Specifications

Bar Code Information
History and Overview
Code 49 was developed by David Allais in 1987 at the Intermec Corporation to fill
a need to pack a lot of information into a very small symbol. It is a multiple-row,
continuous, variable symbology encoding the full ASCII 128 character set. Each
row is composed of 18 bars and 17 spaces. There are between two and eight
adjacent rows, each divided by a separator bar. Each row contains a row number,
and the last row contains information indicating how many rows there are in the
symbol.
Code 49 symbols can be read with modified moving-beam laser scanners or
CCD scanners. Labels can be printed by standard printing technologies. A
disadvantage with Code 49 is its structure that requires a large amount of
memory for encoding and decoding tables and algorithms.
Code 49 accomplishes this by using a series of bar code symbols stacked one
on top of another. Each symbol can have between two and eight rows. Each row
consists of a leading quiet zone; a starting pattern; four data words encoding
eight characters, with the last character a row check character; a stop pattern;
and a trailing quiet zone. Every row encodes the data in exactly 18 bars and 17
spaces, and each row is separated by a one-module high separator bar.
The code is a continuous, variable-length symbology that can encode the
complete ASCII 128-character set. Its structure is actually a cross between UPC
and Code 39. Intermec has put the code in the public domain.
The minimum value of the x-dimension is 7.5 mils for a symbol to be read by an
unknown reader. Assuming an x-dimension of 7.5 mils, and a minimum 8 row
symbol height of .5475 inches, the maximum theoretical density is 170
alphanumeric characters per square inch. For a health industry symbol with a flag
character, a 10-digit NDC number, a 5-digit expiration date, and a 10-character
alphanumeric lot code, the symbol would be .3 inches by .53 inches. A 15-digit
printed circuit board serial number Code 49 symbol would be only .1 inches by .3
inches.
Specifications:
Character Set
All 128 ASCII characters, 3 function characters, 3 shift characters
Symbol Length
70 modules, excluding Quiet Zone
Symbol Height
361