Barcodes come with a lot of jargon. Here’s what the common terms mean, in plain English. If you can’t find a term, ask us.

2D barcode

A barcode that stores information both across and down, in a grid of squares or dots, rather than in a single row of bars. A 2D barcode holds far more data than a standard barcode. QR codes are the most common type. Also called a matrix barcode. 2D barcodes.

Artwork test

A check of your barcode artwork on verification equipment before you print, so you can fix size or quiet-zone problems while it’s still easy to do. It isn’t the same as a formal verification report. Barcode artwork test.

Asset tracking barcode

A barcode used to track equipment, stock or library books rather than to sell products. Each item gets a different sequential number, usually in Code 128 or Code 39 format. Sequential labels.

Aztec code

A 2D barcode with a square “bullseye” in the centre, often used on train and airline tickets.

Bar height

The height of the bars, not including the numbers printed underneath. Cutting bar height down (truncating) makes a barcode harder to scan. Barcode dimensions.

Barcode

A pattern of bars and spaces (or squares, for 2D codes) that a scanner reads as a number or other data. A retail barcode holds only its number. It contains no product name or price. How barcodes work.

Barcode package

A purchase that includes the barcode number, the barcode images and a guarantee certificate. Ours also includes free registration. Retail barcode packages.

Barcode registration

Listing your barcode number and product details in an online database so people searching for the number or scanning it with a phone app can find your product. Registration is optional. Your barcode scans at the till either way. What is barcode registration?

Barcode reseller

A company that sells barcode numbers outright, for a single payment. GS1 issued the numbers before it introduced annual licensing. Why buy from us?

Bearer bars

The thick bars above and below (and sometimes around) an ITF-14 barcode. They protect the barcode from misreads when it’s printed on corrugated cardboard. ITF-14 specifications.

Check digit

The last digit of a barcode number. It’s calculated from the other digits, so if a number is mistyped or misread, the check digit won’t match, and the error is caught. GTIN Validator.

Code 128

A barcode format for internal use, such as shipping labels and asset tracking. It can encode letters, numbers, and symbols, and fits into a small space better than Code 39. Not used for retail products.

Code 39

An older barcode format that encodes capital letters, numbers and a few symbols. It takes up more space than Code 128, so it’s less suited to small labels. Not used for retail products.

Company prefix

The first part of a barcode number that stays the same across all of a company’s products. The more numbers you have, the shorter your company prefix is, leaving more digits for individual products. We supply one on orders of 10, 100 or 1,000 barcodes. Barcode company prefix.

Country code (GS1 prefix)

The first two or three digits of a retail barcode. It shows which GS1 office issued the number, not where the product was made. For example, numbers issued by GS1 UK start with 50. Country code prefix.

Data Matrix

A small square 2D barcode, often used to mark parts in manufacturing and on medicines and healthcare products.

EAN-13

The 13-digit retail barcode used in the UK, Europe and most of the world. EAN-13 can mean the number or the barcode format. Also called a GTIN-13. EAN-13 information.

GLN (Global Location Number)

A 13-digit number that identifies a business or location, not a product. Some retailers and ordering systems ask suppliers for one. GLN numbers.

GS1

The not-for-profit organisation that runs the global barcode numbering system. GS1 UK licenses numbers to UK members for a joining fee and annual fees. Every legitimate retail barcode number, including ours, originates from the GS1 system.

GS1 Digital Link

A standard for putting product information into a QR code. One code can act as a barcode at the till and link a shopper’s phone to product details such as ingredients or recycling information. 2D barcodes.

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)

The umbrella term for product barcode numbers in the GS1 system. A GTIN-13 is an EAN-13, a GTIN-12 is a UPC-A, and a GTIN-14 is an ITF-14 carton number. GTIN Validator.

Human-readable text

The digits printed below the bars, so a person can read or type in the number if the barcode won’t scan.

ISBN

International Standard Book Number. A 13-digit number for books, starting with 978 or 979, printed as an EAN-13 barcode on the back cover. ISBN barcodes.

ISSN

International Standard Serial Number. An 8-digit number for magazines and other periodicals, converted into a 13-digit barcode starting with 977. Magazine barcodes.

ITF-14

A 14-digit barcode for outer cartons and cases, built from the retail barcode of the product inside. Warehouses scan ITF-14 barcodes, not the till. If a customer can buy the whole case, it needs a normal retail barcode instead. ITF-14 carton barcodes.

Ladder and picket fence orientation

Picket fence means the bars stand upright, like a fence. Ladder means the barcode is turned on its side, so the bars run horizontally like the rungs of a ladder. Use ladder orientation on curved surfaces such as bottles and jars. Where to put your barcode.

Magnification

The printed size of a barcode compared with its standard (100%) size. Retail barcodes can usually go from 80% to 200%. Barcode dimensions.

MaxiCode

A 2D barcode with a bullseye in the centre, used by some courier companies so parcels can be scanned quickly on conveyor belts.

PDF417

A stacked 2D barcode that looks like several rows of short barcodes. It’s used on ID cards, boarding passes and e-tickets.

QR code

The most common 2D barcode. QR codes were invented in Japan to track car parts and are now mainly used to open a web page or share information when scanned with a phone. QR codes.

Quiet zone

The blank space to the left and right of the bars. It’s part of the barcode: scanners need it to find where the barcode starts and ends. Retail barcodes need about 2–3mm on each side. Barcode dimensions.

SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code)

An 18-digit number that identifies a single pallet or shipment. Each pallet gets its own SSCC, which large retailers use to track deliveries.

Sunrise 2027

The industry target for retail checkouts to scan 2D barcodes, such as GS1 Digital Link QR codes, as well as standard barcodes by the end of 2027. Standard barcodes will continue to work. 2D barcodes.

Symbology

The “language” a barcode is written in: the rules for turning a number into bars and spaces. EAN-13, UPC-A, ITF-14 and Code 128 are all symbologies. EAN-13 symbology.

Truncation

Cutting down a barcode’s bar height to fit the packaging. It makes scanning less reliable, and some retailers reject truncated barcodes. Reduce the overall size instead, keeping within the minimum. Barcode dimensions.

UPC-A

Universal Product Code. The 12-digit retail barcode used mainly in the US and Canada. It’s the same number as an EAN-13 without the leading zero, and we supply both formats with every barcode. EAN-13 vs UPC-A.

vCard and vCalendar

Text formats that can be stored in a QR code. A vCard saves contact details to a phone, and a vCalendar adds an event to its calendar.

Verification report

A formal test of your barcode on the final printed packaging, graded A to F against the official standards. Only some retailers ask for one. Barcode verification.

X-dimension

The width of the narrowest bar in a barcode. All the other measurements scale from it, so it sets the barcode’s overall size.