Keeble NI | Resources | What is a Barcode?
What is a Barcode?
A Barcode is an encoded set of lines and spaces of different widths that can be scanned and interpreted into numbers to identify a product.Why use Barcodes instead of Letters and Numbers?
Barcodes are used instead of Letters and Numbers as computers are not that quick in deciphering such different combinations of lines, curves and dots, whereas us humans are. Therefore it is much quicker for computer to decode a series of straight black and white lines.
A number of barcode have been developed and refined over the years into accepted languages called symbologies. We would use different symbologies for different application in the same way that we would use a bold or itallic font to emphasize a particular line of textt. Different symbologies, or "bar code fonts" are used for different applications. By having standardized symbologies, we ensure that when you print a barcode,they will be scanable and then also able to decode it, as long as both the same codes are within the specifications dictated by the barcode standards.
Barcode symbologies come in two varieties. They can be either linear or two dimensional in their apperance. A linear barcode symbology consists of a single row of dark lines and white spaces of varying but specified width and height, as shown below:
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Similarly, a 2-Dimensional symbology can be configured into a stacked or matrix format. Two dimensional barcodes are special rectangular codes which ‘stack' information in a manner allowing for more information in a smaller amount of space.
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