Barcode

A barcode (sometimes also spelled ‘bar code’) is a machine-readable way of representing information (e.g. characters, numerals).

Traditional barcodes consist of black bars and white spaces. Modern barcodes, however, can be represented using different elements such as squares or circles.

The first barcode was developed by American inventors Bernard Silver and Norman Joseph Woodland.

Silver and Woodland started working on a variety of systems, but failed in the first attempts. It was only later than Woodland would be able to develop the first barcode system by taking Morse code as an inspiration.

Barcodes are usually classified into 1D and 2D barcodes.

1D barcodes consist of lines (like traditional barcodes) used to store text information such as product color or product size. Although widely used, 1D barcodes have several limitations, including the amount of information they can store.

2D barcodes, on the other hand, represent information in a two-dimensional way. Unlike 1D barcodes, 2D barcodes consist of elements such as squares, circles and even triangles. These elements are usually represented in black and white, although they can also be colored. One of the greatest advantages of 2D barcodes is their ability to store a lot more information than 1D barcodes. Examples of 2D barcodes include data matrix codes or QR codes.

Barcodes are used for many purposes, including product purchase or accounting. They are also used by distributors or resellers to track inventory. Thanks to their ability to store information such as the manufacturer’s name or the country of origin, distributors and resellers are able to quickly track their inventory and manage situations like product recalls a lot easier.

Generating a barcode is nowadays quite simple. Many online tools are available on the internet that allow companies to create barcodes by just entering the information to be encoded. Once ready, the barcodes can be printed using a label printer and applied manually or automatically using a label dispenser or a label printer and dispenser.