Businesses, institutions, and groups in various sectors—from healthcare to local government offices to warehousing—have started to appreciate the adaptability and dependability of different barcode labels.
Barcodes are a fantastic low-cost technique for data collection, whether for ticketing, shopping, patient identification, or advertising. The only issue is deciding which type of barcode label is best for you and your company.
What Is a Barcode Label?
In recall activities, barcode labels help swiftly identify defective products, so that they can be taken out of circulation, avoiding further usage and minimizing any potential harm. As a result, producers can handle product recalls more effectively. Regarding product recalls, barcode labels in particular provide the benefits listed below:
- Manufacturers have access to details about a product’s precise location from point of production to point of sale.
- They have the ability to specifically remove the item or range in issue from any location at any given time.
- By making sure consumers do not possess a damaged product, barcode labels offer protection for them.
- Barcode labels minimize any reputational damage due to negligence.
Are There Different Barcode Labels Types?
There are, indeed! There are different types of barcode labels with unique uses, such as calculating product information, pricing, and billing, as we had explained in a previous piece. But most customers might need to be aware of the different uses of barcodes e in various industries. A specific barcode enables efficient product cataloging, storage, and sales.
What Are the Types of Barcodes?
Distinct codes distinguish different barcode labels. Each code is unique to a particular barcode and has distinct uses for a specific industry.
Here are the barcode label types:
- Code 39
Also referred to as Alpha 39, this standard alphanumeric code has 43 characters. Uppercase letters (A to Z), numerals (0 to 9), special characters, and even spaces are among the characters used in Code 39. However, code 39 does not use check digits since it indicates that the barcode is self-checking. Its simplicity gives Code 39 an edge over other barcode labels, enabling you to integrate it into an existing printing system easily.
- UPC-A
UPC stands for Universal Product Code. The purpose of this code is to track commercial or consumer goods. A 12-digit code is provided for every item. This makes it simple for store owners to scan and keep track of every item’s sale. Most nations use this barcode, including Australia, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
- EAN-13
EAN, or European Article Number, is the abbreviation. It belongs to the UPC barcode’s subset. EAN-13 has 13 digits, 12 of which are data digits, and the remaining digit is a check. The retail industry and products use this kind of barcode all over the world. The majority of the nations in the European Union and Japan utilize them.
- EAN-8
Considered the successor of EAN-13, EAN-8 consists of two or three GS1 prefixed digits, a 4 or 5-digit item reference section, and a checksum digit. While EAN-13 was designed for large products, the EAN-8 barcode was designed for small items. Examples of these products include pencils, chewing gum, and cigarettes.
- Code 128
This high-density barcode can be a replacement for Code 39. Code 128 contains only numeric or alphanumeric codes. It helps determine different types of products in the shipping and packaging industries. Its primary use is to identify containers and pallet levels.
- QR Code
An abbreviation of Quick Response, the QR code is a 2-dimensional barcode. Initially, it was designed for the automotive industry to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. However, it became popular for other applications due to its quick scanning capabilities. Today, the QR code’s primary purposes for time tracking, product tracking, item identification, and document management.
- Datamatrix
The primary purpose of a matrix barcode is for commercial goods and small electronic components. The Datamatrix consists of modules in black and white that are often square or rectangular in design. The DataMatrix barcode has the benefit of being able to store almost 1556 bytes of encoded data.
Barcodes offer various advantages for product sales, assets, time tracking, and other areas. You can select the best-identifying strategy for your sector and products by understanding the many types of barcodes.
Barcode Label Applications
What are the ways you can use barcode labels? Here are a few examples of how printed barcodes might improve your company’s productivity, along with recommendations for the materials you would require to generate such labels utilizing the previously established criteria.
- Inventory Management
Retailers frequently use barcodes on their incoming stock as part of a more extensive stock control system. This enables them to know precisely the number of items on hand, their location in the warehouse, when you will need more to meet an upcoming surge in demand, and other details that affect the inventory turnover ratio and the company’s carrying costs.
- Fixed Asset Management
Fixed assets are the long-term items of property that can generate money, such as computers or vehicles, and manufacturers and government agencies frequently need help finding them. Barcodes can assist in establishing a check-in/check-out system for fixed assets, so they stay visible due to negligence or theft, which could result in expensive ghost assets and workflow slowdowns. Businesses can affix barcodes to goods frequently used outside (such as cameras or machinery) and be confident that they will endure the test of time by printing asset labels on acrylic materials using a desktop printer.
- Ticketing and Other Identification
Hospitals may find that crucial information about a patient or their medication can get lost or contain errors when not recorded correctly. Another less critical but similar situation is companies that print out tickets for sporting or music events. It is essential to create something quickly that contains information, such as what levels they have access to. With a mobile printer, both hospitals and arenas can create small but readable barcodes on paper or polyolefin for short-term but durable use.
In terms of applications, we are only scratching the surface of what barcodes can do for your business, big or small. Barcodes are remarkably powerful for relatively old-school technology. With the help of burgeoning barcode label printing technology, it will only become easier to integrate into existing business models. There are few limits on the size, shape, and form of barcode labels and fewer on how to apply them yourself.
For high-quality barcode labels and ribbons, you can count on ProScan Media Products. Call us today at (289) 372-3043.
