Bar Codes
EAN8
A fixed-length data string of 7 ASCII characters may be printed using the EAN 8 bar code. The string length must be 7 and may use any of the standard characters 0 through 9. If a non-valid character or string length is used, a blank non-readable bar code will be printed; non-valid characters are not substituted or deleted. The width of the printed bar code is not variable and is 1.25 inches.
EAN13
A fixed-length data string of 12 ASCII characters may be printed using the EAN 13 bar code. The string length must be 12 and may use any of the standard characters 0 through 9. If a non-valid character or string length is used, a blank non-readable bar code will be printed; non-valid characters are not substituted or deleted. The width of the printed bar code is not variable and is 1.56 inches.
Royal Mail
A variable length data string may be printed using the “Royal Mail 4 State Customer Code”. The string may use any character from 0 through 9 and alpha characters A through Z. A complete bar code consists of a set of distinct bars and spaces for each character followed by a checksum character and enclosed by a unique start bar, stop bar and quiet zone. A second version of the Royal Mail barcode prints with no stop bar, start bar or checksum character.
UCC/EAN 128
The UCC/EAN-128 bar code contains special characters which use unique codes to identify the leading and trailing end of the bar code. EAN/UCC 128 supports a full ASCII character set and provides standard alphanumeric keyboard characters and control and special characters.
The UCC/EAN-128 data structure requires an Application Identifier (AI) at the beginning of barcode data. Each AI determines the format and length of the data which follows. Refer to Table 12 for more detail.
Table 12. UCC/EAN-128 Application Identifiers
| Application | Content | Format |
| Identifier (AI) |
| | |
| | | |
| | | |
| 00 | Serial Shipping Container Code | n2+n18 |
| | | |
| 02 | Item Num. of Goods Within Another Unit | n2+n14 |
| | | |
| 10 | Batch or Lot Number | n2+an..20 |
| | | |
| 11 (*) | Production Date (YYMMDD) | n2+n6 |
| | | |
| 13 (*) | Packaging Date (YYMMDD) | n2+n6 |
| | | |
| 15 (*) | Sell By Date (Quality) (YYMMDD) | n2+n6 |
| | | |
| 17 (*) | Expiration Date (Safety) (YYMMDD) | n2+n6 |
| | | |
