Printing Guide

Bar Code Usages and Formats

3-18

Bar Code Symbols and Formats

EAN-13

The EAN-13 bar code is the standard bar code format in Europe for items sold to the public.

EAN-13 contains numeric data only, and encodes a 13 digit number. The first two digits

represent the country code, the next six digits represent the supplier ID, the next four digits

represent the product number, and the last digit represents the required checksum character.

(The checksum character is separated from the rest of the bar code. This separation varies

from country to country.) You do not need to specify the checksum digit, as the Bar Code

Printing function calculates it automatically. If the checksum is sent as the 13th digit, it is

ignored and recalculated.

All of the EAN and UPC bar codes can be followed by two or five digits, which represent

supplemental information.

One digit is represented by two bars and two spaces, and its width is calculated as seven thin

bars.

The system number character is printed as human readable text on the left side of the bar

code, and the checksum digit is printed as human readable text on the right side of the bar

code.

Code 39

The real name of Code 39 is "3 of 9 bar code." It is probably the most commonly used bar

code, as it encodes not only digits, but also uppercase letters and punctuation. Spaces are

encoded as bars. Text is encoded between the start and stop character " * ", which is

automatically generated by the Bar Code Printing function.

The Bar Code Printing function features two variations of the 3 of 9 bar code: With starting

spaces and without starting spaces. Typefaces 24670 and 24671 do not encode the starting

spaces in the data to create the bar code; however, typefaces 24672 and 24673 do encode

the starting spaces.