Capture

GS1 Data Carriers for automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) are capable of holding varying amounts of data for different business processes and trading requirements.

The data encoded in GS1 Data Carriers not only uniquely identifies products at every level of packaging, it provides access to product information and visibility of product movement through the supply chain.

The 9 GS1 Data Carrier families include: EAN, UPC, ITF-14, GS1-128, GS1 Databar, GS1 QR Code and GS1 Data Matrix barcodes, as well as standards for EPC-enabled HF and UHF RFID tags.

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GS1 barcode specifications

A barcode (the official term is GTIN or Global Trade Item Number) is a number represented in a machine readable form. Barcodes are generally represented in vertical lines of varying widths printed on labels to uniquely identify items. Labels are read with a scanner, which interprets the pattern or symbol into numbers and letters that are then passed onto a computer to retrieve original product data.

Why use Barcodes?

Barcodes enable the rapid and unambigous identification of products, assets, documents and people. Using a barcode can greatly reduce human error in data entry and processing, eliminate doubt caused by inconsistent approaches to product labelling and mistakes in reading handwriting.

There are a number of different types of barcode symbols being used today; these include the most widely known basic, linear or 1D barcodes (EAN 13) and the smaller GS1 DataBar Symbols to the latest technology in 2D GS1 Data Matrix codes.

Barcode Symbol Types

There are a number of symbologies among the GS1 family of barcodes or data carriers. These include:

EAN 13

EAN 13 is used to print each of the 13 digit GTIN types namely for fixed weight products, variable weight products, coupons, books, serial publications etc.

EAN 8

The EAN 8 symbol is used to print the 8 digit GTIN numbers allocated to identify very small retail products.

UPC

UPC symbols are used for the 12 digit retail barcode numbers (GTINs) assigned for use on fixed weight consumer products intended for sale in North America.

ITF 14

The ITF 14 symbol is used for trade items not passing the point of sale and is ideal for use where the symbol is to be pre-printed onto corrugated fibreboard.

GS1 128

GS1 128 (formerly known as the EAN 128 ), together with Application Identifiers (AIs), enable companies to provide additional information about a product in addition to the GTIN.

GS1 Databar

DataBar barcodes are often used to label fresh foods. These barcodes can hold information like an item's batch number or expiry date, in addition to other attributes used at the point-of-sale such the item weight.