Upc / ean specifications – Worth Data RF Terminal 7000 User Manual
Page 95
UPC / EAN Specifications
UPC symbols are found on almost all grocery products and many other retail items.
The UPC code most people are familiar with (UPC-A) is a fixed-length (12 digits)
numeric only code, with the first digit controlled by UPC coding assignments and
the last digit a checksum. UPC-E and UPC-E1 are variations of the standard UPC-A
code. Each digit is constructed of two bars and two spaces. UPC has very precise
standards of code size, structure, and numbers to be used.
EAN is an international superset of UPC. EAN-13 has 13 digits, with the first two
digits representing a country code. The final digit is, as with UPC, a check digit.
EAN-8 is a shorter version on the EAN-13 code containing seven data digits and
ending again with a checksum.
The exact UPC/EAN symbol specifications are available from:
Uniform Code Council, Inc.
7887 Washington Village Drive, Suite 300
Dayton, OH 45459
937-435-3870
Specifications are also available via the Internet at:
Keep the following guidelines in mind when printing UPC bar codes:
•
If you plan to use a "supermarket-type" in-counter scanner to read the codes, specify a bar code height of at
least .9" for an optimal first read rate.
•
Make it an early practice to observe the numbering conventions of the UPC Council. Do not label unmarked
merchandise with a bar code whose numbers may conflict with those already assigned. If products with these
numbers are not in your store now, they are likely to be in the future, causing conflicts in your inventory
system.
•
The leading Number System Character, (the first number of the 11 digits to be entered) should conform to these
UPC assignments:
0,6,7,8
Regular UPC 12 digit codes with numbers assigned by the UPC Council. (Do not
use 0 as the leading number for in-store marking).
2
Store-marked random weight items of meat and produce.
3
Reserved for National Drug Code and Health Related Items.
4
Use this leading digit for in-store marking of non-food items.
5
Reserved for coupons. Do not use this today, or you will not be able to process
coupons through your system tomorrow.
Supplemental codes
The UPC standards include the addition of a 2 or 5-character supplemental
code as well as the Extended Coupon Code. To read the supplements, you