INSTITUTO POLITECNICO NACIONAL

ESCUELA SUPERIOS DE COMERCIO Y ADMINISTRACIÓN

UNIDAD SANTO TOMAS

ILSE ALEJANDRA VARGAS PÉREZ

Anatomy of a Barcode

2RM2

TEACHER: ARSENIA BAYLON TANINGCO

DATE: TUESDAY, November 30, 2020

 Anatomy of a Barcode
The barcode is a code based on the representation of a set of parallel
lines of different thickness and spacing that together contain certain
information, that is, the bars and spaces of the code represent small
strings of characters.
The barcode is a unique numerical identification represented by a
combination of lines that allows you to quickly recognize an article in a
unique, global and unambiguous way at a point in the logistics chain
and thus be able to carry out inventory or consult its associated
characteristics.
The Code is made up of light and dark bars and occasionally has
numeric digits at the bottom.
Basic nomenclature
• Module: it is the minimum or basic unit of a code. Bars and
spaces are made up of a set of modules.
• Slash: the dark element within the code. It is mapped to the
binary value 1.
• Space: the clear element within the code. It is mapped to the
binary value 0.
• Character: made up of bars and spaces. It usually corresponds to
an alphanumeric character.
Example of data contained in a GTIN 13 barcode:
• P: GS1 prefix (for example, the number 84 corresponds to
Spain).
• Company code: code assigned to registered companies (5 to 8
digits, completed with leading zeros).
• Product code: blank digits for the brand owner.
• C: check digit.

The acronym EAN stands for European Article Number. The EAN
number is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies products for retail
sale. The EAN number system was originally developed by EAN
International in Europe in the 1970s.
Bar codes are divided into two large groups: linear (or one-
dimensional) bar codes and two-dimensional bar codes.
Linear barcodes
Some of the most common linear barcodes are:
• EAN
• Code 128
• Code 39
• Code 93
• Codebar
• CPU
The importance of Barcode to business.
It is a fast, standard and safe system, which allows to identify the
products without margin of error. It is so important in global logistics
because it helps to control all the processes that a product goes
through, from the warehouse to the store.
Barcodes contain valuable information for those who use them, since
they serve to identify their products and have an inventory control. This
is possible due to the large amount of information that is accessed
when they are read by a scanner, for this it is important that the
barcode printing is accurate and does not have errors, so that it is easy
to read and that it performs its function in the way correct.
Es importante que el proceso de impresión de códigos de barras sea
el adecuado y de una buena calidad, ya que aunque ahora existe
alguna tolerancia en cuanto a las dimensiones de los códigos, siempre
es mejor que las barras y espacios queden lo mejor posible para evitar
problemas.
The negative and positive impacts of Barcode to consumers and
companies.
Bar codes have greatly simplified the operation of businesses, these
are some:
 • The consumer gets a better and faster service when passing
through the Point of Sale, avoiding long lines.
• Clicking errors disappear by obtaining a ticket with the list of
items purchased.
• They represent a lower cost in printing, by avoiding printing
labels for each of the products you have in your inventory.
• The margin of error is very low when each of the products is
being processed.
• Increase in the speed of data reading.
• The instruments for reading the codes are easy to connect.
• You have better quality control and customer service.
• Improve competitiveness.
• You have greater control over the inputs and outputs of products.
• Reduction of time to place a product
• Food Safety.
• Utility for customs.
• Track your inventory.
Among the few disadvantages attributed to it is the impossibility of
remembering the price of the product once it is removed from the shelf.