How to use Barcodes  

Barcodes are a computer coding system that uses a printed pattern of lines or bars to identify products, mail and packages, customer accounts and the like. In a linear bar code system, the code itself contains no information about the item to which it is assigned but represents a string of identifying numbers or letters. When the code is read by an optical scanner linked to a computer, the computer can provide and record information about the item, such as its price or the quantity sold, from and to, databases. The Universal Product Code (UPC) uses a set of two dark (usually black) and two light (usually white) bars of specified thicknesses to represent numbers. Each item is assigned a unique numeric code, which is printed as a bar code on the item's packaging. So-called two-dimensional (2D) bar codes permit the encoding of information about an item in addition to an identifying code. In a 2D bar code, two axes, or directions, are used for recording and reading the codes and the bar size is reduced, increasing the space available for data in the way that a column of words improves on a column of letters. Some 2D codes do not use bars at all, such as the United Parcel Service's hexagon-based Maxicode.

How Do I Get A Bar Code Number For My Product?

When someone asks this question, they are talking about the UPC or EAN symbol found on most retail products around the world. Specifically, they are asking how to obtain a Universal Product Code Identification Number which they can encode into a UPC-A or EAN-12 bar code symbol on their product. In the United States of America a company can obtain a unique six digit company identification number by becoming a member of the Uniform Code Council (UCC). The address and phone is Uniform Code Council, Inc., Princeton Pike Corporate Center, 1009 Lenox Dr., Suite 202, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648, Telephone: 609-620-0200, Fax: 609.620.1200. In the rest of the world, contact EAN International (EAN). EAN International maintains an excellent FAQ, standards information and a list of member organizations around the world, many of which have web sites. The EAN site is a must visit if you need to put a bar code on your product.