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A brief introduction to bar code terminology
This page also includes entries concerning EPS files. For a more thorough understanding of bar code terms,
I recommend exploring the links page. Most of these definitions are from ANSI/UCC6-1996: Application Standard for Shipping Container Codes. I have in some cases expanded or paraphrased them.
bar
The dark, or low reflectance, element of a bar code symbol.
bar code
Also called bar code symbol. The array of bars and spaces representing data. The combination of
symbol characters and features required by a particular symbology, including quiet zones, start and
stop characters, data characters, check characters and other auxiliary patterns, which together form a
complete scannable entity.
bar width reduction
The amount by which the bar width is narrowed to compensate for print gain.
bearer bars
Bars surrounding a bar code to prevent misreads or to improve print quality of the bar code symbol.
check character
A calculated character often included within a bar code symbol whose value is used for performing a
mathematical check of the validity of decoded data. Sometimes called a check digit.
EAN-13
A number structure as administered by numbering authorities outside the United States and Canada
that is the equivalent of UPC-A. It is used to encode a 13-digit EAN number.
EPS file
An Encapsulated PostScript file. This is an image encoded using the PostScript page description language, and is typically embedded within a larger document created by a page layout or illustration program. A PostScript-compatible printer or interpreter is necessary to correctly print EPS files.
human readable
Characters that can be read by persons, such as letters and numbers, as opposed to bar codes.
ITF
Interleaved 2-of-5 bar code symbol.
magnification factor
Different sizes of bar code symbols, stated as a decimal multiplier of a standard size.
print gain
The increase of bar width from film master through plate-making to final printed symbol caused, in part, by spreading of the ink image.
quiet zone
A clear space, containing no machine readable marks, that precedes the start character of a bar code
symbol and follows the stop characters. Sometimes called the "clear area."
scanner
An electronic device to read bar codes and convert them into electrical signals understandable by a
computer device.
SCC-14
The 14-digit number, often represented in a bar code, used to identify standard intermediate containers,
standard shipping containers, and standard pallets. Formerly known as the U.P.C. Shipping
Container Code.
substrate
The material on which a bar code symbol is printed.
symbology
A defined method of representing numeric or alphabetic digits using bars and spaces that are easily
scanned by computer systems. A specific type of bar code.
TIFF preview
A low-resolution bitmap image embedded in an EPS file using the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), which can be used to preview the image when it is placed in a layout program. This preview is not necessary for the file to print correctly to a PostScript printer.
UPC/EAN
A bar code symbology generally used in point-of-sale applications.
UPC number
A 12-digit number used for primary identification of consumer units.
UPC-A
The version of the UPC symbol, referred to as the regular version, used to encode the UPC number.
UPC-E
The version of the UPC symbol, referred to as the zero suppression version, which encodes 6 characters rather than 12. This is achieved by encoding the symbol in a special way that leaves out some zeros that can occur in the code. Note that most UPC numbers cannot be encoded using this method.
wide-to-narrow ratio
The ratio between the wide bar or space and the narrow bar or space. Significant when used in reference to
the Interleaved 2-of-5 symbology.
X dimension
The dimension of the narrow bars and spaces in a bar code symbol.
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