380 0.396 0.413 0.429 0.446 0.462 0.479 0.495 0.512 0.528 0.545 0.561 0.578 0.594 0.611 0.627 0.644 0.660 Width Width Excluding Including LM LM 25.08 26.65 28.22 29.78 31.35 32.92 34.49 36.05 37.62 39.19 40.76 42.32 43.89 45.46 47.03 48.59 50.16 51.73 53.30 54.86 56.43 58.00 59.57 61.13 62.70 29.83 31.70 33.56 35.43 37.29 39.15 41.02 42.88 44.75 46.61 48.48 50.34 52.21 54.07 55.94 57.80 59.66 61.53 63.39 65.26 67.12 68.99 70.85 72.72 74.58 Height incl. HR 20.74 22.04 23.34 24.63 25.93 27.23 28.52 29.82 31.12 32.41 33.71 35.01 36.30 37.60 38.90 40.19 41.49 42.78 44.08 45.38 46.67 47.97 49.27 50.56 51.86 Width Excluding LM 17.69 18.79 19.90 21.00 22.11 23.22 24.32 25.43 26.53 27.64 28.74 29.85 30.95 32.06 33.17 34.27 35.38 36.48 37.59 38.69 39.80 40.90 42.01 43.11 44.22 EAN-8 Width Including LM 21.38 22.72 24.06 25.39 26.73 28.07 29.40 30.74 32.08 33.41 34.75 36.09 37.42 38.76 40.10 41.43 42.77 44.10 45.44 46.78 48.11 49.45 50.79 52.12 53.46 Height incl. HR 17.05 18.11 19.18 20.24 21.31 22.38 23.44 24.51 25.57 26.64 27.70 28.77 29.83 30.90 31.97 33.03 34.10 35.16 36.23 37.29 38.36 39.42 40.49 41.55 42.62
Table 9 Dimensions of EAN/UPC bar codes at various magnification factors (where HR = human readable interpretation, LM = light margin, X-dim = X-dimension)
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Any reduction in magnification below the nominal size (100%) may

reduce reliability. Reliability of scanning is always enhanced by selecting a magnification factor higher than the theoretical minimum.
Human readable digits

Print the number that the bar code represents in human readable digits beneath the bars. Print each digit below its corresponding symbol character. Print the 13th digit (number 9 for Australian bar codes) at the outside left of the start guard bars. The recommended typeface for the human readable digits is OCR-B at a height of 2.75 mm. This typeface is not intended to be machine read. Reasonable alternative type fonts and character sizes are acceptable provided the interpretation is clearly legible Make every effort to position the human readable digits below the bar code. If this is not possible, move the human readable digits to the left of, and align them with, the bar code. Do not infringe on the light margin area. For add-on codes, the human readable digits should be printed above the add-on bar code.
EAN-8 bar code format

EAN/UCC-8 identification numbers are represented by an EAN-8 bar code. This is a shorter version bar code than the one used for EAN/UCC-13 identification numbers. The format is:
left light margin area start guard bars left halffour digits from number set A centre guard bars right halffour digits from number set C stop guard bars right light margin area.
See Figure 8.
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Left half characters: four symbol characters from number set A Start guard bars
Centre guard bars
Right half characters: four symbol characters from number set C Stop guard bars
Figure 8 EAN-8 bar code format
The EAN-8 human readable digits are represented by eight symbol characters. The EAN-8 symbol characters are determined by the EANUCC number sets. See Table 3. EAN-8 bar codes use only number set A for the left of the bar code and number set C for the right of the bar code.
There is no parity variation in either half of an EAN-8 bar code.

Figure 9 uses EAN/UCC-8 identification number 93123457 as an example.
Centre guard bars Stop guard bars
Start guard bars
A A A A 9 3 1 2
C C C C 3 4 5 7
Check digit Figure 9 EAN-8 permutation for bar code digit positions
Table 3 is used to establish the representation of the human readable

characters into symbol characters shown as bars and spaces made up as light and dark modules.
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EAN-8 bar code dimensions in nominal size

Overall EAN-8 dimensions
Figure 10 shows the nominal dimensions of the EAN-8 bar code.
Light margins 2.31 21.31 19.88 18.56 18.23 2.31
<
22.11 26.73
>
2.75
Figure 10 EAN-8 bar code with X-dimension 0.33mm (nominal size)
EAN-8 bar code height

The height of the bars in the nominal size bar code is 18.23 mm (the left, right & middle guard bars extend a further 1.65mm). This dimension is not modular, but is an essential function of the width in order to ensure omnidirectional scanning.
EAN-8 light margin areas

Ensure an adequate light margin area surrounds the bar code. A useful device to help maintain the light margin in some production processes is to include a less than (<) and/or greater than (>) character in the humanreadable field aligned with the edge of the light margin. These are referred to as light margin indicators. See Figure 10. Light margin area dimensions are given in Table 10.
Light margin Right of bar code Left of bar code Between lower edge of symbol characters and top of human readable digits Dimension 7x (7 module widths) 7x (7 module widths) 1x (1 module width) Size in mm 2.31 2.31 0.33
Table 10 EAN-8 light margin dimensions with X-dimension 0.33mm (nominal size), (where x = X-dimension)
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Human readable digits

Print the numerical value of the bar code in human readable digits beneath the bars. Print each digit below the corresponding bar code character. The recommended typeface for the human readable digits is OCR-B at a height of 2.75 mm. This typeface is not intended to be machine read. Reasonable alternative type fonts and character sizes are acceptable provided the interpretation is clearly legible Make every effort to position the human readable digits below the bar code. If this is not possible, move the human readable digits to the left of, and align them with, the bar code. Do not infringe on the light margin area.
ITF-14 symbology (Interleaved Two of Five)

Introduction
ITF-14 bar codes have the following characteristics:
overall rectangular shape with light margins to the left and right made up of a series of light and dark parallel bars at right angles to an
imaginary baseline or reference line
only two widths of light and dark barswide and narrow the ideal bar widths at nominal size being; narrow - 1.016mm
wide - 2.540mm
a pair of human readable digits is represented by five dark bars and five
light bars, and is called a symbol charactersee Figure 11
one of the digits in the pair is represented by dark bars, and the other
digit in the pair is represented by light bars which are interleaved
because the digits are represented in pairs, the bar code can encode only
an even number of digits
auxiliary symbol characters, called start and stop guard bars, in

addition to the symbol characters representing the human readable digits
scanners that can read ITF bar codes can also read EAN/UPC bar codes,
but not vice versa
bar code magnification limits for general distribution vary between

50% and 100% the nominal size.
For scanning in environments other than general distribution

magnifications between 25% - 50% can be used.
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The ITF-14 symbology is better suited for direct printing onto

corrugated fibreboard, however, ITF-14 bar codes with magnifications below 62.5% should not be printed directly on corrugate with conventional (plate based) processes.
Although magnifications between 100% - 120% are acceptable based

on historical specifications, a migration to the 100% maximum should be made on new artwork.
the bar code has a bearer bar at the top and bottom of the bar code,
butting directly against the top and bottom of the bar code bars. For printing methods requiring printing plates, the bearer bars include vertical sections.
5 dark bars
5 light bars
Figure 11 ITF-14 symbol character
ITF-14 bar code format

An ITF-14 bar code represents an EAN/UCC-14 identification number or an EAN/UCC-13 identification number with a filler 0. The format is:
light margin area start guard bars representation of the digit pairs stop guard bars light margin area bearer bars above & below. Where printing plates are required the bar code is surrounded by a bearer bar. See Figure 12.
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.
Start guard bars Representation of digit pairs Stop guard bars
Figure 12 ITF-14 bar code format
Symbol character representation of human readable digits for ITF-14

Each human readable digit in an ITF-14 bar code is represented by five bars that can be either wide or narrow. This is determined by the value of the digit and its position in the number. The five bars are always made up from two wide bars and three narrow bars. See Table 11
Value of the digit 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Representation of wide (1) and narrow (0) bars 00110 10001 01001 11000 00101 10100 01100 00011 10010 01010
Table 11 ITF-14 human readable digit representations in bars
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How to compose an ITF bar code

Take the 14 human readable digits and form digit pairs. 1 9 3 4 3 2 7 8 6 5 9 7 0 8
Using Table 11, convert each digit pair into its wide (1) and narrow (0) representation. Start with the first pair on the left of the GTIN. Repeat the conversion for every pair of digits. In each pair of digits, the:
left-hand digit is represented by dark bars right-hand digit is represented by light bars.
Place the zeros and ones alternatively, starting with the left digit. Repeat for every pair of digits in the GTIN. Convert the zeros and ones into narrow and wide, and dark or light bars.
1 is the left digit so it is represented by dark bars
1 = 10001 w n n n w
9 = 01010
9 is the right digit so it is represented by light bars Figure 13 Sample ITF digit pair converted into wide (1) and narrow (0) bars
Repeat this for all digit pairs; then add start guard bars and stop guard bars. Each subsequent representation of a digit pair immediately follows the previous one. For example, the number 3852 looks like: start guard bars stop guard bars
3 = 11000
5 = 10100
8 = 10010
2 = 01001
Figure 14 Sample ITF start guard bars, two digit pairs, and stop guard bars
Symbology details
ITF-14 auxiliary symbol characters

The ITF symbology has two auxiliary symbol characters:
start guard pattern comprising: one narrow dark bar one narrow light bar one narrow dark bar one narrow light bar stop guard pattern comprising: one wide dark bar one narrow light bar one narrow dark bar.
start pattern stop pattern
4.064 mm
4.572 mm
Figure 15 ITF start pattern and stop pattern
ITF-14 bar code dimensions in nominal size

Overall ITF-14 dimensions
At the nominal magnification of 100%, the X-dimension (width of a narrow element, i.e. bar) is 1.016mm and a wide element (bar) is 2.540mm. Figure 16 shows the nominal dimensions of the ITF-14 bar code. This corresponds to the nominal symbol character dimensions given on page 27.
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d1 4.8 mm 41.4 mm 31.8 mm
122.428mm
10.2mm
5.72 mm d2 152.428 mm
Figure 16 ITF-14 bar code nominal dimensions
Note: Figure reduced below 100% for presentation purposes only.
Formula for calculating the ITF bar code width using nominal dimensions
d1 = number of human readable digits x the width of the bars representing a pair of human readable digits + the width of the start and stop guard pattern n x 16.256 mm + 8.636 mm 2 122.428mm d1 + width of light margins (2 x 10.2 = 20.4) + width of bearer bar (2 x 4.8 = 9.6) d1 + (2 x 10.2 mm) + (2 x 4.8 mm)
d1 d1 d2
= = =
d2
Total width at nominal size = 152.428mm
ITF-14 bar code height

The height of the bars in the general distribution environment is always 32mm (regardless of the magnification). For all other scanning environments, a minimum height of 13mm is acceptable. If it is not possible to apply the full bar height, for practical reasons, move the human readable digits to the left of the bars. If the bar code still does not fit, as a last resort, you may need to truncate the bar code by the minimum amount necessary. However, in these circumstances you must first make all attempts to accommodate the bar code at the full bar height.
Symbology details
ITF-14 bearer bar

The purpose of the bearer bar is; 1) to equalise the pressure exerted by the printing plate over the entire surface of the bar code, and 2) to enhance the reading reliability assisting in the reduction of the probability of misreads or short scans which may occur when a skewed scanning beam enters or exits the bar code through the top or bottom edge. See Figure 17.
1 93 12345 67890 4
Figure 17 ITF-14 bar code and example of a skewed scanning beam
The top & bottom bearer bars are mandatory unless it is not technically
feasible to apply it, in which case reading reliability is reduced. For printing methods requiring printing plates, the nominal bearer bar has a constant thickness of 4.8mm and must completely surround the bar code, including its light margins (quiet zones), and butt directly against the top and bottom of the bars. For printing methods that do not require printing plates, make the bearer bar a minimum of two times the X-dimension (width of the narrow bar), which at nominal size is: X-dimension (nominal narrow bar width) x 2 = 1.016 x 2 = 2.032 mm Place the bearer bar touching the top and bottom of the bars. It does not need to, (but it is permissible to do so) extend into the light margin areas, nor is it necessary to print the vertical bearer bars at each end.
H marks
The H marks are quality control guides for the printer. Place H marks:
within the box formed by the bearer bar aligned with the centre of the bar code bars outside the right and left light margins.This is achieved by providing an
additional 3mm to the left & right of the bar codes light margins, when H gauges are incorporated. H marks are not required to be printed on labels. See Printing and production, further on in this manual for more information about H marks.
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ITF light margin areas at nominal size

The light margins to the right and left of the bar code are compulsory, whether or not there is a bearer bar. Both light margins have widths of 10x (where x is the X-dimension), which at 100% magnification is 10 x 1.016mm = 10.2 mm. Leave a minimum clear area of 1 mm between the bottom of the bearer bar and the top of the human readable characters.
Magnification factors
For ITF-14 bar codes which will be scanned in a general distribution environment magnifications are between 50% and 100% (X-dimensions (narrow element widths) between 0.50mm to 1.016mm). Packages and/or containers marked with ITF-14 bar codes with magnifications between 100% and 120% are acceptable based on historical specifications, but a migration to the 100% maximum magnification should be made on new artwork. ITF-14 bar codes with magnifications below 62.5% (X-dimensions less than 0.635mm) should not be printed directly on corrugated cardboard with conventional (plate based) processes. In environments other than general distribution, the minimum magnification is 25%.
Any reduction in magnification below the nominal size (100%) may

reduce reliability. Reliability of scanning is always enhanced by selecting a magnification factor higher than the theoretical minimum. When you apply a magnification factor, some sections of the bar code are affected and some are not. See Table 13. See Table 12 for key dimensions of various ITF-14 bar codes at various magnification factors for general distribution.
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Mag. factor
Xdimension Narrow element (mm)
Wide element (mm)
Width of Light Margins (10x) (mm) 5.1 6.4 7.1 8.1 9.2 10.2
Min. height of bars (mm)
Excluding bearer bar Width not incl LM (mm) 61.214 76.518 85.700 97.942 110.185 122.428 Width incl LM (mm) 71.41 89.32 99.90 114.14 128.59 142.83
Including bearer bar & LM Width Not incl. H gauges (mm) 81.01 98.92 109.50 123.94 138.14 152.43 Width incl. H gauges (mm) 87.01 104.92 115.50 129.94 144.14 158.43
Height (mm)
0.5 0.625 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
0.508 0.635 0.711 0.813 0.914 1.016
1.270 1.588 1.778 2.032 2.286 2.540
32 32 32 32 32 32
41.6 41.6 41.6 41.6 41.6 41.6
Note: In the heading of this table, Mag. = magnification, LM = Light Margins Table 12 ITF-14 dimensions at various magnification factors for general distribution
Sections of the bar code that change width of all bars width of all light margin areas
Sections of the bar code that do not change bearer bar human readable digits
Table 13 Parts of ITF-14 bar code affected/not affected by applying the magnification factor
Human readable interpretation

A clearly legible, human-readable interpretation (proportional to the size of the bar code) of the data characters, including symbol check character should normally be printed with the bar code encoding them. Start/stop patterns have no human-readable interpretation. Character size and font are not specified, and the interpretation may be printed anywhere in the area surrounding the bar code, although the preference is directly below the bar code ensuring light margins (quiet zones) are not encroached upon.
ITF-14 symbol character dimensionsnominal size

In the nominal size (100%), the ideal theoretical width of the bars is:
narrow bar wide bar
1.016 mm 2.540 mm (2.5 times wider than the narrow bar).
The total width of an ITF-14 bar code at the nominal size (100%) excluding the bearer bar, light margin, and H gauge is 122.428 mm.
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The total width of an ITF-14 bar code at the nominal size (100%) including the bearer bar, light margin, and H gauge is 158.428 mm.
Start guard bars 4.064 mm
n x digit pairs n x 16.256 mm
Stop guard bars 4.572 mm
Table 14 ITF-14 bar code total width without light margins
As shown in Table 15, the bar widths of the symbol characters are:
digit pair
= 6 narrow segments and 4 wide segments = (6 x 1.016 mm) + (4 x 2.540 mm) = 16.256 mm
start guard bars = four narrow segments = 4.064 mm stop guard bars = two narrow segments
+ 1 wide segment = 4.572 mm. These dimensions are ideal, theoretical dimensions corresponding to an Xdimension (narrow element width) of 1.016mm (nominal size of an ITF-14 bar code). They are not intended to be used directly in the preparation of bar codes.
Start guard bars 4 narrow segments
7 digit pairs 6 narrow segments 4 wide segments x 7 pairs 42 narrow segments 28 wide segments 113.792 mm
Stop guard bars 2 narrow segments 1 wide segment 4.572 mm
Total 48 narrow segments 29 wide segments 122.428 mm
4.064 mm
Table 15 ITF-14 bar code character dimensions
UCC/EAN-128 symbology
Introduction
The UCC/EAN-128 bar code always represents Application Identifiers (AIs) to encode data identifying attributes, services, assets, locations and shipments. It also provides an option for encoding non-retail GTINs. Characteristics for UCC/EAN-128 bar codes are:
an alpha-numeric code an overall rectangular shape with a left and right light margin
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a series of light and dark parallel bars at right angles to an imaginary

base line or reference line
light and dark bars comprise from one to four light and dark modules
of uniform width
each human readable character is represented by 11 light and dark

modules, which are collectively called a symbol character
each symbol character, except the stop guard pattern, comprises 11

modules grouped into three dark bars and three light bars see Figure 18
the stop pattern comprises 13 modules grouped into four dark bars and
three light bars
a double character start pattern, comprising an appropriate start

character and immediately followed by a function one (FNC1) character
a symbol check digit that is not part of the human readable characters,
and is additional to any check digits used in the human readable characters
they can be read bi-directionally for a given length of data, the bar code size is variable between limits in
magnification, to accommodate the ranges in quality achievable by the various printing processes
the X-dimension (single module width) at 100% magnification is

1.016mm.
dimensions are specified for the nominal size; magnification limits

within the general distribution environment are from 48.7% to 100% of the nominal size. In environments other than general distribution, magnifications may be reduced to a minimum of 25%, however reliability of scanning is always enhanced by selecting a magnification factor higher than the theoretical minimum.
11 modules
three dark bars
three light bars
Figure 18 UCC/EAN-128 symbol character
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UCC/EAN-128 bar code format

Light margin area Start pattern (character set A, B, or C) FNC 1 N data characters Symbol check digit Stop pattern Light margin area
Figure 19 UCC/EAN-128 bar code format
Symbol character representation of human readable characters for UCC/EAN-128

Character sets
Each human readable character in a UCC/EAN-128 bar code is represented by a combination of 11 dark and light modules arranged in different number sets known as A, B, and C. A list of all the combinations of dark and light modules for each human readable character is given in Table 18. There are three ways to represent each character, called character sets A, B, and C.
Set A includes all the standard upper case alpha-numeric characters,

plus control and special characters.
Set B includes all the standard upper case and lower case characters
plus special characters.
Set C is for numerical characters (digits) only, and includes the set of
100 digit pairs from 00 through 99, as well as three special characters. Set C encodes data at twice the density of set A and B, so therefore represents two human readable characters in one symbol character.
Auxiliary characters
In UCC/EAN-128 there are nine auxiliary patterns: start A start B start C code A shift code B stop code C FNC 1
The start character determines which character set the bar code begins with. See Table 16.
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The stop character always terminates a UCC/EAN-128 bar code. It has two extra modules than other characters in UCC/EAN-128 symbology. See Table 17. You can change the character set within the bar code by using a code A, B, or C in any of the character sets, or by using the shift character in characters sets A and B.
Bars (B) and spaces (S) BSBSBS 211412 211214 211232
Value 103 104 105
Start character START A START B START C
Table 16 UCC/EAN-128 start character sets Bars (B) and spaces (S) BSBSBSB STOP 2331112
Table 17 UCC/EAN-128 stop character set
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Chr. set A SP ! # $ % & ( ) * + , . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? @ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S Chr. set B SP ! # $ % & ( ) * + , . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? @ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S Chr. set C 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 Bar & space guard bars BSBSBS 212222 222122 222221 121223 121322 131222 122213 1 2 2 3 12 132212 221213 221312 231212 112232 122132 122231 113222 123122 123221 223211 221132 221231 213212 223112 312131 311222 321122 321221 312212 322112 322211 212123 212321 232121 111323 131123 131321 112313 132113 132311 211313 231113 231311 112133 112331 132131 113123 113321 133121 313121 211331 231131 213113 Chr. set A T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ NUL SOH STX ETX EOT ENQ ACK BEL BS HT LF VT FF CR SO SI DLE DC1 DC2 DC3 DC4 NAK SYN ETB CAN EM SUB ESC FS GS RS US FNC 3 FNC 2 SHIFT CODE C CODE B FNC 4 FNC 1 Chr. set B T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z { } ~ DEL FNC 3 FNC 2 SHIFT CODE C FNC 4 CODE A FNC 1 Chr. set C 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 CODE B CODE A FNC 1 Bar & space guard bars BSBSBS 213311 213131 311123 311321 331121 312113 312311 332111 314111 221411 431111 111224 111422 121124 121421 141122 141221 112214 112412 122114 122411 142112 142211 241211 221114 413111 241112 134111 111242 121142 121241 114212 124112 124211 411212 421112 421211 212141 214121 412121 111143 111341 131141 114113 114311 411113 411311 113141 114131 311141 411131
Val 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51
Val 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102
Table 18 Characters represented in UCC/EAN-128 character sets
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UCC/EAN-128 double start character

The UCC/EAN-128 symbology has a special double start character comprising a combination of start A, B, or C, and FNC 1. The special start characters differentiate UCC/EAN-128 bar codes from the more generalised Code-128 bar codes. In other words, any Code-128 bar code in the world that begins with a UCC/EAN-128 double start character is always a UCC/EAN-128 bar code. In less than 1% of cases, FNC 1 is the symbol check character.
FNC 1 is used as a separator character when variable length AIs and

their data fields are concatenated into a single bar code. This character is transmitted as character <GS>, ASCII value 29. (Please note that it is not permissible to encode the GS character in the bar code in place of the FNC1 as a separator character). In summary, use:
start A to begin encoded UCC/EAN-128 data for character set A start B to begin encoded UCC/EAN-128 data for character set B start C to begin encoded UCC/EAN-128 data for character set C
always use start C when the data, including the AI, begins with four or more numeric characters.
Codes A, B, and C
Code A, B, and C characters allow a change in character set to be effected within the bar code. All characters following the code character are encoded according to the corresponding character set until another code character or shift character appears. The following characters are then encoded according to the latest code or shift character. The shift key has a similar function to the shift key on a keyboard. Code A changes the encodation to set A, code B to set B, and code C to set C.
The use of start, shift, and code characters

Always try to minimise the UCC/EAN-128 bar code length. Make sure
you follow the guidance provided in this section.
The term data refers to the application identifier followed by a string of

human readable characters. A start character precedes every group of data. Control characters are listed under character set A, positions 64 to 95, of Table 18.
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The conditions for using the different start characters are:
when the data begins with four or more digits, use start C when the data begins with less than four digits, and a control character
occurs in the data before any lower case character, use start A
otherwise, use start B.

If you use start C and the data begins with an odd number of digits, place a code A or code B before the last digit. Use the above guidelines to choose between code A and code B. When four or more digits occur together in character sets A or B:
if there is an even number of digits in the group, insert code C before

the first digit
if there is an odd number of digits in the group, insert code C

immediately after the first digit. When in character set B and a control character appears in the data:
followed by a lower case character before another control character

appears, insert the shift character before the control character
otherwise, insert code A before the control character.

When in character set A and lower case character appears in the data:
followed by a control character before another lower case character,

insert the shift character before the lower case character
otherwise, insert code B before the lower case character.

When in character set C, and a non-numeric character occurs in the data:
insert code A or B before the non-numeric character using the above

guidelines to choose between code A and B.
Shift character
The shift character allows a character set change for the one symbol character that immediately follows it in the bar code. Subsequent characters revert to the character set active prior to the shift character.
The shift character operates only between character sets A and B. It is

not possible to shift into or out of character set C. The shift character has a similar function to the shift key on a keyboard.
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Symbol check character

Always include the UCC/EAN-128 modulo 103 symbol check character immediately before the stop character. Follow the steps below to calculate the symbol check character. Step 1 Multiply the:
value of the start character by 1 value of FNC 1 by 1 value of the first data character by 2 value of each remaining data and auxiliary character with ascending weights, 3, 4, 5 and so on.
The values are in Table 16 and Table 18.
Do not include the stop character. AIs are data characters. Do not show the symbol check character in the human readable
characters. The batch number 2503X45 is encoded as follows. Start C FNC 1 10 2503 Code B X45: Start C FNC 1 10 25 03 Code B X 4 5 Step 2 value 105 value 102 value 10 value 25 value 3 value 100 value 56 value 20 value 21 x1= x1= x2= x3= x4= x5= x6= x7= x8= 105 102 20 75 12 500 336 140 168
Add all the totals. (In this example the result is 1458.)
Step 3
Divide the result of step 2 by 103. (In this example the result is 14, with a remainder of 16.) The symbol check character is the value of the remainder. (In this example, 16.)
Step 4
Find the value of the remainder in Table 18. You can then see the associated representation in the appropriate character set, or as bars and spaces.
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UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimensionsnominal size

Overall UCC/EAN-128 dimensions
Figure 20 UCC/EAN-128 bar code at 50% magnification
The size of the UCC/EAN-128 bar code depends on:
the X-dimension (magnification factor) chosen the number of characters encoded the number of non-numeric characters in the data.
The X-dimension (module width) at 100% magnification is 1.016mm. Magnifications are between 25% and 100%, which equates to Xdimensions (module widths) between 0.25mm to 1.016mm. For general distribution, a minimum magnification of 48.7% should be used.
Magnification factors for AI 00 Serial Shipping Container Code

(SSCC) are between 50% and 94%. Mathematically, when W is width, 11 is the number of modules per symbol character, N is the number of symbol characters (excluding the start and stop characters and symbol check character), 66 is the number of auxiliary characters and X is the X-dimension (module width), which at 100% magnification is 1.016mm. W = (11N + 66)X (including light margins)
UCC/EAN-128 bar code height

EANUCC has given minimum size recommendations for specific applications.
For general distribution, the required height of the bars is 32mm. For
other scanning environments, a minimum height of 13mm is acceptable.
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For UCC/EAN-128 bar codes on an EANUCC logistics label, the

minimum height for the SSCC bar code is 32mm. For all other bar codes on the label, a minimum height of 27mm is acceptable based on historical specifications, but a migration to 32mm should be made.
UCC/EAN-128 light margin areas

The compulsory light margin area in nominal size (100%) on both the left and right of the bar code is 10x(10 modules) = 10.2mm Light margin areas vary according to magnification.
UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimensions for numeric data

Number of characters including AI 4 6 8 10 12 16 20 30 Dimensions (mm) including light margin areas MF 0.25 22.35 25.14 27.94 30.73 30.52 39.11 44.70 58.67 MF 0.5 44.70 50.29 55.88 61.46 67.05 78.23 89.40 117.34 MF 0.6 53.64 60.354 67.05 73.75 80.46 93.87 107.28 140.81 MF 0.8 71.52 80.46 89.40 98.34 107.28 125.17 143.05 MF 1.0 89.40 100.58 111.76 122.93 134.11 156.46
Note: These dimensions are based on Character Set C where 2 digits are encoded in 1 symbol character. The inclusion of data in Character Set A or B and shift characters will increase the length of the bar code. Use the formula outlined on the previous page. Table 19 UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimensions for numeric data
UCC/EAN-128 symbol character dimensions nominal size

In the nominal size (100%), the X-dimension (width of a single module) of a UCC/EAN-128 bar code is 1.016 mm.
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UCC/EAN-128 bar code width in modules

Start pattern 11 modules N data characters N x 11 modules Symbol check character 11 modules Stop pattern 13 modules
FNC 1 11 modules
Total 11N + 46 modules
Table 20 UCC/EAN-128 total modules
A UCC/EAN-128 bar code has a total of 11N + 66 modules (including the light margins). This is made up from all data characters plus auxiliary characters. See Table 20. The nominal width of each symbol character, with the exception of the stop character, is 11.176 mm, and the nominal width of the stop character is 13.208 mm. The maximum number of encoded human readable characters for one UCC/EAN-128 bar code is 48. This number includes AIs and function characters when used as field separator characters, but excludes auxiliary characters and the symbol check character. The total physical length of a UCC/EAN-128 bar code depends on how many characters you encode and which character set you use. The maximum physical length, including light margins, is 16.5 cm. Measure the width of each character, except the stop character, from the visually indicated edge (dark bar) to the visually indicated edge of the adjacent character. For the stop character, measure between its extreme visually indicated edges. In character set C, two digits are encoded in one symbol character so you can encode numeric data with twice the density.
All dimensions given are ideal, theoretical dimensions corresponding to

an X-dimension of 1.016mm, ie, the nominal size bar code. These dimensions are not intended for use directly in the preparation of bar codes.
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Human readable characters

For UCC/EAN-128 bar codes, show the human readable characters represented in the bar code either above or below the bars.
The symbol check digit (Mod 103) is not part of the data. Do not show
it in human readable format. Make sure AIs are clearly recognisable to assist with quick key entry. Achieve this by placing the AIs in parentheses in the human readable form. The brackets must not be encoded in the actual bar code.
Concatenation
You can concatenate (combine) multiple AIs and their fields into a single bar code.
(01)09312345678907(17)981012(10)123456
Data GTIN AI Use by date AI Data Batch number AI Data
Figure 21 Concatenated UCC/EAN-128 bar code
Place a FNC 1 character field separator after all variable-length fields to identify the end of that field. This is not necessary for the last field in the bar code. When the first two characters of the AI correspond to a pre-defined length indicator, you do not need to use a FNC 1 field separator character to separate the fields because their length is already known. See Table 21. The next AI follows immediately after the last character in the data field of the previous AI. Figure 21 and Figure 22 show various concatenations.
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l.
Note: A1a fixed length field of data called data 1 A2 and A3variable length fields of data called data ..2 and data ..3 FNC1the function 1 character
A1 & A2
A1
data 1
A2
data . . 2
A2 & A3
A2
data . . 2
F1
A3
data . . 3
A1, A2 & A3
A1
data 1
A2
data . . 2
F1
A3
data . . 3
Figure 22 Concatenated bar code
When you concatenate a number of AIs and their fields, and only one
field is of variable length, place the variable length field at the end of the bar code. This saves you from needing to include a field separator.
UCC/EAN-128 system considerations and processing software

Wherever possible, AIs and fixed field lengths have been chosen to result in an even number of numeric characters. This reduces the length of the bar code, because UCC/EAN-128 can pack a pair of digits into one symbol character. See Symbol character representation of human readable characters for UCC/EAN-128 on page 30. Although UCC/EAN-128 can encode any length alphanumeric field, data fields take up less space when they are all numeric and have an even number of digits. For example, when assigning batch numbers, select even length numeric batch numbers to produce the shortest bar code. Note that AIs with three digit identifiers, for example, purchase order numbers (400), require an odd number of data digits to make an even length field. The symbology identifier prefix ]C1 identifies the symbology being read by the scanner. UCC/EAN-128 bar codes must be processed to break them into fields through their respective AIs.
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UCC/EAN-128 field length indicators

AIs identify field lengths as either:
variable pre-defined
When several AIs and their data fields are concatenated into one bar code, each variable length field must be followed by the FNC 1 character unless it is the last field encoded in the bar code. Provisions have been made for pre-defined fields which will be allocated in the future. See Table 21. Always include this table in processing software. The table is permanentit will not change. This means that decoding software can be programmed independently of any future additional release of AIs. Table 21 specifies the length of the data string including the two digit indicator. The picture of the data string is not pre-defined.
Two-digit indicator 00 01 02 (03) (04) 11 12 13 (14) 15 (16) Field length 20 16 16 16 18 8 8 8 8 8 8 Two-digit indicator 17 (18) (19) 20 31 32 33 34 (35) (36) 41 Field length 8 8 8 4 10 10 10 10 10 10 16
Table 21 Fixed length field indicators
This table is limited to the listed numbers and will remain unchanged.
The numbers in parenthesis are not yet assigned.
AI 23 is a special case. The first digit following AI 23 indicates the

length of the data string. No separator character is required after AI 23 and its data field.
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User application AIs

In addition to the fixed length field indicators described above and shown in Table 21, you need to define a table of AIs which will be used by your applications.
Scanner/decoder
The scanner/decoder:
reads the bar code, identifies Code-128 and decodes the bar code verifies the bar codes integrity by checking the value of its check digit
(by the modulo 103 algorithm)
creates the symbology identification, that is, start character +

FNC 1 = ]C1
translates the FNC 1 separator character into <GS> (ASCII 29) formats the symbol data string transmits the symbol data string to the symbol input processing
software of the computer. See Figure 23.
The UCC/EAN-128 bar code in this example contains a GTIN, batch number, and serial number. UCC/EAN-128 bar code Start C FNC 1 01 05412345678908 10 659344 FNC 1 21 1678 C/D St
Scanner/Decoder Symbol data string ]C1 01 05412345678908 10 659344 <GS> 21 1678
Symbol input processing Application records 01 05412345678908 10 659344 21 1678 Note that separators and spaces are shown for easy reading.
Figure 23 bar code input processing chart
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Symbol input processing

Symbol input processing software:
verifies that symbology is UCC/EAN-128 by checking the symbology

identifier ]C1
separates the AIs in the symbol data string using pre-defined length
indicator table and <GS> separator
transmits each AI and its data field to the application processing

software
Enter symbol data string String starts with ]C1? Y Remove ]C1 NOT UCC/EAN-128
End of string? Y N Are first 2 characters in the pre-defined length indicator table? N Do first 2 characters = 23? N
Finished
Error routine
Move number of characters from the data string into the buffer
Move 2d+4 characters from the data string into buffer (d=3rd character) Does buffer contain <GS>? N Does buffer contain end-of-string? N Y Y
Does string contain <GS>? N Move remaining data string into buffer
Move characters up to <GS> into buffer Transmit buffer (AI + data) to application
Next position Y <GS> ?
Advance one position in data string
Next position <GS> Y ? N
Figure 24 Decoding software flowchartbasic required logic
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The basic required logic for processing one string of data coming from a UCC/EAN-128 bar code is shown in Figure 23. It may not be the optimum software implementation. It assumes the scanner provides ]C1 to identify UCC/EAN-128, and <GS> (ASCII 29) for any other FNC 1 characters following the initial FNC 1 in the start character.
Transmitted data
All data characters are included in the data transmission. The shift characters, code characters, symbol check digit, and stop pattern are not transmitted. The double character start pattern (start A, B, or C plus FNC 1) are transmitted as ]C1. This special string of characters identifies the UCC/ EAN-128 symbology from other symbologies. The FNC 1, used as a separator when multiple AIs and their data fields are concatenated, is transmitted as character <GS> (ASCII 29). It is not permissible to substitute a GS character set for the FNC1 within the bar code itself. Never use the character string ]C1 and the character <GS> in the user data portion of any EANUCC application identifier.
The AI is not part of the data field. When the data is used in other
applications such as EDI, the AI must be dropped.
Symbology identifiers
All scanning equipment has the ability to recognise the symbology of the bar code that has been scanned. Some scanners have the optional feature of being able to transmit a symbology identifier. The symbology identifier is a three character data string comprising a flag character, code character and a modifier character. ] is the Flag Character (which has an ASCII value of 93) - this indicates that the two characters following are symbol identifier characters; c is the Code Character - this indicates the bar code; m is the Modifier Character - this indicates the mode in which the symbology is used. Noteif used the symbology identifier is transmitted as a prefix to the data message.
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The symbology identifiers used in the EANUCC system are as follows:

Symbology identifier ]E0 ]E1 ]E2 ]E3 ]E4 ]I1 ]C1 Symbology format EAN-13, UPC-A or UPC-E 2 digit UPC/EAN add-on 5 digit UPC/EAN add-on EAN-13, UPC-E or UPC-E with add-on EAN-8 ITF-14 2 UCC/EAN-128 Table 22 Symbology identifiers
1
Content 13 digits 2 digits 5 digits 15 or 18 digits 1 8 digits 14 digits variable alpha-numeric
EAN/UPC bar codes with add-ons may be considered either as two separate bar codes, each of which is transmitted separately with its own symbology identifier, or as a single data packet. The system designer shall select one of these methods. The identifier is ]I0 if the check digit calculation is not performed by the bar code reader
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RSS & Composite Bar Codes

Introduction
This section provides technical specifications for the Reduced Space Symbol, Composite Component Symbol and Composite Symbols. EAN International and the Uniform Code Council (UCC) have developed these new symbologies with the intent of making them available for open application use. While work is currently underway to define a number of application guidelines for these symbologies, to date only the Very Small Healthcare Items application guideline has been approved and published. Only when application standards and rollout schedules are established will EAN International and the UCC endorse the use of these symbologies for use in other open supply channels. EAN International and the UCC are currently working on additional application guidelines in other industry sectors and these will be made available once completed. The Reduced Space Symbology family of bar code symbols and associated Composite Components have been developed to meet the expressed needs of EANUCC System members. The challenge was to provide better ways to automatically identify:
Very small items (e.g., syringes, vials, and telecommunications circuit

boards)
Random measure retail items utilising full product identification (e.g.,

meat, poultry, and bagged produce)
Individual produce items (e.g., apples and oranges) Logistic units that required more data to accompany the item than there
was space available (e.g., content information for mixed trade item pallets) To provide a solution for this application requirement, the following minimum technical issues needed to be resolved:
Some symbols had to perform in an omnidirectional scanning

environment.
The symbol had to fit in a space-constrained area and provide strong

performance for its size.
The symbol had to maximise compatibility with an existing broadbased collection of applications and technologies.
The symbol had to complement the selection of existing EANUCC

System data carriers
The symbol had to provide the simplest set of solutions to fit the largest
user base. The UCC formed both user and technical committees to address this issue. The committees evaluated the EAN-8 Composite Symbology and UCC/ EAN-128 Composite Symbology along with two-dimensional (2D) stacked
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and matrix symbologies. The committees determined that a new compact linear symbology, RSS, with an associated stacked two-dimensional symbol, versions of MicroPDF417, provided the most efficient and general solution. The combination of a linear symbol and associated 2D symbol is known as a composite symbol. It is the only EANUCC System standard 2D symbology. The linear component encodes the item identification and can be read by most scanners. The RSS family has a higher data density than other linear bar codes because it has a larger symbol character. The RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol encodes 2,013,571 values in one symbol character with 26 modules.
Symbology ITF-14 EAN/UPC UCC/EAN-128 RSS Limited Modules Per Digit 8.0 7.0 5.5 4.1
Figure 25 Data Density Comparison
To allow for broad functionality, the RSS linear component of the composite symbol has been designed in several formats. They include:
RSS-14 RSS-14 Truncated RSS Limited RSS Stacked RSS Stacked Omnidirectional RSS Expanded RSS Expanded Stacked
RSS-14, RSS-14 Truncated, RSS Stacked, and RSS Stacked Omnidirectional enable the full 14-digit numbering of items. They are smaller than EAN-13 or UPC-A Bar Code Symbols. Each provides a linkage flag to indicate the existence of a 2D Composite Component. RSS-14 and RSS Stacked Omnidirectional have omnidirectional scanning capability. RSS Limited is designed for very small item identification. It encodes 14digit item identification using indicator digits 0 or 1 and provides a linkage flag for the 2D Composite Component. RSS Expanded and RSS Expanded Stacked encode all EANUCC System Application Identifier (AI) Element Strings. Each symbol has a variable length with a capacity of up to 74 characters. Each provides a linkage flag to indicate the existence of a 2D Composite Component. Unlike the
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UCC/EAN-128 Bar Code Symbol, the RSS Expanded Symbologies are designed to be read in an omnidirectional scanning environment. The Composite Component (CC) family of symbologies consists of new 2D symbologies that will be used by EAN International and the UCC as an add-on to their linear symbologies in new applications. The family is in the public domain. A symbol that combines a linear symbol with a 2D component is known as a composite symbol. The 2D component adds supplementary Application Identifier Element String data to EANUCC System linear symbologies. It provides the following benefits:
The composite symbol is the only one with an easily scannable item
identification.
The composite symbols are comparable in size to the matrix symbols

but can be scanned with a wider range of scanner technologies.
The composite symbols are smaller than other laser scannable 2D

symbols. 2D components can be added to the RSS family, UCC/EAN-128, and EAN/ UPC Bar Code Symbols. There are three versions of the 2D symbol: CC-A, CC-B, and CC-C. The Composite Components increase in size and capacity. CC-C composites have greater capacity than CC-B composites, and CC-B composites have greater capacity than CC-A. The three versions of the Composite Component are based on new versions of MicroPDF417 and PDF417: CC-A (new version of MicroPDF417) up to 56 characters, CC-B (MicroPDF417 variant) up to 338 characters, and CC-C (PDF417 variant) up to 2361 characters. RSS and composite symbols can encode new features beyond the structure of the standard Element String carried by a UCC/EAN-128 Symbol. The symbol separator allows new structures such as nesting/looping to be used for logistics applications. A new Symbology Identifier of "]e0" is used to differentiate the data transmission from UCC/EAN-128 Bar Code Symbols because the data may easily exceed the 48-character limit for UCC/EAN-128.
Message Content ]e0 ]e1 ]e2 ]e3 Standard AI Element String New ISO 646 Structures ISO 8859-1 8-bit data ECI escapes and 8/16-bit data Separator none symbol separator codeword > 899 codeword > 899
Figure 26 Symbology Identifiers
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Composite Symbol Features The primary identification is encoded in the linear symbol that is easily scanned with a low cost scanner. Supplementary AI Element Strings may be encoded in the two-dimensional (2D) component where they take up less space. Specific application guidelines will provide full details. Composite symbols are designed to be scanned with hand-held laser, linear CCD, or 2D imaging scanners. Within the EANUCC System, there are several possible linear/composite formats:
RSS-14 Composite RSS-14 Stacked Composite RSS Limited Composite RSS Expanded Composite UPC-A Composite UPC-E Composite EAN-8 Composite EAN-13 Composite UCC/EAN-128 Composite (note that the linkage flag is an extra code set character between the last data character and the Symbol Check Character)
Composite Symbols can be selected to provide the best fit to a specific area. For example, the same data can be encoded in RSS-14 Truncated/CC-A, RSS Limited/CC-A, or RSS-14 Stacked/CC-A. Each of the three composites can be used to fit a different maximum height and width space requirement. To provide assistance for rapid implementation, EAN International and the Uniform Code Council (UCC) have: Patents granted and placed in the public domain
Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) and Composite Symbology specifications issued by AIM, Inc.; Encoder and decoder models freely available to interested developers A verification model available to interested developers RSS verifiers available Two-dimensional 2D composite symbol verifiers in development. Active user application groups Completed pilot tests with additional tests underway
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The specifications for RSS and Composite Symbologies contained within this publication are provided for EAN International staff, UCC staff, and technical users of the EANUCC System. The information provides a template for implementation of RSS/Composite Symbology. Technical specifications are referenced in this document for those needing more detailed information.
Reduced Space Symbology

Introduction
Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) is a family of linear symbologies used within the EANUCC System. There are three types of RSS symbols, two of which have a number of versions optimised for different application requirements. RSS-14 encodes AI (01) in a linear symbol that can be scanned omnidirectionally by suitably programmed slot scanners. RSS Limited encodes AI (01) in a linear symbol for use on small items that will not be scanned in an omnidirectional scanning environment. RSS Expanded encodes EANUCC System primary item identification plus supplementary AI Element Strings, such as weight and "best before" date, in a linear symbol that can be scanned omnidirectionally by suitably programmed slot scanners. RSS-14 Stacked is a variation of the RSS-14 Symbology that is stacked in two rows and used when the normal symbol would be too wide for the application. It comes in two versions: a truncated version used for small item marking applications and a taller version that is designed to be read by omnidirectional scanners. RSS Expanded can also be printed in multiple rows as a stacked symbol. Any member of the RSS family can be printed as a stand-alone linear symbol or as a component of an EANUCC composite symbol with an accompanying two-dimensional (2D) Composite Component printed above the RSS linear component. The RSS family is fully described in the Automatic Identification Manufacturers, Inc. document AIM ITS 99-001 - International Symbology Specification - Reduced Space Symbology (RSS).
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Symbology Characteristics
The Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) family consists of the following versions:
RSS-14 RSS-14 Truncated RSS-14 Stacked RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional RSS Limited RSS Expanded RSS Expanded Stacked
The characteristics of the RSS family are:
Encodable character set: RSS-14 versions and RSS Limited: digits 0 through 9 (with the
restriction of RSS Limited to 0 or 1 in the first digit)
RSS Expanded: a subset of Table 1 of the International Standard

ISO/IEC 646, consisting of the upper case and lower case letters, digits, spaces, and 20 selected punctuation characters in addition to the Function 1 Character (FNC1)
Symbol character structure: Different (n,k) symbol characters are used

for each member of the family, where each symbol character is n modules in width and is composed of k bars and k spaces.
Code type: continuous, linear bar code symbology Maximum numeric data capacity (including implied Application
Identifiers (AIs) where appropriate, but not including any encoded FNC1 characters):
RSS-14 versions and RSS Limited: AI (01) plus a 14-digit numeric

item identification
RSS Expanded: 74 numeric or 41 alphabetic characters Error detection: RSS-14 versions: mod 79 checksum RSS Limited: mod 89 checksum RSS Expanded: mod 211 checksum Character self-checking Bidirectionally decodable Light Margins (Quiet Zones): none required
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Additional Features
Additional Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) features include:
Data compaction: Each member of the RSS family has data compaction
methods optimised for the data strings that it will encode. RSS Expanded is also optimised for specific sequences of Application Identifiers (AIs) that are commonly used.
Component linkage: All RSS symbols include a linkage flag. If the

linkage flag is 0, then the RSS symbol stands alone. If the linkage flag is 1, then a 2D Composite Component and its separator pattern is printed above the RSS symbol with the separator pattern aligned and contiguous to the RSS symbol.
Edge to similar edge decoding: All RSS family data characters, finder
patterns, and check characters can be decoded using edge-to-edge measurements.
Large data characters: Unlike EAN/UPC Symbols, an RSS symbol's

data characters do not directly correspond to the encoded data character. The symbol's data characters encode thousands of possible combinations to increase the encoding efficiency. They are then combined mathematically to form the encoded data string.
UCC/EAN-128 Symbol emulation: Readers set to the UCC/EAN-128

Symbol emulation mode transmit the data encoded within the RSS family symbol as if the data were encoded in one or more UCC/EAN-128 Symbols.
RSS 14 Versions
RSS-14 encodes the Element String AI (01). It has four versions: RSS14, RSS-14 Truncated, RSS-14 Stacked, and RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional. All four versions encode data in an identical manner. An RSS-14 Symbol contains four data characters and two finder patterns. The RSS-14 family is capable of being scanned in four separate segments, each consisting of a data character and an adjacent finder pattern. The two finder patterns together encode a modulo 79 check value for data security.
The left and right Guard Bar Patterns consist of a narrow bar and narrow space. RSS-14 does not require a Quiet Zone.
Symbology details
RSS-14
The RSS-14 Bar Code Symbol is designed to be read by an omnidirectional scanner, such as a retail slot scanner. Its dimensions are 96X wide, starting with a 1X space and ending with a 1X bar, by 33X high (where X is the width of a module). For example, an RSS-14 Symbol with an X-dimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) would be 24 mm (0.96 in.) wide and 8.25 mm (0.33 in.) high.
(01)20012345678909
Figure 27 RSS-14 Bar Code Symbol
RSS-14 Truncated
The RSS-14 Truncated Bar Code Symbol is a reduced height version of the RSS-14 Bar Code Symbol that is designed for small items that will not need to be read by omnidirectional scanners. Its dimensions are 96X wide by 13X high (where X is the width of a module). For example, an RSS-14 Truncated Symbol with an X-dimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) would be 24 mm (0.96 in.) wide by 3.25 mm (0.13 in.) high.
(01)00012345678905 Figure 28 RSS-14 Truncated Bar Code Symbol
RSS-14 Stacked
The RSS-14 Stacked Bar Code Symbol is a reduced height two-row version of the RSS-14Bar Code Symbol that is designed for small items that will not need to be read by omnidirectional scanners. Its dimensions are 50X wide by 13X high (where X is the width of a module). For example, an RSS-14 Stacked Symbol with an X-dimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) would be 12.5 mm (0.50 in.) wide by 3.25 mm (0.13 in.) high. Its structure includes a 1X high separator pattern between the two rows.
(01)00012345678905
Figure 29 RSS-14 Stacked Bar Code Symbol
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RSS-14 Stacked Omni-directional

The RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional Bar Code Symbol is a full height two-row version of the RSS-14 Bar Code Symbol that is designed to be read by an omnidirectional scanner, such as a retail slot scanner. Its dimensions are 50X wide by 69X high (where X is the width of a module). For example, an RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional Symbol with an Xdimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) would be 12.5 mm (0.50 in.) wide by 17.25 mm (0.69 in.) high. The height of 69X includes a 3X high separator pattern between two rows of 33X each.
(01)00034567890125
Figure 30 RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional Bar Code Symbol
RSS Limited
The RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol encodes the Element String AI (01). This Element String is based on the UCC-12, EAN/UCC-8, EAN/UCC-13, or EAN/UCC-14 Data Structures. However, when using the EAN/UCC-14 Data Structure, only the indicator value 1 is allowed. The RSS-14 family must be used for EAN/UCC-14 Data Structures with an indicator value greater than 1. The RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol is designed for small items that will not need to be read by omnidirectional Point-of-Sale (POS) scanners. Its dimensions are 74X wide, starting with a 1X space and ending with a 1X bar, by 10X high (where X is the width of a module). For example, an RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol with an X-dimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) would be 18.5 mm (0.74 in.) wide by 2.5 mm (0.10 in.) high.
(01)15012345678907
Figure 31 RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol
The figure below shows the structure of the RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol. An RSS Limited Symbol contains two data characters and a check character. The check character encodes a modulo 89 check value for data security.
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Figure 32 RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol Structure
The left and right Guard Bar Patterns consist of a narrow bar and narrow space. The RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol does not require a Quiet Zone.
RSS Expanded Versions

RSS Expanded is a variable length linear symbology capable of encoding up to 74 numeric or 41 alphabetic characters of AI Element String data. RSS Expanded is designed to encode primary and supplementary data in items for Point-of-Sale (POS) and other applications. It has the same capabilities as an UCC/EAN-128 Symbol except that it is also designed to be scanned by omnidirectional slot scanners. It is designed for variable weight products, perishable products, traceable retail products, and coupons. The figure below shows the structure of a six-segment RSS Expanded Symbol. RSS Expanded Symbols contain a check character, 3 to 21 data characters and 2 to 11 finder patterns, depending on the symbol length. RSS Expanded is capable of being scanned in separate segments, each segment consisting of a data character or check character and the adjacent finder pattern. The check character encodes a modulo 211 check value for data security.
Figure 33 RSS Expanded Structure
The left and right Guard Bar Patterns consist of a narrow bar and narrow space. RSS Expanded does not require a Quiet Zone.
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RSS Expanded
The RSS Expanded Bar Code Symbol has a variable width (from 4 to 22 symbol characters, or a minimum of 102X wide and a maximum of 534X wide) and is 34X high (where X is the width of a module). The symbol starts with a 1X space and ends with either a 1X bar or space. For example, the RSS Expanded Symbol shown below with an X-dimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) would be 37.75 mm (1.51 in.) wide by 8.5 mm (0.34 in.) high.
(01)90614141000015(3202)000150
Figure 34 RSS Expanded Bar Code Symbol
RSS Expanded Stacked

The RSS Expanded Stacked Bar Code Symbol is a multi-row stacked version of RSS Expanded. It can be printed in widths of 2 to 20 segments and can have from 2 to 11 rows. Its structure includes a 3X high separator pattern between rows. It is designed to be read by an omnidirectional scanner such as a retail slot scanner. The RSS Expanded Stacked Symbol shown below with an X-dimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.) would be 25.5 mm (1.02 in.) wide by 17.75 mm (0.71 in.) high. The white space at the end of the second row of the symbol shown in the figure below is not part of the symbol and can be used for other purposes, such as text.
(01)90614141000015(3202)0001
Figure 35 RSS Expanded Stacked Bar Code Symbol
RSS Expanded Stacked is used when the symbol area or print mechanism is not wide enough to accommodate the full single-row RSS Expanded Symbol. It is designed for variable weight products, perishable products, traceable retail products, and coupons.
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Compressed Element String Sequences

While RSS Expanded Symbols can encode any sequence of Application Identifier (AI) data up to the maximum capacity of the symbol, certain sequences of AI Element Strings have been selected for special compression in RSS Expanded versions. If the application requires the use of the AI Element Strings in one of these sequences and they are used in the predefined sequence, a smaller symbol will result. The selected sequences are two types: fixed length, where the sequence of selected AI Element Strings is the only data encoded, and open-ended, where the sequence occurs at the start of the symbol's data, and other AI Element Strings may be added following the sequence. If the data to be encoded in an RSS Expanded Symbol starts with a sequence defined as fixed length but is followed by additional AI Element Strings, all the data will be encoded normally without special compression.
Fixed-Length Sequences
AI (01) and Weight with Limited Range This sequence consists of the two Application Identifier (AI) Element Strings AI (01), followed by AI (3103), AI (3202), or AI (3203) for weight. The AI (01) Element String must start with an indicator value of 9 for variable measure. Using AI (3103) (weight in grams), the special compression can only be applied up to a maximum weight of 32.767 kg. Using AI (3202) (weight in 0.01 lbs.) the special compression can only be applied up to a maximum weight of 99.99 lbs. Using AI (3203) (weight in 0.001 lbs.) the special compression can only be applied up to a maximum weight of 22.767 lbs. If the weight is in excess of these values, the sequence defined in AI (01): Weight and Optional Date on page 57 still enables special compression to be performed. AI (01): Weight and Optional Date This sequence consists of the two or three Application Identifier (AI) Element Strings AI (01), AI (310n), or (320n) for weight (n ranging from 0 to 9) and optionally AI (11), AI (13), AI (15), or AI (17) for date. The AI (01) Element String must start with an indicator value of 9 for variable measure. If the date is not needed, this sequence still gives additional compression when the weight is outside the ranges required by the AI (01) and weight with limited range sequence above.
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Open-Ended Sequences
AI (01) and Price This sequence consists of the two Application Identifier (AI) Element Strings, AI (01), followed by AI (392x) for price or AI (393x) for price with ISO currency code (where x is in the range of 0 to 3). The AI (01) Element String must start with an indicator value of 9 for variable measure. For example, this sequence is used for an AI (01) Element String, price and weight, because the fixed-length sequence AI (01) and weight does not give additional compression if the AI Element String for price is added to the end since the length of the sequence is fixed. AI (01) Any sequence that starts with Application Identifier (AI) (01) will have special compression applied to the AI (01). So when the data includes AI (01), it should always be the first Element String encoded.
Human Readable Interpretation in RSS Symbols

The Human Readable Interpretation of data in a bar code must be shown below the bar code symbol. The precise location of the human readable characters and the font used to represent them are not specified for the Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) Symbol. However, characters should be clearly legible (such as OCR-B) and must be obviously associated with the symbol. Application Identifiers (AIs) should be clearly recognisable to facilitate key entry. This is achieved by putting the AI between parentheses in the Human Readable Interpretation. Note: The parentheses are not part of the data and are not encoded in the bar code symbol, following the same principle that applies to UCC/EAN128 Symbols. As an option, the data title may be associated with the data instead of using the AI numbers.
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The figure below shows the weight and price identified with text.
Weight: 1.50 lbs.
Price: $3.55
(01)90614141000015
Figure 36 The Human Readable Interpretation
Data Transmission and Symbology Identifier Prefixes

Default Transmission Mode The EANUCC System requires the use of Symbology Identifiers. Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) family symbols are normally transmitted using Symbology Identifier prefix "]e0" (see Section 5.0.3). For example, an RSS Symbol encoding AI (01) Element String 10012345678902 produces the transmitted data string "]e00110012345678902." Data transmission follows the same principles that apply to the concatenation of AI Element Strings from UCC/EAN-128 Symbols. If a 2D Composite Component accompanies a RSS family linear symbol, the AI Element String data from the 2D Composite Component immediately follows the linear component's data. However, readers have an option to transmit only the linear component data and ignore the 2D Composite Component. UCC/EAN-128 Symbol Emulation Mode Readers also have an option for UCC/EAN-128 Symbol emulation mode. This mode emulates the UCC/EAN-128 Symbology for data transmission. This mode is used for applications programmed for UCC/EAN-128 but not yet programmed to recognise the Symbology Identifier prefix "]e0." The Symbology Identifier for UCC/EAN-128 emulation mode is "]C1." RSS Expanded Symbols that exceed 48 data characters are transmitted as two messages so as not to exceed the maximum UCC/EAN-128 Symbol message length. Each of the two messages has a Symbology Identifier prefix of "]C1" and does not exceed 48 data characters. The two messages are split at a boundary between two Element Strings. This mode is inferior to the normal transmission mode as message integrity may be lost when a message is split.
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Width of a Module (X-dimension)

The range of the X-dimension will be defined by the application specification, having due regard to the availability of equipment for the production and reading of symbols and complying with the general requirements of the application. The X-dimension shall be constant throughout a given symbol.
Print Quality Grade

The International Standard ISO/IEC 15416 Automatic identification and data capture techniques - Bar code print quality test specification - Linear symbols methodology should be used for measuring and grading the Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) family of symbols. The ISO/IEC 15416 print quality specification is functionally identical to the older ANSI and CEN print quality specifications. The print quality grade is measured by verifiers that comply with the standard. The grade includes a grade level, measuring aperture, and the wavelength of light used for the measurement. The minimum quality grade for RSS Symbols is: 1.5 / 6 / 670 where
1.5 is the overall symbol quality grade. 6 is the measuring aperture reference number (corresponding to an 0.15
mm or 0.006 in. diameter aperture).
670 is the peak response wavelength in nanometres.

In addition to the minimum print quality grade, all elements in the row separator patterns should be visually distinguishable.
Advice for Selecting the Symbology

Any use of Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) should comply with EANUCC System global application guidelines. RSS is not meant to replace other EANUCC System Symbologies. Existing applications that are satisfactorily utilising EAN/UPC Symbols, ITF-14 Symbols, or UCC/ EAN-128 Symbols should continue to use them. Note: Scanning systems that need to read RSS Symbols must be appropriately programmed. If RSS is used on items that will be read by omnidirectional slot scanners, then RSS-14, RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional, RSS Expanded, or RSS Expanded Stacked should be used. If only an AI (01) is to be encoded,
Symbology details
then RSS-14 or RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional should be used. The selection of one or the other depends on the aspect ratio of the area available for the symbol. If supplementary Application Identifier (AI) Element Strings are required or the primary identification has an AI other than AI (01), then RSS Expanded or RSS Expanded Stacked must be used. The selection of one or the other depends on the width of the print head or the area available for the symbol. If RSS is used on small items that do not need omnidirectional scanning capability, then RSS-14 Stacked, RSS Limited, or RSS-14 Truncated should be used. RSS Limited cannot be used to encode an EAN/UCC-14 number structure with an indicator value greater than 1. Otherwise RSS-14 or RSS-14 Stacked must be used. RSS-14 Stacked is the smallest symbol; however as the heights of both rows are very low, it is harder to scan and cannot be used with wand scanners. If space is available, RSS Limited can be used for number structures that it can encode. Otherwise RSS-14 Truncated should be used for EAN/UCC-14 Data Structures with an indicator value greater than 1. If the symbol is an RSS Composite Symbol, then using a wider RSS Symbol such as RSS-14 Truncated instead of RSS Limited may be preferable because the wider companion 2D Composite Component may result in an RSS Composite Symbol of lower overall height even though the RSS component itself is slightly taller. If the data capacity in a two-column or three-column CC-B 2D Composite Component is inadequate to encode the required 2D component's data message, then the linear component can be changed to increase the number of columns of the companion CC-B component. This will increase the maximum data capacity of the CC-B component as shown in the figure below.
Number of CC-B Used With Columns 2 3 4 RSS-14 Stacked RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional RSS Limited RSS-14 RSS Expanded RSS Expanded Stacked Maximum Numeric Characters 95 219 338 Maximum Alpha Characters
55 127 196
Figure 37 Data Capacity of CC-B
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EANUCC Composite Symbology

Introduction
The EANUCC Composite Symbology integrates both an EANUCC System linear symbol and a 2D Composite Component as a single symbology. There are three types of EANUCC Composite Symbols A, B and C, each with different encoding rules. The encoder model is designed to automatically select the appropriate type and optimise. The linear component encodes the item's primary identification. The adjacent 2D Composite Component encodes supplementary data, such as a batch number and expiration date. The EANUCC Composite Symbol always includes a linear component so that the primary identification is readable by all scanning technologies. The EANUCC Composite Symbol always includes a multi-row 2D Composite Component that can be read with linear- and area-CCD scanners, and with linear and rastering laser scanners. The EANUCC Composite Symbology is described in the Automatic Identification Manufacturers, Inc. AIM ITS 99-002 - International Symbology Specification - EANUCC Composite Symbology.
EANUCC Composite Symbology Characteristics

The characteristics of the EANUCC Composite Symbology are:
Encodable character set: - Linear components: EAN/UPC Symbol, RSS-14 Symbol versions, and RSS
Limited Symbol: digits 0 through 9
UCC/EAN-128 Symbol and RSS Expanded Symbol: a subset of

Table 1 of the International Standard ISO/IEC 646, consisting of the uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, spaces, and 20 selected punctuation characters in addition to the Function 1 Character (FNC1)
- 2D Composite Components: All types: UCC/EAN-128 Symbols and RSS Expanded Symbols
together with the symbol separator character
Additionally, for CC-B and CC-C: 2D Composite Component

escape character
Symbol character structure: Various (n,k) symbol characters are used

in accordance with the underlying symbology of the selected linear and 2D Composite Components of the symbol.
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Symbology details
Code type: - Linear component: continuous, linear bar code symbology - 2D Composite Component: continuous, multi-row bar code
symbology
Maximum numeric data capacity: - Linear component:

UCC/EAN-128 Symbol: up to 48 digits EAN/UPC Symbol: 8, 12, or 13 digits RSS Expanded Symbol: up to 74 digits Other RSS Symbols: 16 digits
- 2D Composite Component:
CC-A: up to 56 digits CC-B: up to 338 digits CC-C: up to 2,361 digits
Error detection and correction: - Linear component: a modulo check value for error detection - 2D Composite Component: a fixed or variable number of ReedSolomon error correction codewords, depending upon the specific 2D Composite Component
Character self-checking Bi-directionally decodable

Additional Features The following is a summary of additional EANUCC Composite Symbology features:
Data compaction: The 2D Composite Components utilise a bitoriented compaction mode designed to encode data efficiently using Application Identifiers (AIs).
Component linkage: The 2D Composite Component of each EANUCC

Composite Symbol contains a linkage flag, which indicates to the reader that no data shall be transmitted unless the associated linear component is also scanned and decoded. All linear components except EAN/UPC Symbols also contain an explicit linkage flag.
UCC/EAN-128 Symbol emulation: Readers set to the UCC/EAN-128

Symbol emulation mode transmit the data encoded within the EANUCC Composite Symbol as if the data were encoded in one or more UCC/EAN-128 Symbols.
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Symbology details
A symbol separator character: a flag character to support future

applications that instructs the reader to terminate transmission of the message at that point and to transmit the remaining data as a separate message
2D Composite Component escape mechanism: a mechanism to support

future applications that require data content beyond the ISO 646 subset encodable in the standard form of the EANUCC Composite Symbology
Symbol Structure
Each EANUCC Composite Symbol consists of a linear component and a multi-row 2D Composite Component. The 2D Composite Component is printed above the linear component. The two components are separated by a separator pattern. Up to 3X of light space is permitted between the separator pattern and 2D Composite Component to facilitate printing the two components separately; however, if the two components are printed at one time, the nominal alignment should be followed as shown in the figure below. The AI (01) Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is encoded in the RSS Limited linear component. The AI (17) expiration date and the AI (10) lot number are encoded in the CC-A 2D Composite Component.
(01)13112345678906(17)010615(10)A123456
Figure 38 RSS Limited Composite Symbol with CC-A
The linear component is one of the following:
A member of the EAN/UPC Symbology (EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, or

UPC-E)
A member of the Reduced Space Symbology (RSS) family A UCC/EAN-128 Symbol

The choice of linear component determines the name of the EANUCC Composite Symbol, such as an EAN-13 Composite Symbol, or a UCC/ EAN-128 Composite Symbol. The 2D Composite Component (abbreviated as CC) is chosen based on the selected linear component and on the amount of supplementary data to be encoded. The three 2D Composite Components, listed in order of increasing maximum data capacity, are:
CC-A: a variant of MicroPDF417 CC-B: a MicroPDF417 symbol with new encoding rules CC-C: a PDF417 symbol with new encoding rules
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Symbology details
(01)03812345678908(10)ABCD123456(410)3898765432108
Figure 39 UCC/EAN-128 Composite Symbol with CC-C
In the above figure, the AI (01) GTIN is encoded in the UCC/EAN-128 Symbol linear component. The AI (10) lot number and the AI (410) ship-to location are encoded in the CC-C 2D Composite Component. Based upon the width of the linear component, a choice of "best-fit" 2D Composite Component is specified. Figure 40 lists all of the permissible combinations.
Linear Component UPC-A and EAN-13 EAN-8 UPC-E UCC/EAN-128 RSS-14 and RSS-14 Truncated RSS-14 Stacked and RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional RSS Limited RSS Expanded and RSS Expanded Stacked CC-A/CC-B Yes (4 columns) Yes (3 columns) Yes (2 columns) Yes (4 columns) Yes (4 columns) Yes (2 columns) Yes (3 columns) Yes (4 columns) CC-C No No No Yes (variable width) No No No No
Figure 40 Permissible Combinations of Linear and 2D Composite Components
CC-A Structure
CC-A is a variant of MicroPDF417 with a unique combination of row address patterns (RAP). It is the smallest of the 2D Composite Components and can encode up to 56 digits. It has from 3 to 12 rows and 2 to 4 columns. Each row is a minimum of 2X high (where X is the width of a module, narrow bar or space). A 1X high minimum separator pattern is positioned between the linear component and 2D Composite Component. (A different separator pattern, 6X high, is used in EANUCC Composite Symbols with EAN/UPC linear components).
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Each column contains one n,k = 17,4 data or error correction character (codeword) per row (n is the number of modules, and k is the number of bars and also the number of spaces). So the width of a codeword is 17X. In addition to the codeword columns, CC-A has two or three n,k = 10,3 RAP columns that encode the row numbers (each 10X wide). The right most RAP column is terminated on the right by a 1X bar so it is 11X instead of 10X wide. Each row also requires a 1X Quiet Zone at each end. There is no Quiet Zone required above CC-A. The separator pattern is printed directly above the linear component and no Quiet Zone is required below the CC-A. The two-column and three-column CC-A versions have two RAP columns, and the four-column CC-A version has three RAP columns, as shown in the figure below.
Quiet Zone RAP Column Codeword Column Codeword Column RAP Column Quiet Zone
Two Column CC-A Structure
Quitet Zone
Codeword RAP Column Column
Codeword Codeword RAP Column Column Column
Quiet Zone
Three Column CC-A Structure
Quiet Zone
RAP Column
Quiet Zone
Four Column CC-A Structure

Figure 41 CC-A Column Structures
The figure below lists all possible column and row combinations for CC-A. It also shows the capacity and size of the 2D Composite Components. For example, a two-column, five-row CC-A would be 57X wide (including 1X for the extra right-most guard bar) by 10X high (not including the separator pattern). With an X-dimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.), it would be 14.25 mm (0.57 in.) wide by 2.50 mm (0.10 in.) high.
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Number of Data Columns (c) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4
Number Total of Rows CWs in (r) Data Region 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 4 5 6 7 8 3 4 5 6 7 10 12 14 16 18 20 24 12 15 18 21 24 12 16 20 24 28
Number of EC CWs (k) 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 4 5 6 7 7 4 5 6 7 8
Percent of CWs for EC 40.00% 33.33% 35.71% 31.25% 33.33% 30.00% 29.17% 33.33% 33.33% 33.33% 33.33% 29.17% 33.33% 31.25% 30.00% 29.17% 28.57%
Number of CWs for Data 6 8 9 11 12 14 17 8 10 12 14 17 8 11 14 17 20
Max Max Alpha Digits Chars 8 12 13 17 18 22 26 12 15 18 22 26 12 17 22 26 31 16 22 24 30 33 39 47 22 27 33 39 47 22 30 39 47 56
Component Component Width, in X Height, in (see note 1) X (see note 2) 57 57 57 57 57 57 57 74 74 74 74 74 101 101 101 101 101 10 12 14 16 18 20 24 8 10 12 14 16 6 8 10 12 14
Figure 42 CC-A Row and Column Sizes
CW = Codeword; EC = Error Correction Note 1: Includes a 1X Quiet Zone on each side Note 2: Assumes row height = 2X; does not include separator pattern
CC-B Structure
CC-B is a MicroPDF417 symbol uniquely identified by the codeword 920 as the first codeword in the symbol. Encoding systems normally automatically select CC-B when the data to be encoded exceeds the capacity of CC-A. CC-B can encode up to 338 digits. It has from 10 to 44 rows and 2 to 4 columns. Each row is a minimum of 2X high (where X is the width of a module, narrow bar or space). A 1X high minimum separator pattern is positioned between the linear component and 2D Composite Component. (A different separator pattern, 6X high, is used in EANUCC Composite Symbols with EAN/UPC linear components).
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Symbology details
Each column contains one n,k = 17,4 data or error correction character (codeword) per row (where n is the number of modules, and k is the number of bars and also the number of spaces). So the width of a codeword is 17X. In addition to the codeword columns, CC-B has two or three n,k = 10,3 row address pattern (RAP) columns that encode the row numbers (each 10X wide). The rightmost RAP column is terminated on the right by a 1X bar, so it is 11X instead of 10X wide. Each row also requires a 1X Quiet Zone on each end. There is no Quiet Zone required above CC-B. The separator pattern is printed directly above the linear component and no Quiet Zone is required below the CC-B. The two-column CC-B version has two RAP columns and the three- and four-column CC-B versions have three RAP columns, as shown in the figure below
RAP Column Codeword Column Codeword Column RAP Column
Two Column CC-B Structure
RAP Column
Codeword RAP Column Column
Three Column CC-B Structure
RAP Column
Four Column CC-B Structure

Figure 43 CC-B Column Structures
CC-B differs from CC-A in the three-column structure in that CC-B has a third RAP column on the left end that is missing in CC-A. The figure below lists all the possible column and row combinations for CC-B. It also shows the capacity and size of the 2D Composite Components. For example a four-column, 10-row CC-B would be 101X wide by 20X high (not including the separator pattern). With an Xdimension of 0.25 mm (0.010 in.), it would be 25.25 mm (1.01 in.) wide by 5.00 mm (0.20 in.) high.
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Number Number Total of Data of Rows CWs in Data Columns (r) Region (c) 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 17 20 23 26 15 20 26 32 38 44 10 12 15 20 26 32 38 44 34 40 46 52 45 60 78 96 114 132 40 48 60 80 104 128 152 176
Number Percent of EC of CWs CWs (k) for EC 10 11 13 15 21 26 32 38 44 50 16 18 21 26 32 38 44 50 29 28 28 29 47 43 41 40 39 38 40 38 35 33 31 30 29 28
Number Number Max of nonof CWs Alpha EC CWs for Data chars (Note 1) 24 29 33 37 24 34 46 58 70 82 24 30 39 54 72 90 108 126 22 27 31 35 22 32 44 56 68 80 22 28 37 52 70 88 106 124 34 42 48 55 34 50 68 88 107 127 34 43 58 82 111 139 168 196
Max Digits
CC-B Width, in X (see Note 2) 57 57 57 57 84 84 84 84 84 84 101 101 101 101 101 101 101 101
CC-B Height, in X (see Note 3) 34 40 46 52 30 40 52 64 76 88 20 24 30 40 52 64 76 88
59 73 84 96 59 86 118 153 185 219 59 75 100 141 192 240 290 338
Figure 44 CC-B Row and Column Sizes
CW = Codeword; EC = Error correction Note 1: Excludes EC codewords and 2 codewords to define CC-B encodation Note 2: Including 1X Quiet Zones on either side Note 3: Assumes Y = 2X; does not include separator pattern
CC-C Structure
CC-C is a PDF417 symbol uniquely identified by the codeword 920 as the first codeword in the symbol following the symbol length descriptor. CC-C can be used as a 2D Composite Component within a UCC/EAN-128 Composite Symbol. It has the greatest data capacity of the EANUCC Composite Symbols, encoding up to 2,361 digits. It has from 3 to 30 rows and 1 to 30 data/EC codeword columns.
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Symbology details
Each row is a minimum of 3X high (where X is the width of a module, narrow bar or space). A 1X high minimum separator pattern is positioned between the linear component and 2D Composite Component. Each column contains one n,k = 17,4 data or error correction character (codeword) per row (where n is the number of modules, and k is the number of bars and also the number of spaces). So the width of a data/EC codeword is 17X. In addition to the codeword columns, CC-C has two 17,4 row indicator columns, a 17X wide start pattern, and a 18X wide stop pattern as illustrated in Figure 45. Each row also requires a 2X Quiet Zone on each end. There is no Quiet Zone required above CC-C. The separator pattern is printed directly above the linear component, and no Quiet Zone is required below the CC-C.
Start Pattern Left Row Indicator 1 to 30 Data/EC Right Row Codeword Columns Indicator Column Figure 45 CC-C Row Structure Stop Pattern
CC-C is normally printed with the number of columns that will result in a width nearly matching the width of the UCC/EAN-128 Symbol linear component. However, as an option, the user may specify a wider CC-C to be printed. This reduces the height of the 2D Composite Component. A lower EANUCC Composite Symbol may be needed to fit in a heightrestricted application. A wider CC-C may also be required if the amount of data would not fit in the default width CC-C.
Special Compressed Element String Sequences

While 2D Composite Components can encode any sequence of Application Identifier (AI) Element Strings up to the maximum capacity of the component, certain sequences of AI Element Strings have been selected for special compression in 2D Composite Component Symbols. If the application requires the use of the AI Element Strings in one of these sequences, and they are used in the predefined sequence, a smaller symbol will result. For special compression to be performed, the AI Element String sequence must occur at the start of the 2D Composite Component's data. Other AI Element Strings may be added following the sequence. The AI Element Strings selected for special compression are:
Production date and lot number: AI (11) production date followed by

AI (10) lot number
Expiration date and lot number: AI (17) expiration date followed by AI

(10) lot number
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AI (90): AI (90) followed by the Element String data starting with an

alphabetic character and a digit; AI (90) may be used to encode data identifier data; the AI (90) followed by data in the data identifier format has special compression applied only if it is the start of the first Element String.
Human Readable Interpretation in Composite Symbols

The Human Readable Interpretation of the linear component of the EANUCC Composite Symbol must be shown below the linear component. If there is a Human Readable Interpretation of the 2D Composite Component, there is no required location, but it should be close to the EANUCC Composite Symbol. The precise location of the human readable characters and the font used to represent them are not specified for EANUCC Composite Symbols. However, the characters should be clearly legible (such as OCR-B) and must be obviously associated with the symbol. Application Identifiers (AIs) should be clearly recognisable to facilitate key entry. This is achieved by putting the AI between parentheses in the Human Readable Interpretation. Note: The parentheses are not part of the data and are not encoded in the bar code symbol, following exactly the same principle that applies to UCC/ EAN 128 Symbols. As an option, the data title (see EAN Australia User Manual - Numbering and Bar Coding Data titles on page 128) may be associated with the data instead of using AIs. The figure below shows the expiration date and lot number identified with text. This can be compared with Figure 38, where the same data is shown using the all-AI format.
Exp. Date: JUN 15, 2001
Lot #: A123456
(0 1 )1 3 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 6
Figure 46 The Human Readable Interpretation
For EANUCC Composite Symbols encoding a large amount of data, it may not be practical to display all the data in Human Readable Interpretation form or, even if there is space to show it in this form, it may not be practical to key enter that much data. In these instances, some of the
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Symbology details
data may be omitted from the Human Readable Interpretation. However, primary identification data such as the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) must always be shown. Application specifications provide guidance on Human Readable Interpretation.
Data Transmission and Symbology Identifier Prefixes

Default Transmission Mode The EANUCC System requires the use of Symbology Identifiers. EANUCC Composite Symbols are normally transmitted using Symbology Identifier prefix "]e0," with the data from the 2D Composite Component directly appended to that of the linear component. For example, an EANUCC Composite Symbol encoding (01)10012345678902(10)ABC123 produces the data string "]e0011001234567890210ABC123" (note that the Symbology Identifier prefix "]e0" is different from the Symbology Identifier prefix "]E0," which has an uppercase "E" and is used for standard EAN/UPC Symbols). However, readers have an option to transmit only the linear component data and ignore the 2D Composite Component. Data transmission follows the same principles that apply to the concatenation of Application Identifier (AI) Element Strings from UCC/ EAN-128 Symbols. If the linear component data ends with a variable length AI Element String, an ASCII 29 character (GS) is inserted between it and the first character of the data from the 2D Composite Component. UCC/EAN-128 Symbol Transmission Mode Readers also have an option for UCC/EAN-128 Symbol emulation mode. This mode emulates the UCC/EAN-128 Symbology for data transmission. It can be used for applications programmed for UCC/EAN-128 Symbols but not yet programmed to recognise the Symbology Identifier prefix "]e0." The Symbology Identifier for UCC/EAN-128 Symbol emulation mode is "]C1." EANUCC Composite Symbols that exceed 48 data characters are transmitted as two or more messages so as not to exceed the maximum UCC/EAN-128 Symbol message length. Each of the messages has a Symbology Identifier prefix of "]C1" and does not exceed 48 data characters. The messages are split at boundaries between Element Strings. This mode is inferior to the normal transmission mode as message integrity may be lost when a message is split into multiple messages. Symbol Separator Character The 2D Composite Component can encode symbol separator characters as defined in the decoder. This character instructs the reader to terminate the current EANUCC Composite Symbol's data message and transmit the data following the symbol separator as a separate message. This new message will have the Symbology Identifier prefix of "]e1." This feature will be used for future EANUCC System applications such as encoding the mixed contents of a logistical container.
Symbology details
2D Composite Component Escape Mechanism The CC-B and CC-C also can encode 2D Composite Component escape mechanism codewords. These instruct the reader to terminate the current EANUCC Composite Symbol's data message and transmit the data following the escape mechanism codeword as a separate message. This new message has the Symbology Identifier prefix of "]e2" for standard data message or "]e3" if the data message includes an ECI codeword. The codewords following the escape mechanism codeword are encoded and decoded using the standard PDF417 encoding defined in ISO/IEC 15438 Automatic identification and data capture techniques - Symbology specification - PDF417. This feature is used for future EANUCC System applications that require characters beyond the ISO 646 character subset defined for Application Identifier (AI) Element String data.
Width of a Module (X)

The X-dimension of the 2D Composite Component must be the same as that of the associated linear component. Refer to the linear component's Xdimension requirements.
Print Quality
The print quality assessment methodology defined in the International Standard ISO/IEC 15416 should be used for measuring and grading the linear components. The ISO print quality specification is functionally identical to the older ANSI and CEN print quality specifications. The print quality grade is measured by verifiers that apply the standard. The print quality grade reported includes a grade level, measuring aperture, and the wavelength of light used for the measurement. AIM ITS 99-002 - International Symbology Specification - MicroPDF417 and ISO/IEC 15438 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques - Symbology specification - PDF417 specify the methods for determining the print quality grade of the 2D Composite Components CC-A/B and CC-C respectively. An additional grading parameter unused error correction (UEC) is defined in these specifications. The minimum quality grade for EANUCC Composite Symbols is: 1.5 / 6 / 670 where
1.5 is the overall symbol quality grade. 6 is the measuring aperture reference number (corresponding to an 0.15
mm or 0.006 in. diameter aperture).
670 is the peak response wavelength in nanometres. In addition to the

print quality grade, all elements in the separator patterns should be visually distinguishable.
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Symbology details
Both the linear component and the 2D Composite Component must independently achieve the minimum print quality grade. Note: An international standard methodology for quality grading twodimensional symbologies is under development and may eventually supersede the method defined in the above specifications.
Advice for Selecting the Symbology

Any use of the 2D Composite Component should comply with EANUCC System global application guidelines. The linear component of an EANUCC Composite Symbol should be selected according to the application rules defined in the General EANUCC Specifications, but where a choice of linear components is available for the application, consideration should also be given to the 2D Composite Component options available. A wider linear component will result in a shorter 2D Composite Component and, particularly for CC-B, a higher capacity symbol. For CC-A and CC-B, the selection of the linear component automatically determines the number of columns of the 2D Composite Component. The selection of CC-A or CC-B is automatically determined by the amount of data to be encoded. CC-A is always used unless the data exceeds its capacity. When the linear component is a UCC/EAN-128 Symbol, the user may specify CC-A/B or CC-C. CC-A/B will produce a smaller 2D Composite Component. However, CC-C can increase in width to match the width of the UCC/EAN-128 Symbol or be selected to be even wider. This may produce an EANUCC Composite Symbol of lower height. CC-C also has a larger data capacity, so it is suitable for applications such as logistics.
(99)1234-abcd
Figure 47 EAN-13 Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A Component
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Figure 48 UPC-A Symbol with a Four-Column CC-B Component
Ser. #: A12345678
Figure 49 EAN-8 Symbol with a Three-Column CC-A
(15)021231
Figure 50 UPC-E Symbol with a Two-Column CC-A
(01)03612345678904(11)990102
Figure 51 RSS-14 Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A
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(01)03412345678900(17)010200
Figure 52 RSS-14 Stacked Symbol with a Two-Column CC-A
(01)03512345678907 Figure 53 RSS Limited Symbol with a Three-Column CC-B
(01)93712345678904(3103)001234 (91)1A2B3C4D5E Figure 54 RSS Expanded Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A
(01)03212345678906 (21)A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8
Figure 55 UCC/EAN-128 Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A
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Introduction
This section is for printers, film master suppliers, and anyone else interested in producing bar codes used in the EANUCC system. It outlines:
the considerations to make during the production processes methods that allow you to achieve acceptable quality for the authorised
EANUCC symbologies: EAN/UPC, ITF-14, and UCC/EAN-128.
The beginning of this section contains general information for EAN/

UPC, ITF-14, and UCC/EAN-128 bar codes. Specific details for each symbology are provided later in this section. EANUCC do not directly specify required dimensions and tolerances in the final printed bar code. Instead, they specify conditions to fulfil at each stage of the production process. By adhering to these conditions, scanning equipment should be capable of reading the bar code you produce. If you do want to check that a printed bar code meets the requirements of this manual, you must use verification equipment that responds exactly in accordance with the printing requirements stated in this section. This is particularly vital in regard to the spectral range you choose. Results you obtain from inappropriate verification equipment can be seriously misleading in both over and under estimating the acceptability of printed bar codes.
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General printing and production information

Different ways to print a bar code
There are three ways you can print a bar code:
at sourceas part of the final film of the packaging; often called source
marking
on-lineprinting directly onto the package during production print and apply methoda label applied to the package when required.
Producing an accurate bar code on an item at source involves a number of separate processes, each contributing to the quality of the final result. This section describes these processes. Producing on-line and print and apply method bar codes uses printing machines that convert data into bar codes. These processes are almost totally automated and are covered briefly in this section. In addition, Appendix 1 on page 113 contains information regarding Thermal Transfer, Direct Thermal and General Office Printing of EAN/UPC bar codes.
Production processes for source marked bar codes

The main processes in producing a source marked bar code are:
assessing the printing conditions determining the magnification factor and bar width reduction necessary
to compensate for the printing conditions
producing a film master that represents the bar code making printing plates printing the bar code on the packaging performing print quality checks.
These processes, except producing the film master, are normally undertaken by specialist printers. Specialist film master suppliers produce the film masters. Both specialists employ techniques at their own discretion to produce bar codes that are within EANUCC specifications.
Read all general information; then follow the information under the
headings in this section for the type of bar code you are printing.
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Print gain and variation

When a film master with nominal (100%) X-dimensions (module widths) is converted into a printing plate and printed onto a package, the printed bars usually end up wider than the bars on the film master. The amount by which a printed bar is wider than the same bar on the film master is called print gain, and is caused by factors such as:
plate making print pressure absorbent substrate ink coverage.
See Figure 56. Print gain 0.33 mm
0.30 mm
Print gain = 0.03 mm Original film master bar
Printed bar
Figure 56 Typical print gain for a single bar in an EAN-13 bar code
During the course of a print run, the extent of print gain usually differs between individual impressions. The difference in the amount of print gain is called variation.
In preparation for printing a bar code, you must first assess the average
print gain and extent of variation you encounter in the normal printing process.
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Assessing print gain and variation

Assess the average print gain and extent of variation you normally
encounter in the day-to-day printing on the packaging. Make all assessments under the following conditions.
Use a printability gauge or a film master of an actual bar code. Obtain

printability gauges from EAN Australia.
Integrate the film master or printability gauge in an inconspicuous area

of the printing plates of a current production run. Make sure the production run is using the same ink qualities and substrate as those for the production run for the bar code you are assessing.
Perform print gain and variation assessments during the actual

production run. Include all the variations likely to affect print quality. Make sure you cover all possible extremes of printing circumstances during the assessment.
Print bars parallel to, and at right angles to, the direction of print. Methods for determining the print gain and variation for the EAN/UPC,
ITF-14, and UCC/EAN-128 symbologies are described later in this section.
Variation is the difference in the amount of print gain through a full

print run.
Print quality checks

If all allowances are properly made in the preparation of the film master, it may be sufficient to only carry out spot checks in the course of, and during, the print run. Spot checks carried out regularly during a print run can give a good indication if print quality is deteriorating. Perform a spot check by:
verifying using a verifier which uses the ISO grading (ANSI) method. taking a direct measurement of a particular bar in the printed bar code
or the first two bars and spaces.
using the printability gauge. When you perform spot checks using the
printability gauge, print the appropriate part of the gauge in an inconspicuous part of the package, in addition to the bar code. Spot checks then reveal whether the printability gauge pattern is still printing to the same standard achieved during the assessment. ISO/IEC 15416 describes a method for looking at the quality of printed bar code using an ISO(ANSI) based verifier as a tool. The verifier is programmed to look at certain characteristics of the bar code the way a
scanner would, provide scan grades, and after ten scans provide an ISO symbol grade. The EANUCC utilises the ISO method, but specifies the minimum grade necessary for every EANUCC bar code depending on which bar code is used, where it is used, or what identification code it is carrying. In addition to the minimum grade, EANUCC also specifies the verifier aperture width and wavelength. This would be similar to a university using a standardised test to determine whether applicants qualify for admission. Several universities may utilise the same standardised test, but each sets the minimum score necessary for their applicants to be admitted. The table below provides you with a quick reference list of the bar code quality parameters depending on their type, their application, or the identification code they are carrying.
Symbology ISO (ANSI) Minimum Symbol Grade 1.5 (C) 1.5 (C) 1.5 (C) 0.5 (D) Aperture Wavelength
EAN/UPC UCC/EAN-128 ITF-14 ( Xdim 0.635 mm ) ITF-14 ( Xdim 0.635 mm )
6 mils 10 mils 10 mils 20 mils
670nm +/-10 670nm +/-10 670nm +/-10 670nm +/-10
Table 23 ISO (ANSI) parameters
For example a EAN/UPC bar code will always be verified using a 6 mils aperture, a 670nm(nanometer) +/-10 wavelength of light, and require a minimum symbol grade of 1.5 (C).
Colours, contrast, and reflectance

Scanners recognise a bar code by seeing the difference between light and dark areas. Various factors can affect the recognition process. Their explanations follow.
Reflectance factor and reflection density

The reflectance factor is the ratio of reflected flux to the reference reflected flux rs. See the Glossary for definitions of these terms. The reflection density required for the dark bars depends on the reflection density of the light background being used.
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Mathematically, when R is the reflectance factor and D is reflection density: D = log 10 R Measure reflectance to ensure your bar code is acceptable. Make the measurements under the following conditions, with equipment meeting the stated specifications. In Geometric conditions, centre the incident illumination 45o to the normal to the sample and the reflected flux collected by a receiver subtending a solid angle centred on the normal to the sample. The sampling aperture should be a circular area of a minimum 0.2 mm and maximum 0.56 mm in diameter. In Spectral conditions, illuminate the sample by light having a spectral power distribution which corresponds to CIE source A, obtained using a gas filled, coiled-tungsten filament lamp operating at a correlated colour temperature of 2856 K. The photometric receiver of the reflected flux should have a relative spectral sensitivity corresponding to a photomultiplier with an S-4 response as specified by the American Joint Electronic Devices Engineering Council, used with a Wratten 26 filter meeting nominal specifications.
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Contrast
Print Contrast Signal (PCS) is affected by the reflectance factor of the light and dark bars. Mathematically, when PCS is print contrast, RL is the reflectance factor of the light background, and RD is the reflectance factor of the dark background: PCS = RL RD RL
For ITF-14 and UCC/EAN-128 bar codes, most values of RL require

less contrast than EAN/UPC bar codes. However, ITF-14 and UCC/ EAN-128 bar codes with RL values greater than 65 have more stringent specifications than equivalent EAN/UPC bar codes. Refer to Table 24 and Table 25.
100 90
Minimum PCS
Acceptable area
80 70 60 50
use either method 1.5
Minimum dark bar density

1.0
Acceptable area
0.5
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
Light background density Figure 57 EAN/UPC bar code density and PCS
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Light bars D 0 .025 .050 .075 .100 .125 .150 .175 .200 .250 .275 .300 .325 .350 .375 .400 .425 .450 .475 .500 RL 100 94.4 89.1 84.1 79.4 74.9 70.8 66.8 63.1 56.2 53.1 50.1 47.3 44.7 42.2 39.9 37.5 35.5 33.5 31.6 D .300 .365 .430 .495 .560 .625 .690 .755 .820 .950 1.015 1.080 1.145 1.210 1.275 1.340 1.405 1.470 1.535 1.600
Dark bars RD 50.1 43.1 37.1 32.0 27.6 23.7 20.4 17.6 15.1 11.2 9.6 8.3 7.2 6.2 5.3 4.6 3.9 3.4 2.9 2.5
Minimum PCS RL RD RL .499 .543 .583 .619 .653 .683 .712 .737 .760 .801 .818 .834 .849 .862 .874 .886 .896 .904 .914 .921
Table 24 EAN/UPC bar code density, reflectance factor, and PCS Light bars D 0.97 .125 .155 .187 .222 .260 .301 .347 .398 .456 .523 .602 Minimum RL > 80 75 70 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 D .699 .727 .757 .789 .824 .861 .903 .949 1.000 1.058 1.125 1.204 Dark bars Minimum RD 20.00 18.75 17.50 16.25 15.00 13.75 12.50 11.25 10.00 8.75 7.50 6.25 Minimum PCS RL RD RL .75 .75 .75 .75 .75 .75 .75 .75 .75 .75 .75 .75
Table 25 Density and reflectance factor for UCC/EAN-128 and ITF-14 bar codes
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Colour
Use any dark and light colour combination that conforms to the reflectance and contrast specifications stated previously. Make the background the light colour. As a general guide to colour selection, it is the blue content of a colour that produces the dark tone when viewed through a Wratten 26 filter. Red and yellow colours correspond to the light tones. Do not use high gloss inks or substrates for the background, because they upset the reflectance and colour combinations.
Show through
For some items, the inside material may show through the light areas of the packaging. This may make the package colour appear dark to the scanner. In these cases, calculate the reflectance and contrast from a finished item, not just the outer package. Different packaging materials reflect light differently, according to the dimensions of the bars and spaces. This is especially evident on transparent and translucent packages, where the background (that is, the spaces) is not printed. In these cases, calculate the bar code contrast specifications from a finished item. Make contrast measurements using the bar code parts where the bars and spaces are at a minimum width, for example, in the centre pattern of an EAN/UPC bar code. When there is the possibility of show through, it is preferable to print both the light background and the dark bars.
Transparent wrapper
A transparent wrapper over the printed bar code tends to slightly reduce the contrast. If you use a transparent wrapper over the printed bar code, consider the transparent wrapper an integral part of the bar code. Make all reflectance measurements with the wrapper over the bar code.
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Specularly reflecting materials

Avoid using specularly reflecting materials (those that are very reflective) for either light or dark areas in a bar code. If such material is the substrate for a bar code, it is advisable to overprint the substrate with two inks having sufficiently different light absorbing characteristics to meet the print contrast requirements. If you cannot avoid using specularly reflecting materials, and the bar code surface is rigid, print the spaces in a light colour. Leave the bars in the reflective substrate, preferably the bare substrate. Otherwise, print a portion of the bar area with a transparent ink that does not significantly change the reflectance. If the bars are not printed, it is preferable to varnish the entire bar code. In these circumstances it is not recommended to print bar codes under 100% magnification. Ensure the human readable digits are highly visible. When using this method, the accuracy of the bar code dimensions is critical.
Film master manufacturers have to execute bar width expansion and

create reverse orientation of film (positive becomes negative and vice versa). They fatten the human readable digits to make them more visible.
Obscuring patterns
You may need to obscure bar codes in some circumstances, for example, on the individual unit packs in a multipack container that carries its own bar code. One way to obscure a bar code is to print a solid layer of ink over the bar code. However, this is not always 100% effective. It is better to print a distraction, in the form of an obscuring pattern, over the bar code. The obscuring pattern printed over the bar code must meet the same print contrast signal level as the bar code you are covering. See Contrast on page 83. Make sure the bar width for the obscuring pattern is the target module width for the magnification factor of the bar code being obscured. Make sure the space width of the obscuring pattern is no more than twice its own bar width.
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Figure 58 Patterns that obscure a bar code
Figure 59 Patterns that do not obscure a bar code
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Special production features of the EAN-13 and EAN-8 bar codes

Basic assessment method for determining the print gain and variation
Use proper sampling over a sufficient variety of production. Measure the bars directly from the printed bar codes. Determine the:
average extremes of print gain (G) variation about this average (V).
The film master supplier makes compensations for both these factors when preparing the film master. Mathematically, if print gain is G, variation is V, the original bar width on the film master is N, and the printed bar width is L, then: L=N+GV The extent of variation in print gain determines the magnification factor to use. The extent of average print gain determines the Bar Width Reduction (BWR). This is the amount by which the bars on the film master must be reduced in width to correct for the print gain.
EAN/UPC magnification factor

The size of the bar code has historically been known as magnification. This technique relies upon setting a nominal size (100%) that is directly related to a given X-dimension (module width). The more precise X-dimension is now also used to specify permissible bar code sizes. The extent of variation in print gain determines the magnification factor by which the bar code must be magnified (or reduced) in relation to the nominal size. Adopt any value of magnification (M) between 0.8 and 2.0 by interpolation of Figure 60 and Table 26.
For general distribution scanning the magnification range is 1.5 to 2.0.

The left column in Table 26 is based on a regular sequence of values of M. The right column is based on a regular sequence of values of V. The finer the ink gain, the smaller the bar code; the broader the ink gain, the larger the bar code.
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Note that for any magnification factor below 1.0, the amount of
acceptable print gain variation rapidly becomes smaller.
EAN/UPC bar code size

Determining the magnification factor determines the amount of space required on the package to accommodate the bar code. The space required needs to accommodate the overall length and height of the bar code which is between 0.8 and 2.0 times the nominal size. For scanning in a general distribution environment the magnification factor is 1.5 to 2.0.
Wherever possible, use a magnification factor higher than the

minimum. This greatly increases the bar code reliability. If you reduce the magnification to below nominal, you may reduce its reliability.
It is the print quality of the bar code and the scanning environment that
determines the minimum magnification factor you must apply, not a predetermined space on the package.
1.9
M Minimum magnification factor
1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 .01 .02 .03 .04 .05 .06 .07 .08 .09 .10 .11 .12 .13 .14 .15 .16 .17 .18 .19 .20 .21 .22 .23 .24 .25 .26 V (mm)
Maximum print gain variation
Figure 60 Graph showing the relationship between maximum print gain variations and minimum magnification factors to apply to EAN/UPC bar codes
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Continuous sequence of values of M Maximum print gain variation (mm) 0.035 0.051 0.069 0.085 0.101 0.108 0.115 0.124 0.132 0.140 0.147 0.152 0.163 0.171 0.178 0.184 0.192 0.201 0.209 0.216 0.224 0.233 0.241 0.250 0.256 Minimum magnification factor 0.80 0.85 0.90 0.95 1.00 1.05 1.10 1.15 1.20 1.25 1.30 1.35 1.40 1.45 1.50 1.55 1.60 1.65 1.70 1.75 1.80 1.85 1.90 1.95 2.00
Continuous sequence of values of V Maximum print gain variation (mm) 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.20 0.22 0.24 0.26 Minimum magnification factor 0.82 0.88 0.94 1.00 1.14 1.25 1.39 1.52 1.65 1.78 1.90 2.00
Table 26 Relationship between maximum print gain variations and minimum magnification factors to apply to EAN/UPC bar codes
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EAN/UPC film master tolerances

The magnification factor compensates for variation in print gain and is the minimum magnification you apply to a bar code. It does not take into account any further magnification required to compensate for tolerances in the preparation of the film master itself, nor does it allow any additional safety margin. The permissible tolerances when preparing a film master of nominal size are:
0.005 mm on any module of 0.33 mm width 0.013 mm on any complete character or auxiliary pattern.
Consult your film master supplier regarding the variation in tolerance to expect, in practice, in the film master. Add this amount to the variation value (V) you calculated in respect to the print gain. See Print gain and variation on page 79. Generally, it is best to add the amount of the modular tolerance (0.005 mm) to the variation value (V) before looking up the required value of M in Table 26.
EAN/UPC bar width reduction

Film master suppliers compensate for the extent of the demonstrated print gain. They achieve this by applying Bar Width Reduction (BWR) to the film master. BWR is equal to the print gain. Reduce the width of every bar by the same amount on the film master symmetrically, that is, on both the left and right sides, by the total amount of the print gain.
Apply the bar width reduction to the film master after carrying out any
magnification to the bar code, not before. The only exception is when printing by Flexography, or any other process producing a print gain in excess of 0.3 mm. The bar width reduction is equal to the average print gain in all cases and is not affected by the magnification of the bar code. When the film master is printed with its bars reduced by the BWR, the average print gain restores the bars to their ideal width. Variation in the average print gain has already been allowed for in the choice of magnification. The tolerance of bar width reduction is 0.008 mm.
Never reduce a bar in a bar code on the printing plate below 0.13 mm.
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If the effect of the magnification factor and bar width reduction combined causes a single module bar to go below 0.13 mm, increase the magnification factor until the bar reaches the acceptable width of 0.33 mm. Mathematically: (0.33 x M) G 0.13 mm
EAN/UPC printability gauge assessment method

Assessing print gain and variation on page 80 describes the theoretical method of determining the allowances to make in the printing process. A simpler alternative called the operating method, using a specially calibrated printability gauge, can also be applied. The printability gauge consists of a precise design in the form of a positive or negative film master. It is made up of eleven sections, each of which includes two series of parallel lines that are perpendicular to each other. See Figure 61. The printability gauge enables you to assess print quality in both the direction of the print run and at right angles to it.
EAN Australia supply printability gauges.

EMULSION UP Space between lines A = 0.508 B = 0.457 C = 0.406 D = 0.356 E = 0.305 F = 0.254 G = 0.203 H = 0.152 I = 0.102 J = 0.051 K = 0.025
Figure 61 EAN/UPC printability gauge
The spacing between the lines decreases in stages from the set marked A to the set marked K. The line spacing is set empirically and it is not necessary to know the dimensional values when using the printability gauge method.
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Use the printability gauge, or the parts of the gauge likely to be relevant, to test print conditions. Include it in actual production runs of the packaging on which the bar codes will eventually be printed, in locations similar to those likely to be used for the eventual bar codes. Use the same processing and printing methods. The printability gauge is specially produced. Use it only as supplied. It is essential to introduce the gauge into the same stage of the reproduction process and in the same way as eventually for the bar code film master itself.
Do not photographically enlarge or reduce a printability gauge. This

defeats its purpose.
Evaluating EAN/UPC printability gauge results

Take samples of prints incorporating the printability gauge through various stages from a number of production runs. Examine each sample under a magnifying glass. In each sample, determine the finest gauge pattern where the lines first touch each other. Consider lines as touching when 50% or more of the line is in contact. Disregard any stray imperfections. The following examples explain how to rate the samples: Example 1: Patterns A to G are quite distinct; patterns I to K are completely filled with ink; and pattern H has lines 50% or more touching. The rating for this gauge is HI. Example 2: Patterns A to H are quite distinct and patterns I to K are completely filled. The rating for this gauge is HI. Example 3: Individual ratings of the samples vary between H and I. The rating for this gauge is GJ. Example 4: Print gain tests result in K scale filling in 50% or more. The rating for this gauge is KL. Example 5: Print gain tests result in K scale being clear. The rating for this gauge is LM (zero BWR). If the sample of printed gauges shows that print quality is better in the direction of print rather than at right angles to it, print the eventual bar code with its bars in the direction of print. Determine the printability range only from the patterns with lines in this direction.
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See Table 27 for the magnification factor and bar width reduction to apply to a film master for each printability range.
Printability range EF EG EH EI EJ EK FG FH FI FJ FK GH GI GJ GK HI HJ HK IJ IK IL JK JL * KL * LM * Magnification factor (min) 1.25 1.20 1.20 1.30 1.40 1.50 0.90 1.00 1.20 1.25 1.30 1.05 1.00 1.10 1.20 0.90 0.95 1.00 0.90 0.90 0.85 0.80 0.80 0.80 0.80 Bar width reduction (mm) 0.28 (+ 0 - 0.08) 0.25 (+0.02 - 0.05) 0.23 (+0.05 - 0.02) 0.20 ( 0.05) 0.18 (0.02) 0.16 (+ 0.05 - 0.02) 0.23 (+0.01 - 0.05) 0.20 (0.05) 0.18 (+0.05 - 0.02) 0.15 (0.02) 0.14 (0.02) 0.18 (+0.02 - 0.05) 0.15 (0.05) 0.13 (+0.02 -0.05) 0.11 (+0.05 - 0.02) 0.13 (+0.02 - 0.05) 0.10 (0.02) 0.09 (0.02) 0.08 (0.02) 0.06 (0.02) 0.05 (0.02) 0.04 (0.02) 0.03 0.02 0.00
* Printability gauges available from EAN Australia do not include these ranges due to technical limitations. Table 27 EAN/UPC bar code magnifications and bar width reductions
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On-site production of EAN/UPC bar codes

The processes described previously for source marked bar codes are not relevant for on-site printers. In some circumstances, automatic label printing machines are used on-site to convert numerical data directly into a bar code. The performance of these machines must be specified in order to control their output. It is necessary to stipulate the tolerance permitted in the printed bar code. The nominal EAN/UPC X-dimension (module width) is 0.33 mm. Tolerances for bar code labels are defined for various X-dimensions (module widths) corresponding to magnification factors from 0.8 to 2.0 times the nominal width. Different tolerances may apply to different types of dimensions. There are four different dimensions in an EAN/UPC bar code. 1 2 The measurement of a bar (space) inside a character. The measurement of the width between corresponding edges of the bars inside the character. The measurement between corresponding edges of corresponding bars in adjacent characters. The measurement of the space between the last and first bars of adjacent characters.
See Table 28. These dimensions and tolerances may also be used by packaging manufacturers to ensure that printing is of an acceptable quality. The dimensions given in Table 28 do not represent a standard for source marked bar codes, but can be used by film master suppliers, verification equipment, scanning equipment, and printers as a reference.
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Type 1 dimensions
Type 2 dimensions
D1 D1 D1
D2
Character
Type 3 dimensions
Character D2
Type 4 dimensions
D3
D4
D4
Character Character Character
Character Character
Tolerances to be respected for on-site production of EAN/UPC bar codes

Magnification factor 0.80 0.85 0.91 0.97 1.00 1.03 1.09 1.15 1.21 1.27 1.33 1.39 1.45 1.51 1.58 1.64 1.70 1.76 1.81 1.88 1.94 Xdimension (Module width) (mm) 0.26 0.28 0.30 0.32 0.33 0.34 0.36 0.38 0.40 0.42 0.44 0.46 0.48 0.50 0.52 0.54 0.56 0.58 0.60 0.62 0.64 Tolerance D1 (mm) 0.032 0.052 0.072 0.092 0.101 0.105 0.115 0.124 0.134 0.143 0.152 0.162 0.171 0.181 0.190 0.199 0.209 0.218 0.228 0.237 0.246 Tolerance D2 (mm) 0.038 0.041 0.044 0.047 0.049 0.050 0.053 0.056 0.059 0.062 0.065 0.068 0.071 0.073 0.076 0.079 0.082 0.085 0.088 0.091 0.094 Tolerance D3 (mm) 0.075 0.081 0.087 0.093 0.096 0.099 0.104 0.110 0.116 0.122 0.128 0.133 0.139 0.145 0.151 0.157 0.162 0.168 0.174 0.180 0.186
Note: Type 4 dimensions are not subject to explicit tolerances but must not be less than 0.2 mm. Table 28 EAN/UPC bar code dimensions and tolerances for types 1, 2, and 3 dimensions
Special production features of the ITF bar code

The film master supplier makes compensations for both these factors when preparing the film master. Mathematically, if print gain is G, variation is V, the original bar width on the film master is N, and the printed bar width is L, then: L=N+GV The extent of variation in print gain determines the magnification factor to use. The extent of average print gain determines the Bar Width Reduction (BWR). This is the amount by which the bars on the film master must be reduced in width to correct for the print gain.
ITF-14 magnification factor

The size of the bar code has historically been known as magnification. This technique relies upon setting a nominal size (100%) that is directly related to a given X-dimension (module width). The more precise X-dimension is now also used to specify permissible bar code sizes. The extent of variation in print gain determines the minimum magnification factor by which the entire bar code must be magnified (or reduced) in relation to the nominal size. For general distribution choose any value of magnification (M) between 0.5 and 1.0 times the nominal dimensions. See Table 29. For environments other than general distribution, the minimum magnification factor is 0.25. The left column in Table 29 is based on a regular sequence of values of M. The right column is based on a regular sequence of values of V.
Wherever possible, use a magnification factor higher than the

minimum. This greatly increases the bar code reliability. If you reduce the magnification to below nominal, you may reduce its reliability. See Table 30 for the dimensions of an ITF bar code at various magnification factors.
It is the print quality of the bar code that determines the minimum
magnification factor you must apply, not a predetermined space on the packaging.
Continuous sequence of values of M Maximum print gain variation (mm) 0.127 0.203 0.244 0.274 0.305 Minimum magnification factor 0.625 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.00 Continuous sequence of values of V Maximum print gain variation (mm) 0.15 0.18 0.21 0.24 0.27 0.30 Minimum magnification factor 0.65 0.68 0.71 0.79 0.89 0.99
Table 29 Relationship between variation and magnification for ITF bar codes
Mag. factor
Narrow seg (mm)
Wide seg (mm)
Width of LM 10x
Min. height of bars (mm)
Excluding bearer bar Width not incl LM (mm) 61.214 76.518 85.700 97.942 110.185 122.428 Width incl LM (mm) 71.41 89.32 99.90 114.14 128.59 142.83
Including bearer bar & LM Width Not incl. H gauges (mm) 81.01 98.92 109.50 123.94 138.14 152.43 Width incl. H gauges (mm) 87.01 104.92 115.50 129.94 144.14 158.43
Height (mm)
0.5 0.625 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
0.508 0.635 0.711 0.813 0.914 1.016
1.270 1.588 1.778 2.032 2.286 2.540
5.1 6.4 7.1 8.1 9.2 10.2
32 32 32 32 32 32
41.6 41.6 41.6 41.6 41.6 41.6
Note: In the heading of this table, Mag. = magnification, LM = Light Margins, seg = segment Table 30 Dimensions of ITF-14 bar codes for general distribution
ITF bar width reductions

Film master suppliers compensate for the extent of the demonstrated print gain. They achieve this by applying Bar Width Reduction (BWR) to the film master. BWR is equal to the print gain.
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Reduce the width of every bar by the same amount on the film master symmetrically, that is, on both the left and right sides, by the total amount of the print gain.
magnification to the bar code, not before. The bar width reduction is equal to the average print gain in all cases and is not affected by the magnification of the bar code. When the film master is printed with its bars reduced by the BWR, the average print gain restores the bars to their ideal width. Variation in the average print gain has already been allowed for in the choice of magnification.
ITF printability gauge assessment method

Assessing print gain and variation on page 80 describes the theoretical method of determining the allowances to make in the printing process. A simpler alternative called the operating method, using a specially calibrated printability gauge can also be applied. The ITF printability gauge consists of a very precise design in the form of a positive or negative film master. It is made up of seven sections, each of which includes two H marks at right angles to each other. This enables the assessment of print quality in both the direction of the print run and at right angles to it.
Tolerances are 0.02 mm. This gauge can be used for direct measuring. The gauge is 105 mm in length and 39 mm in width. The black border around the gauge is 5 mm deep. The length and width measurements include the 5 mm border.
Figure 62 ITF printability gauge
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0.8 mm 0.8 mm
1 mm
7 mm
d d = 0.1 mm x S S = size 17 on the printability gauge
therefore d is between 0.1 and 0.7 mm

Figure 63 ITF printability gauge section description
The spacing between the arms of the H increases from the set marked 1 to the set marked 7. It is not necessary to know the dimensional values when using the printability gauge method. Use the gauge in actual production print runs on the same packaging, using the same printing conditions that you will use for the final printing. During the print run, introduce the gauge at the same stage and use it in the same way as you would introduce and use the bar code film master in a final print run.
Do not photographically enlarge or reduce a printability gauge. This

defeats its purpose.
Evaluating ITF printability gauge results

Take samples of prints from throughout the production run with the printability gauge. Examine each sample under a magnifying glass. In each sample, determine the finest gauge pattern where the arms first touch each other. Consider arms to be touching when 50% or more of the arms are in contact with each other. Disregard any stray imperfections. The following examples explain how to rate the samples: Example 1: The arms in H5 to H7 are quite distinct; H4 arms touch about 50% or more; and H1, H2, and H3 are completely filled with ink. The printability range is H4. Example 2: The arms in H5 to H7 are quite distinct, and H1, H2, H3 and H4 are completely filled with ink. The printability range is H4. Example 3: Individual rating of the samples vary between H3 and H4. The printability range is H3H4 (or 34).
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Table 31 shows the printability ranges rounded to 0.1 mm. Find the printability range for the bar code, then apply the corresponding magnification factor and bar width reduction to the film master.
Printability range 00 01 11 02 12 22 03 13 23 33 04 14 24 34 44 Magnification factor 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 Bar width reduction (mm) 0.00 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20 0.20
Table 31 ITF bar code magnifications and bar widths for printability ranges
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Specification for the dimensions of the film master

The dimensions for the specifications of the film master are shown in Table 32.
Values of the dimensions Width of a wide or narrow segment of the bar code Ideal nominal dimensions: wide segment 2.540 mm narrow segment 1.016 mm. To be corrected according to M and BWR. Width of each pair of data characters Ideal nominal dimensions: 16.256 mm. To be corrected according to M. Width of the start and stop patterns Ideal nominal dimensions: start character 4.064 mm stop character 4.572 mm To be corrected according to M and BWR. Height of bars, thickness of bearer bar, minimum width of light margins Other dimensions of the bar code See Figure 16 and Table 12 See Table 12 0.127 M x 0.017 mm M x 0.025 mm Tolerances M x 0.013 mm
0.254
Table 32 ITF specifications for manufacturing the film master
Printing H marks
The H marks are used as a quality control guide for the printer. The H marks are located:
within the box formed by the bearer bar aligned with the centre of the bar code bars outside the right and left light margins.
See Figure 64 for an example of a printed ITF-14 bar code.
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Figure 64 Sample printed ITF-14 bar code
On the left of the bar code, use the H mark numbered one greater than the highest number in the printability range determined. For example, for the range 24, use section 5 of the printability gauge. On the right side of the bar code, use the H mark which is the lowest number in the printability range determined. For example, for the range 2 4, use section 2 of the printability gauge. During the production print run, regularly check that the:
arms of the left H mark do not begin to touch each other arms of the right H mark are not open.
If the left H mark closes up, the printer should investigate but should not necessarily reject the production run.
Bearer bars
The bearer bar supports and equalises the pressure of the entire surface of the bar code. This is particularly important for printing processes that use flexible plates. The bearer bar also increases the bar codes reading reliability. For more information, see ITF-14 bearer bar on page 25.
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On-site production of ITF bar codes

The processes described previously for source marked bar codes are not relevant for on-site printers. In some circumstances, automatic label printing machines are used on-site to convert numerical data directly into a bar code. The performance of these machines must be specified in order to control their output. It is necessary to stipulate the tolerance permitted in the printed bar code. Tolerances for the ITF-14 bar codes are defined for various magnification factors, from 0.625 to 1.0 of the nominal size. In practice, packaging manufacturers may prefer to determine dimensions and tolerances by measurement to ensure that printing is of acceptable quality. Table 33 shows an acceptable bar width dimensional tolerance for a given bar width for label printing equipment. These do not represent a standard for source marked bar codes, but can be used by film master suppliers, verification equipment, scanning equipment, and printers as a reference.
Width and tolerance wide and narrow segments Ideal width narrow bar (mm) 0.625 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 0.635 0.711 0.813 0.914 1.016 Ideal width wide bar (mm) 1.588 1.778 2.032 2.286 2.540 Tolerance wide & narrow bar (mm) 0.13 0.20 0.24 0.27 0.30 Width and tolerance digit pair (*) Ideal width digit pair (mm) 10.162 11.378 13.006 14.628 16.256 Tolerance width digit pair (mm) 0.36 0.41 0.46 0.52 0.58 2.540 2.844 3.252 3.656 4.064 2.858 3.200 3.658 4.114 4.572 Width and tolerance symbol start and stop guard (*) Ideal width start guard (mm) Ideal width stop guard (mm) Tolerance start & stop guard (mm) 0.24 0.27 0.31 .035 0.39
Mag. Factor (M)
* The tolerances are defined for label printing equipment. In source marking, the tolerances will be met provided the film master manufacturer respects the tolerances allowed and the printer respects the specified procedures.
Table 33 Dimensions and tolerances in a printed ITF-14 bar code
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You can interpolate these tolerances to obtain intermediate values of M greater than 0.714. For values of M less than 0.714, the tolerance is limited by the requirement that the absolute minimum bar or space width be 0.50mm. Allow a tolerance of 0.5 mm for the height of the bars and the height and location of the human readable digits.
Special production features of the UCC/EAN-128 bar code

The film master supplier makes compensations for both these factors when preparing the film master. Mathematically, when print gain is G, variation is V, the original bar width on the film master is N, and the printed bar width is L: L=N+GV The extent of variation in print gain determines the magnification factor to use. The extent of average print gain determines the Bar Width Reduction (BWR). This is the amount by which the bars on the film master must be reduced in width to correct for the print gain.
UCC/EAN-128 magnification factor

The extent of variation in print gain determines the minimum magnification factor by which the entire bar code must be magnified (or reduced) in relation to the nominal size. For all scanning environments other than general distribution, adopt any value of magnification (M) between 0.25 and 1.0 by interpolation of the following graph or table. For scanning in a general distribution environment magnification factors are between 0.487 and 1.0.
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For Application Identifier 00 Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), the minimum magnification factor is 0.50, the maximum magnification factor is 0.94. See Table 34 and Figure 65 for more information. The left column in Table 34 is based on a regular sequence of values of M. The right column is based on a regular sequence of values of V. The finer the ink gain, the smaller the bar code; the broader the ink gain, the larger the bar code.
Note that for any magnification factor below 100%, the amount of
acceptable print gain variation rapidly becomes smaller.
Continuous sequence of values of M V (mm) 0.02 0.07 0.14 0.18 0.22 0.26 0.30 0.34 0.38 M 0.25 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 Continuous sequence of values of V V (mm) 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 M 0.28 0.33 0.41 0.54 0.66 0.79 0.91
Table 34 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between print gain variations and magnification factors in a general distribution environment
These values respect the condition that no printed bars shall be less than
0.23 mm in width.
Print gain variation values are expressed in millimetres.
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M Minimum magnification factor
1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 .00 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
Maximum variation imprint gain
Figure 65 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between maximum print gain variations and minimum magnification factors
The actual magnification factor you choose depends on the print quality and is derived from measuring the variation in print gain. When the UCC/EAN-128 bar code supplements an EAN/UPC or ITF-14 bar code, the magnification factor chosen must take into account the size of the EAN/ UPC or ITF-14 bar code. As a general rule, the UCC/EAN-128 X-dimension (module width) must not be less than 75% of the X-dimension (single module or narrow element width) in the EAN/UPC or ITF-14 main bar code. See Table 35 for magnification factors.
Minimum UCC/EAN-128 magnification factor 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 Minimum UCC/EAN-128 magnification factor 0.50 0.55 0.65 0.70 0.80
EAN-13 magnification factor 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2.0
ITF magnification factor 0.625 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Table 35 UCC/EAN-128 magnification factors for various EAN-13 and ITF-14 magnification factors
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UCC/EAN-128 bar width reduction

Film master suppliers compensate for the extent of the demonstrated print gain. They achieve this by applying Bar Width Reduction (BWR) to the film master. BWR is equal to the print gain. Reduce the width of every bar by the same amount on the film master symmetrically, that is, on both the left and right sides by the total amount of the print gain.
magnification to the bar code, not before. The bar width reduction is equal to the average print gain in all cases and is not affected by the magnification of the bar code. When the film master is printed with its bars reduced by the BWR, the average print gain restores the bars to their ideal width. Variation in the average print gain has already been allowed for in the choice of magnification. Look up the print gain variation V in Table 34 and Figure 65.
Never print a bar less than 0.23 mm in width.
UCC/EAN-128 printability gauge assessment method

Assessing print gain and variation on page 80 describes the theoretical method of determining the allowances to make in the printing process. A simpler alternative called the operating method, using a specially calibrated printability gauge can also be applied. Use an EAN/UPC printability gauge for low values of print gain variation. Use the ITF printability gauge for higher values of print gain variation. For a more detailed explanation, see EAN/UPC printability gauge assessment method on page 92 and ITF printability gauge assessment method on page 99.
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Evaluating UCC/EAN-128 printability gauge results

Use an EAN/UPC or ITF printability gauge to evaluate the printability range of a UCC/EAN-128 bar code. After determining which printability gauge to use, go to the relevant part of this section for information on how to use the gauge in a production run. Assess the printability range of a UCC/EAN-128 bar code using Table 36 or Table 37.
Printability Magnification Bar width range factor reduction (mm) AB AC AD AE AF AG AH AI AJ AK BC BD BE BF BG BH BI BJ BK CD CE CF CG CH CI CJ CK 0.70 0.70 0.65 0.65 0.60 0.60 0.60 0.65 0.75 0.80 0.65 0.65 0.60 0.60 0.55 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.75 0.60 0.60 0.55 0.55 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.70 0.51 0.48 0.46 0.43 0.41 0.38 0.36 0.33 0.30 0.28 0.46 0.43 0.41 0.38 0.36 0.33 0.30 0.28 0.25 0.41 0.38 0.36 0.33 0.30 0.28 0.25 0.23 Printability Magnification Bar width range factor reduction (mm) DE DF DG DH DI DJ DK EF EG EH EI EJ EK FG FH FI FJ FK GH GI GJ GK HI HJ HK IJ IK JK 0.55 0.55 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.50 0.50 0.45 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.45 0.45 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.45 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.35 0.40 0.35 0.36 0.33 0.30 0.28 0.25 0.23 0.20 0.30 0.28 0.25 0.23 0.20 0.18 0.25 0.23 0.20 0.18 0.15 0.20 0.18 0.15 0.13 0.15 0.13 0.10 0.10 0.08 0.05
Table 36 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between printability range, magnification, and bar width reduction using an EAN/UPC printability gauge
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Printability Magnification Bar width range factor reduction (mm) 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 0.35 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.75 0.85 1.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35
Printability Magnification Bar width range factor reduction (mm) 25 26 27 33 34 35 36 37 0.60 0.75 0.85 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 0.65 0.70 0.75 0.80 0.75 0.80 0.85 0.85 0.90 0.95 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.65 0.70 0.75
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 22 23 24
0.35 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.75 0.85 1.00 0.45 0.50 0.55
0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.25 0.30 0.35
44 45 46 47 55 56 57 66 67 77
Table 37 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between printability range, magnification, and bar width reduction using an ITF printability gauge
On-site production of UCC/EAN-128 bar codes

Often the UCC/EAN-128 bar code is produced from equipment which produces bar codes directly from the input of data. In order to specify the performance of such printers and to control their output, it is necessary to stipulate the tolerances permitted in the printed bar code. Tolerances are defined for various module widths corresponding to magnification factors from 0.25 to 1.0 times the nominal X-dimension (module width) of 1.016 mm. Different tolerances apply to different types of dimensions.
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There are three different types of dimensions in the UCC/EAN-128 bar code.
Type 1measurement of a bar or space inside the bar code. Type 2measurement of the width between corresponding edges of
bars within a character.
Type 3measurement of the total width of a character.

Based on 100% magnification, tolerances D1, D2, and D3 apply to dimension types 1, 2, and 3:
D1 = 0.4 X 0.013 mm (0.0005 inches) D2 = 0.2 X D3 = 0.2 X

X is the nominal minimum dimension.
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D3 D1 D1 D1 D1 D1 D1
D2 D2
Magnification factor 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 0.75 0.80 0.85 0.90 0.95 1.00
D2 D2
Tolerance D2 (mm) 0.050 0.060 0.070 0.080 0.090 0.100 0.110 0.120 0.130 0.140 0.150 0.160 0.170 0.180 0.190 0.200 Tolerance D3 (mm) 0.050 0.060 0.070 0.080 0.090 0.100 0.110 0.120 0.130 0.140 0.150 0.160 0.170 0.180 0.190 0.200
Tolerance D1 (mm) 0.020 (*) 0.070 0.127 0.147 0.167 0.187 0.207 0.227 0.247 0.267 0.287 0.307 0.327 0.347 0.367 0.387
(*) These values respect the condition that no printed bar shall be less than 0.23mm in width. Table 38 UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimension tolerances, types 1, 2, and 3
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Appendix 1
Appendix 1
Thermal bar code label printers
Direct thermal and thermal transfer printers are capable of generating high quality bar codes - typically ISO Grade 3 or 4. The printers may standalone or they may be integrated into an application such as a weighing and labelling system. In many cases the user has no control over the size or placement of the bar code. Quality printing is easily maintained by observing the following guidelines.
Symbology design considerations for direct thermal and thermal transfer printers
Direct thermal and thermal transfer printers typically contain all of the lowlevel software required to generate bar codes. This means that various symbology formats are loaded into the firmware of the printer. The bar code design software simply sends commands to address the firmware in the printer to create the bar code. These commands typically relate to data characters, bar code size, bar code orientation and bar code placement. The following special factors should be considered when designing the bar code for direct thermal and thermal transfer printers: 1 Generate bar codes at a corrected magnification (see Note below) or an X-dimension which is supported by the resolution of the specified printer. For example, the closest X-dimension (bar width) to 0.33mm a 203 DPI printer can achieve is 0.375mm. This is because each bar width is constructed with three 203 DPI dots which individually measure 0.125mm wide. Table 39 lists achievable EAN/UPC bar code magnifications (after correction) addressed by several resolutions of direct thermal and thermal transfer printers.
Note: A process of altering the desired dimensions of an EANUCC bar code to create modules consisting of a consistent integer number of addressable imaging device dots. 2 Use a bar code graphic file that was designed for the resolution or the printer specified.
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Appendix 1
General considerations for direct thermal printing

Direct thermal printing should be avoided whenever the bar code may be exposed to direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, or has a shelf life exceeding one year. These labels fade very quickly in direct sunlight, and the background darkens at elevated temperatures. Some fading also occurs as labels age at room temperature under normal indoor lighting. As labels fade or darken, the contrast decreases so that at some point the bar code can no longer be scanned. An example of good application for thermal labels is in-store marking of meat and other perishable food items. Such labels need last only days or weeks under protected indoor conditions.
General considerations for thermal transfer consumable supplies

Consumable supplies are an important quality consideration. For best results, the correct combination of label and ribbon materials should be chosen for the printer type and application environment. Whenever a different brand or part number of labels or ribbons is loaded on the printer, the initial set-up should be repeated.
Initial direct thermal and thermal transfer printer setup

Direct thermal and thermal transfer printers require different settings for best results on different combinations of label and ribbon materials. Manufacturers recommendations should be followed for making the necessary changes and adjustments. After any change (e.g., printed format, ribbon type, label type, print speed, or printhead heat intensity), it is advisable to print a test bar code and verify it using an ISO (ANSI) based verifier. If you are printing a long run of identical bar codes, it would be appropriate to verify one to determine the bar code quality. If you are printing EAN/UPC bar codes that will vary in data content, a test EAN/UPC bar code containing the digits 4 12785 12783 2 is recommended for the verification process. When you verify the test bar code, you should expect an ISO (ANSI) grade of 4 (A) or 3 (B) using the thermal transfer process. If these grades are not achieved, you are likely to have a problem with printer adjustments, cleanliness, or some other malfunction. With some direct thermal label materials, you may only be able to produce 1.5 (C) grade bar codes. While such bar codes do conform to the quality specifications, you will have less margin for process variations and degradation from handling and ageing.
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Appendix 1
In addition to verification, you should examine the test bar code for adequate light margins, bar height, and the legibility of the human readable interpretation.
Maintaining Acceptable Quality

The quality of printed bar codes tends to degrade as deposits build up on the thermal print head. Regular cleaning of the print head and guide surfaces in accordance with manufacturers recommendations is strongly advised. Thermal print heads eventually wear out to the point where one or more dot elements fail to heat properly. When this occurs, the printed bar codes may no longer be scannable. One solution to this problem is frequent verification to assure continuing quality. Some printers can be equipped with on-line verification devices that will indicate when a problem is detected. Although such on-line verifiers may not test all of the parameters for ISO, they can be very useful for monitoring the printing process. This is particularly true after supplies replacement or printer maintenance. An alternative method for detecting dot burnout is to print a line across the width of the bar code. Any dot failure will be immediately visible to the operator as a small break in the line as shown in Figure 66 below:
14141 00086
Figure 66 Detection of dot burnout on thermal/direct thermal printheads
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Appendix 1
Reference DPI
Actual DPI
Dots Per Millimetre
Actual Dot Width (Centre Point to Centre Point mm) 0.12500 0.12500 0.12500 0.12500 0.08333 0.08333 0.08333 0.08333 0.08333 0.06250 0.06250 0.06250 0.06250 0.06250 0.06250 0.06250 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167 0.04167
MODULE Dots WIDTH Per (mm) Module Width 2 3 4 5 3 4 5 6 7 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 0.2500 0.3750 0.5000 0.6250 0.2500 0.3333 0.4166 0.5000 0.5833 0.2500 0.3125 0.3750 0.4375 0.5000 0.5625 0.6250 0.2500 0.2916 0.3333 0.3750 0.4166 0.4583 0.5000 0.5416 0.5833 0.6250
*Corrected Magnification
200 200 200 200 300 300 300 300 300 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600
203.2 203.2 203.2 203.2 304.8 304.8 304.8 304.8 304.8 406.4 406.4 406.4 406.4 406.4 406.4 406.4 609.6 609.6 609.6 609.6 609.6 609.6 609.6 609.6 609.6 609.6
8 8 8 8 12 12 12 12 12 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24
**75.76% 113.64% 151.52% 189.39% **75.76% 100.01% 126.26% 151.52% 176.77% **75.76% 94.70% 113.64% 132.58% 151.52% 170.45% 189.39% **75.76% 88.38% 101.01% 113.64% 126.26% 138.89% 151.52% 164.14% 176.77% 189.39%
Table 39 Achievable magnifications for thermal printed EAU/UPC bar codes after correction
*Note: The nominal EAN/UPC bar code can be based on a module width of either 0.013 inch or 0.33 mm. In North America, the long-standing UPC specifications have set the nominal module size at 0.013 inch or 13 mils. EAN specifications and the pending ISO-IEC specification for the EAN/ UPC set the nominal module at 0.33 mm. The international, metric nominal
Appendix 1
is 0.0606 percent smaller than the original inch-based nominal. The data in the right-most column labelled *Corrected Magnification are based on a nominal module width of 0.33mm. **Note: The allowance of magnifications 75%-80% are applicable only to on demand print processes (for example thermal or laser).
General office printers

General-purpose printing devices are capable of printing high quality bar codes when operated by experienced EANUCC members equipped with a good bar code design software product. This category includes laser, desktop, ink jet, ion deposition, and mechanical matrix office printers. These devices are designed primarily for printing full size pages of text and graphics. However, they can be used to print retail tags by using pre-cut labels on page size backing paper. Some are also equipped with a continuous feed mechanism for producing bar codes in large quantities. It is more difficult for the user to create high quality bar codes with generalpurpose printers than it is with direct thermal transfer label printers. There are two reasons for this difficulty. First, the printed dot size for generalpurpose printers is appreciably larger than the pixel dimension, as shown in Figure 67 below. This will cause the bars (dark bars) to be printed wider and the spaces (light bars) narrower than nominal, unless the software driving the printer corrects for this distortion. Second, the software that constructs the bar code may itself introduce dimensional errors.
Figure 67 Pixel-sized dot on the left and typical size general-purpose printer dot on the right
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Appendix 1
Bar code design considerations for general purpose printers

There are a wide variety of software packages for creating bar codes using general-purpose printers. Unfortunately, many of these packages are capable of producing bar codes with totally unacceptable quality. The following special factors should be considered when designing the bar code for general-purpose printers: 1 Generate bar codes at a corrected magnification or an X-dimension which is supported by the resolution of the specified printer. For example, the closest bar width to 0.33mm a 300 DPI printer can achieve is 0.3333mm. This is because each bar width is constructed using four 300 DPI dots which individually measure 0.0833mm wide. Table 40 lists the achievable EAN/UPC bar code magnifications (after correction) addressed by several different resolutions of generalpurpose printers. EAN/UPC bar code magnifications other than those listed in this table will be printed inaccurately and may or may not achieve passing verifier grades. Specify one or more dots (pixels) of uniform bar width reduction to compensate for excessive bar width that is typical of general-purpose printers. For example, with a typical 300 DPI laser printer and four dots per module, best print quality is often achieved with one pixel (or dot) of bar width reduction. When a bar code graphic file is transferred between two parties, the printer resolution attribute should be communicated. If the printer resolution changes, the bar code file should be recreated. The bar code should be treated as a fixed design element. It should not be resized, rotated, scaled, or stretched. When the bar code graphic file is transferred between two parties, they should determine which bar code design attributes should be communicated. The following list should be considered as optional attributes which can be useful in assuring bar code quality:
printer resolution for bar width (strongly suggested) corrected magnification factor corrected BWR factor
These specifications should not be altered at any later stage within illustration or page layout software programs. These suggestions should provide you with quality bar codes when the output conditions match the design attributes. The most predictable results are obtained using software packages that drive the printer directly by low level software. Often, when bar code images are passed from one software application to another, the bar code may become distorted. These distorted bar codes may or may not achieve passing verifier grades.
Appendix 1
Initial general-purpose printer set-up

Once you have the required software, hardware, and consumable materials in place, determine the bar code magnification and other parameters that you will be using to produce bar code labels or tags. Next, print two test EAN/UPC bar codes in which all of the left and right hand digits are represented: for example, the following bar codes: 0 12345 01234 1 6 78912 56789 0 Verify both test EAN/UPC bar codes per the ISO (ANSI) method. It is desirable to achieve grade 3 (B) or better in this initial set-up. If one or both of the test bar codes are below grade 3 (B), you may be able to improve the quality by changing some of the software or printer variables. At the minimum, grade 1.5 (C) bar codes are acceptable, but they leave you with minimal margin for process variations and possible degradation from handling. In addition to verification, you should examine the test bar codes for adequate light margins, bar height, and legibility of the human readable interpretation. For small operations, the investment in a bar code verifier that conforms to the ISO (ANSI) method may not be justified. The alternative is to submit your test bar codes to EAN Australia for verification. Finally, whenever any changes are made in software parameters, the initial set-up procedures should be repeated.
Maintaining acceptable quality

All printers require periodic maintenance. Laser printers, for example, not only consume toner, but also require periodic replacement of components such as drums, developers, fusers, and brushes. All of the consumable parts may be contained in a single replacement cartridge, or they may be separately installed, depending on the make and model of printer. Because bar code labels contain a higher percentage of black printing than occurs in ordinary text, fewer pages can be printed between maintenance intervals. Printed bar codes should be checked visually for consistent appearance and verified whenever they appear doubtful. Bar code verification, whether conducted on-site or consulted, can be an effective tool for maintaining quality within a conscientiously applied program of quality assurance. Verification should be employed as a quality sampling technique, particularly after any supplies replacement or printer maintenance.
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Appendix 1
Reference DPI
Actual DPI
Dots Per Millimetre
Actual Dot Width (Centre Point to Centre Point mm) 0.0833 0.0833 0.0833 0.0833 0.0833 0.0846 0.0846 0.0846 0.0846 0.0846
MODULE Dots WIDTH Per (mm) Module Width 3 4 5 6 7 3 4 5 6 7 0.25000 0.33333 0.41667 0.50000 0.58333 0.25387 0.33863 0.42329 0.50795 0.59261
*Corrected Magnification
300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
304.8 304.8 304.8 304.8 304.8 300 300 300 300 300
12 12 12 12 12 11.812 11.812 11.812 11.812 11.812
**75.76% 100.01% 126.26% 151.52% 176.77% 76.96% 102.61% 128.27% 153.92% 179.58%
Table 40 General-purpose printer: Achievable magnifications for EAN/UPC bar codes after correction
*Note: The nominal EAN/UPC bar code can be based on a module width of either 0.013 inch or 0.33 mm. In North America, the long-standing UPC specifications have set the nominal module size at 0.013 inch or 13 mils. EAN specifications and the pending ISO-IEC specification for EAN/UPC set the nominal module at 0.33 mm. The international, metric nominal is 0.0606 percent smaller than the original inch-based nominal. The data in the right-most column labelled *Corrected Magnification are based on a nominal module width of 0.33 mm. **Note: The allowance of magnifications 75%-80% are applicable only to on demand print processes (for example thermal or laser).
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Glossary
Add onA bar code used to encode information additional to that in the
main code.
AISee Application Identifier. AIDC - Automatic Identification and Data Capture AIMThe Automatic Identification Manufacturers Inc., a trade
association.
AlgorithmA set of steps to be taken to effect a desired calculation. AlignmentIn an automatic identification system, the relative
position and orientation of a scanner to the bar code.
AlphanumericA character set that contains letters, numbers, and

usually other characters such as punctuation marks.
American National Standards Institute

a non-governmental organisation responsible for the development of voluntary standards.
ANSISee American National Standards Institute. Aperture - A physical opening that is part of the optical path in a
device such as a scanner, photometer, or camera. Most apertures are circular, but they may be rectangular or elliptical.
APN - Historical term for retail trade item number. Now referred to as
GTIN.
Application IdentifierThe field of two or more characters at the

beginning of data encoded in a UCC/EAN-128 bar code, which defines uniquely its format and meaning.
ArticleSee Item. ASCIIThe character set and code described in the American National
Standard Code for Information Interchange, ANSI X3.41977. Each ASCII character is encoded with seven bits. The ASCII character set is used for information interchange among data processing systems, communication systems, and associated equipment. The ASCII set consists of both control and printing characters.
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Glossary
Asset Type - A number assigned by the owner of an asset to uniquely

identify a type of asset.
Attribute dataA piece of information over and above the item identification given in the main EANUCC bar code. Auxiliary characterA representation in dark bars and light bars
(spaces) of data other than human readable characters, that is, start pattern, stop pattern or centre pattern.
BackgroundThe spaces, light margin area, and any other area

surrounding a printed bar code.
Bar code densityThe number of data characters that can be

represented in a linear unit of measure. Often expressed in characters per inch.
Bar codeA representation of a group of numbers and/or letters (alpha

or numerical digits) in a form suitable for reading by machines. Refers to the bars and spaces, and the human readable characters underneath.
BarsThe dark lines and light spaces in a bar code. Bar widthThe thickness of a bar measured from the edge closest to
the bar codes start character to the trailing edge of the same bar.
Bar width reduction

The extent by which the bars on the film master are reduced in order to
correct for print gain.
Reduction of the nominal dimension bar width on film masters or

printing plates to compensate for systematic errors in some printing processes. Bar width reduction can have positive or negative values.
Bearer barsBars surrounding a bar code to prevent misreads or to improve print quality of the bar code. Bi-directionallyIn two directions, that is, backwards and forwards. Billing Unit - An item which is priced and invoiced in trade between
two parties at any point in the supply chain.
Brand Owner - The party that is responsible for allocating EANUCC

numbering and bar coding on a given trade item. The administrator of an EANUCC company prefix.
Centre patternA special pattern of dark bars and light spaces that separates a bar code into two halves.
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Glossary
Character
A single group of bars and spaces that represent a specific character. A graphic shape representing a letter, numeral, punctuation mark or
symbol.
A letter, digit or other symbol used as part of organising, controlling, or

representing data.
Character setThose characters available for encoding in the UCC/

EAN-128 symbology.
Check digitA character calculated from other characters in the bar

code, used to check that the bar code is correctly composed.
Company numberA component of the EANUCC company

prefix. EAN and UCC assign company prefixes to entities that administer the allocation of EANUCC identification numbers. These entities may be commercial companies, not for profit organisations, governmental agencies, business units within organisations, etc.
ConcatenationThe ability to join together the data from multiple bar codes and interpret it as a single message. Consumer unitSee Retail item. Conveyerised scanning - Unattended, fixed mount scanning
environments, where items are scanned automatically as they pass by on a conveyor.
Corner marksSee Light margin indicators. Data Carrier - A means to represent data in a machine readable form,
used to enable automatic reading of the information encoded in the bar codes.
Data CharacterA letter, digit or other symbol which is represented by a bar code. Data Titles - A standard abbreviated description of a data field and
used to denote the Human Readable interpretation of encoded data.
DecoderThe part of a bar code reading system that:

receives the electronic signals from the scanner performs the algorithm to interpret the signals into the meaningful data provides the interface to other devices.
Design baseThe base of an item as suggested by its graphic design.
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Glossary
Diffuse reflectionThe component of reflected light that emanates

in all directions from the reflecting surface.
DigitSee Human readable digits. Direction of printingThe direction in which the printing plate
moves across the substrate.
Direct print - A process in which the printing apparatus prints the symbol by making physical contact with a substrate, for example, flexography EAN-8 Bar Code - A bar code of the EAN/UPC symbology that
encodes EAN/UCC-8 identification numbers.
EAN/UCC-8 Identification numberThe EANUCC identification number comprising eight digits used to identify trade items and special applications. You must apply to EAN Australia to obtain an EAN/UCC-8 number. EAN-13 Bar Code - A bar code of the EAN/UPC symbology that
encodes EAN/UCC-13 identification numbers.
EAN/UCC-13 Identification numberThe EANUCC identification number comprising 13 digits used to identify trade items, locations and special applications. EAN/UCC-14 Identification numberThe EANUCC
identification number comprising 14 digits used to identify trade items and Individual Assets.
EAN AustraliaThe Australian body of EAN International

responsible for coordinating, developing and promoting the EANUCC system of identification and bar coding in Australia.
EANCOM - The international EDI standard provided by EAN

International, conforming to the UN/EDIFACT standard.
EAN InternationalEAN International, based in Brussels Belgium,

is an organisation of EAN Member Organisations that jointly manages the EANUCC System with the UCC.
EAN Member Organisation - A member of EAN International

that is responsible for administering the EANUCC system in their country (or assigned area) and for the correct use of the EANUCC system by their member companies.
EANUCC Company PrefixThe unique numbers allocated by EAN Australia to every company responsible for numbering its items. The EANUCC company prefix, item reference and check digit constitute the global trade item number.
Glossary
EANUCC Prefix - A number with two or more digits, coadministered by EAN International and UCC denoting the format and meaning of particular data encoded in an EAN/UPC bar code. EANUCC System - The specifications, standards and guidelines
co-administered by EAN International and the UCC.
EAN/UPC Symbology - A family of bar code symbols including EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A and UPC-E versions. Although UPC-E symbols do not have a separate symbology identifier, they act like a separate symbology through the scanning application software. EDI - Electronic Data Interchange Electronic Commerce - The conduct of business communications
and management through electronic methods, such as electronic data interchange and automated data collection systems.
ElementA single dark bar or light bar (space) in a bar code. Element String - A piece of data defined in structure and meaning,
comprising an identification part (prefix or application identifier) and a data part, represented in an EANUCC endorsed bar code.
EncodePut human readable characters into the form of a bar code. Extension digit - A digit which is used to increase the capacity of the Item Reference within the SSCC. This was previously known as Packaging indicator. FieldAn area in a computer file designated for one item of data. Field lengthThe size of the field. In the context of item numbering,
this is measured in number of human readable characters.
Field separatorCharacter that separates different Application Identifiers and their data within the EAN-128 symbology. FileA set of data stored in a computer. Filler characterA character inserted to extend the data to achieve a
desired field length.
Film masterThe original film, much like a photograph film, used to print a bar code. Film master suppliers make film masters. Fixed Measure Trade Item - An item always produced in the
same pre-defined version (type, size, weight, contents, design, etc.,) that may be sold at any point in the supply chain.
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Glossary
Fixed parityThe section of the bar code between two auxiliary characters has fixed parity if the representation of every human readable digit has all even parity or all odd parity. Flat bed scannerAlso called a flat top scanner. Used at the
checkouts in consumer retail outlets to read bar codes. Capable of reading a bar code omni-directionally.
FlexographyA printing process using flexible relief polymer or

rubber plates and spirit based inks. Flexography printing is common in the production of food packaging.
FontA specific size and style of printers type. Function 1 characterAn auxiliary character used in the special double character start pattern, and as a field separator, in the UCC/EAN-128 bar code representing AI information.
The function character in the special double character start pattern differentiates an UCC/EAN-128 from a Code-128
Guard patternsSee Start pattern and stop pattern. HIBCCThe Health Industry Business Communications Council. H markThe character in the printability gauge for the ITF bar code
used for routine print quality control (determining the amount of ink spread).
Human readable digitsThe characters usually printed

underneath the bars of a bar code.
General distribution scanning - Including unattended, fixed mount scanning environments, where items are scanned automatically as they pass by on a conveyor. GIAI - Shorthand term for the EANUCC Global Individual Asset
Identifier.
GLN - Shorthand term for the EANUCC Global Location Number using
the EAN/UCC-13 identification numbers.
GRAI - Shorthand term for the EANUCC Global Returnable Asset

Identifier.
GSRN - Shorthand term for the EANUCC Global Service Relations

Number.
GTIN - Shorthand term for the EANUCC Global Trade Item Number. A GTIN may use the EAN/UCC-8, UCC-12, EAN/UCC-13 or EAN/UCC-14 numbering structures.
Glossary
Implied zerosLeading zeros used as filler characters which are not directly encoded in the bar code, nor shown in human readable digits beneath the bar code. Indicator - The first digit of the EAN/UCC-14 identification number. A
different indicator identifies different levels of packaging of the same item
Individual Asset - An entity which is part of the inventory of a given

company.
Interleaved Two of FiveITF. A symbology for use on nonretail items (trade units).
Internal numberSee Restricted distribution number. Internal codeIn-house code. A unique and unambiguous code used in a specific closed environment. It can only be used internally within the boundaries of the organisation. International Standard Book NumberISBN. Ten digit numbers used internationally by publishers to identify their books. Every book has a unique ISBN. International Standard Serial NumberISSN. Eight digit numbers used internationally to identify periodicals and journals. Every periodical and journal has a unique ISSN. ISBNSee International Standard Book Number. ISSNSee International Standard Serial Number. Item identification numberSee GTIN Item numberSee Item Reference Item Reference - The part of the data which is allocated by the user
to identify a trade item or logistics unit.
ITFSee Interleaved Two of Five. Key entryManually inputting data using a keyboard. Label printing machineA device for producing bar code labels
directly from human readable information.
LadderThe vertical orientation of a bar code on packaging, where the

bars and spaces are printed horizontally.
Laser scannerAn electronic bar code reading device that uses a

low power laser as the light source.
Leading zerosZeros at the left of an identification number.

Glossary
LEDLight Emitting Diode. A semiconductor that produces light at a

wavelength determined by its chemical composition. LEDs are often used in light pens.
Light margin areaThe clear area which must surround every bar
code. Also called the quiet zone.
Light margin indicatorsA greater than (>) or less than (<) character, printed in the human readable field of a bar code, with the tip aligned with the outer edge of the light margin. Light penA hand-held bar code reading device. You pass a light pen across a bar code to decode it. Limited circulation numberA number used on an item in restricted distribution, for example, internal or coupon numbers. Local assigned codeThe American term for internal code. Logistic Unit - An item of any composition established for transport and/or storage, which needs to be managed through the supply chain. Logistical variantSee Indicator. Machine readableCapable of being read by scanner devices. Magnification factorThe amount to multiply the nominal
dimensions of a bar code to obtain the actual dimensions for the film master.
Manufacturer numberSee EANUCC Company Prefix. Mixed caseAssorted case. A non-retail item containing a selection of several different retail items. ModuleThe narrowest nominal dimension width measurement in a
bar code. It is equivalent to X-dimension. In the EAN/UPC bar code, each digit of the identification number is represented by seven modules of uniform width. The modules may be light or dark.
Modulo 103 - A number that results from a modulo calculation that is

encoded in the UCC/EAN-128 bar code as a self-checking symbol character. It is created automatically by software as an auxiliary character and is not expressed in the human readable interpretation.
MultipackA number of retail items packaged together to form a

larger retail item.
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Glossary
Nominal dimensions
The reference dimensions of a bar code stipulated in Symbology and
Printing Specifications for EANUCC Bar Codes manual. The nominal dimensions are usually multiplied by the magnification factor to obtain the actual dimensions.
The exact, or ideal, intended value for a specified parameter. Tolerances

are specified as positive and negative deviations from this value.
Nominal sizeSee Nominal dimensions. Non-readIn a bar code reading system, the absence of data at the scanner output after an attempted scan due to no bar code, defective bar code, scanner failure, or operator error. Non-retail trade itemAny trade item that is not intended to be
sold to consumers in a retail outlet. See Trade unit.
Non-significant numberA number with no embedded meaning. When the number is scanned, the system looks up the number and retrieves any information linked to it. Numbering organisationSee EAN Member Organisation. Number setA series of ten arrangements of modules to represent
each digit zero through nine.
NumericA character set that includes only numbers. OCR-BA stylised font choice used for traditional OCR printing. OmnidirectionalIn all directions. EAN/UPC bar codes are capable of omnidirectional scanning. That is, they can be scanned in any orientation across the scanner. OrientationThe alignment of a bar code with respect to horizontal. Two possible orientations are horizontal with vertical bars and spaces (picket fence) and vertical with horizontal bars and spaces (ladder). Own labelAn item branded by a retailer or wholesaler. Packaging indicatorSee Indicator. ParityIn EAN/UPC bar codes, the representation of a human readable digit has odd parity if it has an odd number of dark modules, and even parity if it has an even number of dark modules. PCSSee Print Contrast Signal. Photometric receiverA red pen.
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Glossary
Picket fenceThe horizontal orientation of a bar code on packaging, where the bars and spaces are printed vertically. PLUSee Price Look Up. Point Of SalePOS. The point at which retail items are purchased
either in a retail or cash and carry outlet.
POSSee Point Of Sale. PrefixSee EANUCC Prefix Pre-printed symbolA bar code that is printed on a label, or on
the item at the same time as other information is printed at source.
Price Look UpPLU. Retrieving a price from a computer file as

opposed to key entering the price.
Printability gaugeA series of specially calibrated marks on a film

(similar to a photograph film) printed on to packaging to test the quality of printing.
Printability rangeThe range of marks in a printablility gauge

found to have lost resolution when printed over a series of print runs.
Printability testA test of print quality to measure amount of ink

spread.
Print Contrast SignalPCS. A measure of the relative difference between the reflectance of dark bars and light bars (spaces). Print directionThe direction in which the printing plate moves
across the substrate.
Print gainThe amount by which a printed bar is wider than the same
bar on the film master.
Print gain variationThe different amounts of print gain for the same bar code found in a print run. Print qualityThe measure of compliance of a bar code to the requirements of dimensional tolerance, edge roughness, spots, voids, reflectance, PCS, light margin areas, and encodation. Quiet zoneSee Light margin area. Random wrappingPackaging which is not registered on the item,
so that a particular part of the design will not always appear in the same place.
ReflectanceThe ratio of the amount of light returned from a target

surface relative to the standard reflected flux.
Glossary
Reflected fluxThe radiant power reflected by a sample and evaluated by a specified kind of receiver. Relative spectral sensitivity Comparison of reflectivity performance across the sectors of the colour spectrum. Reference reflected fluxThe radiant power reflected by a
magnesium oxide or barium sulphate photometric standard. (R=100%)
Restricted distribution - Signifies that such system data may be

applied on goods to be processed only in certain environments, defined by the UCC or the appropriate EAN Member Organisation, such as a country, company, industry, etc.
Retail trade itemA trade item intended for sale to the consumer in a retail outlet. Has previously been referred to as a Consumer unit. Retail outletAn outlet selling goods directly to the consumer. Retail saleA purchase made by the final consumer in a retail outlet. Returnable Asset - A reusable entity owned by a company, used
for transport and storage of goods.
Right justifiedAn item of data is right justified when it occupies

consecutive positions starting from the right hand side of the field. If an EANUCC bar code contains less characters than allowed by the field length, the left-most positions are zero filled.
ScannerAn electronic device that electro-optically converts optical

information into electrical signals.
ScanningReading a bar code by machine. Originally used to mean

laser scanning, but now more generally used to mean any machine reading of codes, including wanding.
Serial shipping container code - See SSCC Short scanWhen the scanner reads only part of the bar code. Short version symbolThe bar code representing an EAN/UCC8 number.
Show throughThe reduction of reflectance factor of packaging materials which occurs when they are wrapped around a dark item. SKUSee Stock Keeping Unit. Slot scannerSee Flat bed scanner. Source printingApplying a bar code to the packaging either as part
of the artwork of the packaging or at the point of printing.
Glossary
Source numberingApplying the identification numbers at the

point of packing or manufacture.
SpacesThe light areas between the dark bars in a bar code. Specular reflectionReflection from a highly polished surface, in
which the angle of reflection to normal equals the angle of incidence to normal.
SSCC - The unique identification of a logistic unit using an EAN/UCC18 identification number.
SSCC Serial numbers - A number that functions in conjunction

with the extension digit to establish uniqueness within a given EANUCC company prefix.
Start characterDetermines which character set that an

UCC/EAN-128 bar code begins with.
Start patternA unique pattern of dark bars and light spaces that:
indicates the beginning (left hand side) of an EANUCC bar code in
horizontal (picket fence) orientation
provides a reference point for scanning together with the stop pattern, provides a scanning direction indicator.
Stock Keeping UnitSKU. The smallest unit of a particular item

in which transactions may occur, for example, by size, colour, flavour or perfume variant.
Stop characterTerminates an UCC/EAN-128 bar code. Stop patternA unique pattern of dark bars and light spaces that:
indicates the end (right hand side) of an EANUCC bar code in
horizontal (picket fence) orientation
provides a reference point for scanning together with the start pattern, provides a scanning direction indicator.
SubstrateThe surface of which a bar code is printed. Supplementary informationSee Attribute data. SymbolA combination of symbol characters (including start and stop patterns, light margin area, data characters, and check digits required by a particular symbology) that forms a complete scannable entity. Symbol characterA single group of dark bars and light bars (spaces) that represents a specific character. A symbol character is the smallest subset of a bar code that contains encoded data.
Glossary
Symbol lengthThe distance between the outside edges of the light

margin areas on the two ends of a bar code.
SymbologyA way of representing human readable characters in machine readable format. There are different symbologies, each better suited to a different environment using different printing and scanning techniques. Each different symbology has a different way of creating the symbol characters. Symbology identifier - A sequence of characters transmitted with
the decoded data that identifies the bar code from which the data has been decoded.
ToleranceAllowable deviations from the standard value. Trade item - Any item (product or service) upon which there is a need
to retrieve pre-defined information and that may be priced or ordered or invoiced at any point in any supply chain.
Trade measures - Net measures of Variable Measure Trade Items as

used for invoicing (billing) the trade item.
Trade unitAny stable and standard grouping of several retail trade items made up to facilitate the operations like handling, storing, order preparation and shipping. See Non-retail trade item. Trade Unit NumberTUN. See GTIN. TruncationA bar code printed with normal length but reduced
height. Truncated bar codes can have scanning difficulties.
TUN - Historical term which was used to describe a non-retail trade item
number. See GTIN
UCCSee Uniform Code Council. UCC Company Prefix - Part of the UCC-12 identification number
consisting of the UCC prefix and a company number allocated by the UCC.
UCC/EAN-128 Symbology used to encode the EANUCC

application identifier details.
UCC Prefix - A one digit index number administered by the UCC which denotes the format and meaning contained within the UCC-12 identification number. UCC-12 identification number - The UCC identification number comprising 12 digits used to identify trade items, coupons and a companys internal applications.
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Glossary
Uniform Code CouncilThe Uniform Code Council (UCC),

based in the United Sates, is a membership organisation that jointly manages the EANUCC System with EAN International. The UCC also administers the EANUCC System in Canada and the United States.
UPC-A bar code - A bar code of the EAN/UPC symbology that

encodes UCC-12 identification numbers
UPC-E bar code - A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC symbology

representing a UCC-12 identification number in six explicitly encoded digits using zero suppression techniques.
Variable measure trade itemAn item always produced in

the same pre-defined version (type, design, packaging, etc.) that may be sold at any point in the supply chain, which either may vary in weight/size by its nature or which may be traded without a pre-defined weight/size/ length.
Variable parityThe technique of encoding additional data in a bar

code through choosing particular arrangements of odd parity and even parity representations of the digits in the bar code (or part of the code).
VariationSee Print gain variation. Velocity codeA type of bar code particularly suitable for key entry. Verifier/verification deviceAn instrument designed to
measure the bar widths in a printed bar code.
X-dimensionSingle module or narrow element width. Zero suppressionA technique in which zeros in specified
positions in an item identification number are removed when the number is represented by a bar code.
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List of Figures
List of Figures
Number Title
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51
Version 1, 2004
Page
Symbology Operational Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 EAN/UPC symbol character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 EAN-13 bar code format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 EAN-13 permutation for bar code digit positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Human readable digits represented as symbol characters from number sets with X-dimension (module widths) of 0.33mm (nominal size) . . . . . . . . . .10 Encoding auxiliary characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 EAN-13 bar code with X-dimension 0.33mm (nominal size) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 EAN-8 bar code format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 EAN-8 permutation for bar code digit positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 EAN-8 bar code with X-dimension 0.33mm (nominal size) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 ITF-14 symbol character. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 ITF-14 bar code format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Sample ITF digit pair converted into wide (1) and narrow (0) bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Sample ITF start guard bars, two digit pairs, and stop guard bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 ITF start pattern and stop pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 ITF-14 bar code nominal dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 ITF-14 bar code and example of a skewed scanning beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 UCC/EAN-128 symbol character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 UCC/EAN-128 bar code format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 UCC/EAN-128 bar code at 50% magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Concatenated UCC/EAN-128 bar code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Concatenated bar code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 bar code input processing chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Decoding software flowchartbasic required logic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Data Density Comparison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Symbology Identifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 RSS-14 Bar Code Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 RSS-14 Truncated Bar Code Symbol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 RSS-14 Stacked Bar Code Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 RSS-14 Stacked Omnidirectional Bar Code Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 RSS Limited Bar Code Symbol Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 RSS Expanded Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 RSS Expanded Bar Code Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 RSS Expanded Stacked Bar Code Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 The Human Readable Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Data Capacity of CC-B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 RSS Limited Composite Symbol with CC-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 UCC/EAN-128 Composite Symbol with CC-C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Permissible Combinations of Linear and 2D Composite Components . . . . . . .65 CC-A Column Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 CC-A Row and Column Sizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 CC-B Column Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 CC-B Row and Column Sizes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 CC-C Row Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 The Human Readable Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 EAN-13 Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 UPC-A Symbol with a Four-Column CC-B Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 EAN-8 Symbol with a Three-Column CC-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 UPC-E Symbol with a Two-Column CC-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 RSS-14 Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing 135
52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67
RSS-14 Stacked Symbol with a Two-Column CC-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 RSS Limited Symbol with a Three-Column CC-B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 RSS Expanded Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 UCC/EAN-128 Symbol with a Four-Column CC-A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Typical print gain for a single bar in an EAN-13 bar code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 EAN/UPC bar code density and PCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Patterns that obscure a bar code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Patterns that do not obscure a bar code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Graph showing the relationship between maximum print gain variations and minimum magnification factors to apply to EAN/UPC bar codes . . . . . . . 89 EAN/UPC printability gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 ITF printability gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 ITF printability gauge section description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Sample printed ITF-14 bar code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between maximum print gain variations and minimum magnification factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Detection of dot burnout on thermal/direct thermal printheads . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Pixel-sized dot on the left and typical size general-purpose printer dot on the right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
List of Tables
List of Tables
Number Title
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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10 11 13 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Bar code options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Coding system for the 13th digit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 EAN-13 and EAN-8 number sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Reduction/Enlargement for characters 1, 2, 7 & 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 EAN-13 and EAN-8 module composition of auxiliary symbol characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 EAN-13 light margin dimensions at nominal size, x = X-dimensions . . . . . . . .13 EAN/UPC character dimensions in nominal size (100% magnification) . . . . . .14 EAN-13 and EAN-8 total modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Dimensions of EAN/UPC bar codes at various magnification factors (where HR = human readable interpretation, LM = light margin, X-dim = X-dimension) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 EAN-8 light margin dimensions with X-dimension 0.33mm (nominal size), (where x = X-dimension). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 ITF-14 human readable digit representations in bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Parts of ITF-14 bar code affected/not affected by applying the magnification factor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 ITF-14 dimensions at various magnification factors for general distribution. . .27 ITF-14 bar code total width without light margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 ITF-14 bar code character dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 UCC/EAN-128 start character sets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 UCC/EAN-128 stop character set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Characters represented in UCC/EAN-128 character sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimensions for numeric data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 UCC/EAN-128 total modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Fixed length field indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Symbology identifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 ISO (ANSI) parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 EAN/UPC bar code density, reflectance factor, and PCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Density and reflectance factor for UCC/EAN-128 and ITF-14 bar codes . . . . .84 Relationship between maximum print gain variations and minimum magnification factors to apply to EAN/UPC bar codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 EAN/UPC bar code magnifications and bar width reductions. . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 EAN/UPC bar code dimensions and tolerances for types 1, 2, and 3 dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 Relationship between variation and magnification for ITF bar codes . . . . . . . .98 Dimensions of ITF-14 bar codes for general distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 ITF bar code magnifications and bar widths for printability ranges. . . . . . . . .101 ITF specifications for manufacturing the film master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 Dimensions and tolerances in a printed ITF-14 bar code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between print gain variations and magnification factors in a general distribution environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 UCC/EAN-128 magnification factors for various EAN-13 and ITF-14 magnification factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between printability range, magnification, and bar width reduction using an EAN/UPC printability gauge. . . . . . . . . . . .109 UCC/EAN-128 relationship between printability range, magnification, and bar width reduction using an ITF printability gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 UCC/EAN-128 bar code dimension tolerances, types 1, 2, and 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Achievable magnifications for thermal printed EAU/UPC bar codes after correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116 General-purpose printer: Achievable magnifications for EAN/UPC bar codes after correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
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EAN Australia User Manual

Symbology and Printing

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

Printing and production

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

The EAN/UPC symbology is exclusively reserved for encoding

The ITF-14 symbology is exclusively used for encoding GTINs printed

The UCC/EAN-128 symbology is a precise subset of the Code 128

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

Symbology Operational Bands

Figure 1 Symbology Operational Bands

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

each human readable digit is represented by seven light or dark

auxiliary symbol characters in addition to the symbol characters

they can be read omni-directionally by fixed position scanners and

the size is variable between limits in magnification, to accommodate

dimensions are specified for the nominal size

X-dimension (single module width) of all EAN/UPC bar codes at

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

two dark bars

two light bars

Figure 2 EAN/UPC symbol character

EAN-13 bar code format

Centre guard bars

Figure 3 EAN-13 bar code format

Variable parity encoding of the 13th digit

Table 2 Coding system for the 13th digit

Start guard bars

Centre guard bars

Stop guard bars

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

number set A have an odd number of dark modules (shown as 1s in

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

Number set C & nominal dimensions (mm)

0 0.33 0.66 1.32 .99 1.65 1.98 .99 1.65 1.98

1 .69 1.32 2.01

.30 .99 1.62

.69 1.32 2.01

2 .63 1.32 1.62 .69 .99 1.68 .69 .99 1.68

3 .33 .66 1.98 .33 1.65 1.98 .33 1.65 1.98

5 .33 1.32 1.98 .33 .99 1.98 .33 .99 1.98

6 1.32 1.65 1.98 .33 .66 .99 .33 .66 .99

Number set C & nominal dimensions (mm)

7 .69 .99 2.01 .30 1.32 1.62 .30 1.32 1.62

8 1.02 1.32 2.01 .30 .99 1.29 .30 .99 1.29

In Figure 5, all dimensions given are ideal, theoretical dimensions

In Figure 5, the internal dimensions for symbol characters representing

Table 4 Reduction/Enlargement for characters 1, 2, 7 & 8

EAN Australia User Manual - Symbology and Printing

See page 14 for

Centre guard pattern (Film master tolerance 0.013)

Start of adjacent characters

Figure 6 Encoding auxiliary characters.

EAN/UPC auxiliary symbol characters

Module set 101 01010

Table 5 EAN-13 and EAN-8 module composition of auxiliary symbol characters