2D Matrix Symbologies - Intermec EasyCoder 4420 User Manual

EasyCoder 4420 and 4440 Bar Code Label Printer User's Manual
Supported 2D Stacked Symbologies (continued)
Symbology Description
PDF417 PDF417 is a stacked 2D symbology that provides the ability to scan
across rows of code. Each row consists of start/stop characters, row
identifiers, and symbol characters (called "codewords"). Each
codeword consists of four bars and four spaces and contain the actual
data. In addition to being able to condense a large amount of
information into the stacked format, PDF417 provides an extensive
error detection and correction option. Up to 510 characters can be
recovered if they are lost due to an error in scanning or if the label is
damaged. PDF417 codes can be scanned with a laser scanner or
imaging device that features 2D code scanning capability.
MicroPDF417 MicroPDF417 is a 2D symbology, derived from PDF 417. You use
MicroPDF417 for applications needing improved area efficiency but
without the requirement for PDF417's maximum data capacity.
MicroPDF417 replaces PDF417's 17-module-wide start/stop patterns
and left/right row indicators with a unique set of 10-module-wide
Row Address Patterns, which were designed both to reduce overall
symbol width and to enable linear scanning at row heights as low as
2X.

2D Matrix Symbologies

2D matrix symbologies, such as Maxicode, use both the horizontal and
vertical axes to encode data even more efficiently than stacked
symbologies. 2D matrix codes are created as a matrix of square elements,
with each element being either white or black to encode data in a binary
code. Extensive error detection and correction codes are appended to 2D
matrix symbologies, often automatically.
2D matrix symbologies generally cannot be read with a laser scanner.
Instead, they are read by a digital imager that captures the entire symbol at
once instead of scanning each component individually. Since the
components of 2D matrix symbologies are decoded after the image is
captured, they permit very fast data collection.
Supported 2D Matrix Symbologies
Symbology Description
Data Matrix Data Matrix is a 2D matrix symbology, which is made up of square
modules arranged within a perimeter finder pattern. The finder pattern
is a perimeter to the data region and is one module wide. Two adjacent
sides are solid dark lines. These lines are used to define physical size,
orientation, and symbol distortion.
Appendix A — Specifications
83