Barcode system has been used in many applications in various industries. Based on the requirement in industries variety of devices are being produced including symbol scanners, Zebra printers, Wasp scanners and so on by different manufacturers. However there has been still advancement in barcode technology.
There was a need for encoding more information in smaller space. This led to the development and more usage of 2D Barcodes. The traditional one-dimensional barcodes are considered as a license plate to reference information stored in a database. The same function is taken by two-dimensional codes by using significantly less space. Two types of symbologies are used in 2D barcodes. They are stacked codes and matrix codes.
Stacked Symbologies:
One-dimensional codes are stacked in horizontal layers to create multi-row symbologies or stacked codes. For example Code 39 and Code 128 are stacked to give Code 49 and Code 16K respectively. A stacked code called Super code is available that breaks data into small packets and create various shaped symbols. Some of the examples of 2D stacked codes are Code 49, Code 16K, PDF417, and Super Code.
Matrix Symbologies:
When compared to stacked symbologies, matrix symbologies have the ability to offer higher densities. They also provide orientation-independent scanning system. A matrix code is made of a pattern of cells which may be of various shapes such as square, hexagonal, or circular.
These codes can be available as small ID marks on products and also as conveyor-scannable symbols on shipped packages. Some of the examples of matrix symbologies are DotCode, DotCode A, USS Code One, Maxi Code, Data Matrix, Aztec Code, QR Code, Datastrip 2D, and Grid Matrix.
Many printers are available like that of a Zebra printer that provide printing of 2D barcodes. Also Symbol barcode products are used by many industries.
