DS 6608 Product Reference GuideGL-8
Scanning Sequence A method of programming or configuring parameters for a bar code reading
system by scanning bar code menus.
Self-Checking Code A symbology that uses a checking algorithm to detect encoding errors within
the characters of a bar code symbol.
Skew Rotation of a bar code symbol on an axis parallel to the symbol's length.
Space The lighter element of a bar code formed by the background between bars.
Space Width The thickness of a space measured from the edge closest to the symbol start
character to the trailing edge of the same space.
Specular Reflection The mirror-like direct reflection of light from a surface, which can cause
difficulty decoding a bar code.
Stacked Symbol (2D Symbols) A 2-dimensional (2D) symbol with sequences of linear (width-coded) data that
are stacked one upon another (i.e., PDF417).
Start/Stop Character A pattern of bars and spaces that provides the scanner with start and stop
reading instructions and scanning direction. The start and stop characters are
normally to the left and right margins of a horizontal code.
Substrate A foundation material on which a substance or image is placed.
Symbol A scannable unit that encodes data within the conventions of a certain
symbology, usually including start/stop characters, quiet zones, data
characters, and check characters.
Symbol Aspect Ratio The ratio of symbol height to symbol width.
Symbol Density The number of data characters per unit length; usually expressed as characters
per inch (CPI).
Symbol Height The distance between the outside edges of the quiet zones of the first row and
the last row.
Symbol Length Length of symbol measured from the beginning of the quiet zone (margin)
adjacent to the start character to the end of the quiet zone (margin) adjacent
to a stop character.
Symbology The structural rules and conventions for representing data within a particular
bar code type (e.g. UPC/EAN, Code 39).
Tilt Rotation of a bar code symbol on an axis perpendicular to the substrate.
Tolerance Allowable deviation from the nominal bar or space width.
Two-dimensional symbology A machine-readable symbol which must be examined both vertically and
horizontally to read the entire message.
A 2-dimensional (2D) symbol may be one of two types of machine-readable
symbols: a Matrix Symbol or a stacked symbol. 2D symbols differ from linear
bar codes with the ability for high data content, small size, data efficiency and
error correction capability.
UCC Uniform Code Council: the organization that administers the U.P.C and other
retail standards.
UCC.EAN-128 Code 128 with a Function 1 character in the first position that is the symbology
used with the UCC.EAN format for a universal product number (UPN).
UPC Universal Product Code. A relatively complex numeric symbology. Each
character consists of two bars and two spaces, each of which is any of four
widths. The standard symbology for retail food packages in the United States.
Variable Length Code A code with a number of encoded characters within a range, as opposed to a
code with a fixed number of encoded characters.