Codabar

Codabar is a linear barcode symbology developed in 1972 by Pitney Bowes Corp. It is also known as Codeabar, Ames Code, NW-7, Monarch, Code 2 of 7, Rationalized Codabar, and USD-4. Codabar is used by various industries, including libraries, blood banks, and parcel delivery services.

History

Codabar was designed to be easy to print and simple to scan. It was initially developed for use in blood banks and has since been adopted by other industries due to its simplicity and reliability. The symbology is particularly popular in applications where labels need to be printed on demand, such as in libraries and parcel delivery services.

Structure

Codabar is a discrete, self-checking symbology that encodes up to 16 different characters, including digits (0-9) and six special characters (-, $, :, /, ., +). Each character is represented by a unique pattern of bars and spaces. The start and stop characters are A, B, C, or D, which are not part of the data but are used to signify the beginning and end of the barcode.

Character Set

The Codabar character set includes:

• Digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
• Special characters: -, $, :, /, ., +

Start/Stop Characters

The start and stop characters are A, B, C, or D. These characters are not encoded as part of the data but are used to indicate the beginning and end of the barcode.

Applications

Codabar is widely used in various applications due to its simplicity and ease of use. Some common applications include:

• Blood banks: For labeling blood products.
• Libraries: For cataloging and tracking books.
• Parcel delivery services: For tracking packages.

Advantages

Codabar has several advantages, including:

• Simple to print and scan.
• Can be printed on a variety of media.
• Self-checking, which reduces errors.

Limitations

Despite its advantages, Codabar has some limitations:

• Limited character set.
• Lower data density compared to other barcode symbologies.

See Also

• Barcode
• Code 39
• Code 128
• Interleaved 2 of 5