2D Symbologies; 2D Stacked Symbologies; 2D Matrix Symbologies - Intermec 4630 User Manual

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Printer Reference

2D Symbologies

2D symbologies provide a more efficient way of encoding data than standard
bar code symbologies. 2D symbologies use two dimensions to hold data
instead of one, allowing much more information to be stored in a smaller
amount of space. Your printer provides the capability for printing both stacked
and matrix 2D symbologies.

2D Stacked Symbologies

2D stacked symbologies (such as PDF 417, Code 16K, and Code 49) consist of
short linear segments stacked on top of each other. In addition to being able to
condense a large amount of information into the stacked format, PDF 417
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.
2D stacked symbologies can be scanned with a laser scanner or imaging device
that features 2D code scanning capability.
Code 16K Introduced in 1988, Code 16K is an alphanumeric symbology
similar to Code 49 in that it employs multiple rows (from 2 to 16). Each row is
fixed length and uses a mirror image of the Code 128 coding patterns.
Code 49 Code 49 is an alphanumeric symbology developed in 1987 as a
means of labeling very small objects. A Code 49 bar code contains from two to
eight adjacent rows, each separated by a one-module separator bar.
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, PDF 417
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. PDF 417 codes can be scanned with a laser scanner or
imaging device that features 2D code scanning capability.

2D Matrix Symbologies

2D matrix symbologies, such as Code One and 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.
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