mirrors/zint-barcode-generator
1
0
Fork 0
mirror of https://git.code.sf.net/p/zint/code synced 2024-09-19 23:39:02 -04:00
Code Issues Projects Releases Packages Wiki Activity
zint-barcode-generator/docs/manual.txt
Robin Stuart f4bb0cee0a Manual spell check
2020-08-09 09:22:35 +01:00

2997 lines
129 KiB
Text
Raw Blame History

This file contains ambiguous Unicode characters

This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

*******************************************************************************
* For reference the following is a text-only version of the Zint manual. *
* The HTML version can be accessed at http://zint.org.uk/Manual.aspx *
* however this text file is more likely to be up-to-date. *
*******************************************************************************
Zint Barcode Generator and Zint Barcode Studio User Manual
==========================================================
1. Introduction
===============
The Zint project aims to provide a complete cross-platform open source barcode
generating solution. The package currently consists of a Qt based GUI, a
command line executable and a library with an API to allow developers access to
the capabilities of Zint. It is hoped that Zint provides a solution which is
flexible enough for professional users while at the same time takes care of as
much of the processing as possible to allow easy translation from input data to
barcode image.
The library which forms the main component of the Zint project is currently
able to encode data in over 50 barcode symbologies (types of barcode), for each
of which it is possible to translate that data from either Unicode (UTF-8) or a
raw 8-bit data stream. The image can be rendered as either a Portable Network
Graphic (PNG) image, Windows Bitmap (BMP), Graphics Interchange Format (GIF),
ZSoft Paintbrush image (PCX), as Encapsulated Post Script (EPS) or as a
Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG). Many options are available for setting the
characteristics of the output image including the size and colour of the image,
the amount of error correction used in the symbol and, in the case of raster
images, the orientation of the image.
1.1 Terms of Reference
----------------------
Some of the words and phrases used in this document are specific to barcoding,
and so a brief explanation is given to help understanding:
symbol: A symbol is an image which encodes data according to one of the
standards. This encompasses barcodes (linear symbols) as well as any of
the other methods of representing data used in this program.
symbology: A method of encoding data to create a certain type of symbol.
linear: A linear symbol is one which consists of bars and spaces, and is what
most people associate with the term "barcode". Examples include EAN.
stacked: A stacked symbol consists of multiple linear symbols placed one above
another and which together hold the message, usually alongside some
error correction data. Examples include PDF417.
matrix: A matrix symbol is one based on a (usually square) grid of elements.
Examples include Data Matrix, but Maxicode and DotCode are also
considered matrix symbologies.
X-dimension: The X-dimension of a symbol is size (usually the width) of the
smallest element. For a linear symbology this is the width of the
smallest bar. The default size of the X-dimension in a raster image
is 2 pixels. Many symbologies have a fixed width-to-height ratio where
the height is expressed as a multiple of the X-dimension.
composite: A composite symbology is one which is made up of elements which are
both linear and stacked. Those currently supported are made up of a
linear "primary" message above which is printed a stacked component
based on the PDF417 symbology. These symbols also have a separator
which separates the linear and the stacked components.
GS1 data: This is a structured way of representing information which consists
of "chunks" of data, each of which starts with an Application
Identifier. The AI identifies what type of information is being
encoded.
Reader Initialisation: Some symbologies allow a special character to be included
which can be detected by the scanning equipment as signifying that the
data is used to program or change settings in that equipment. This data
is usually not passed on to the software which handles normal input
data. This feature should only be used if you are familiar with the
programming codes relevant to your scanner.
ECI: The ECI mechanism allows for multi-language data to be encoded in
symbols which would usually support only Latin-1 characters. This can
be useful, for example, if you need to encode Cyrillic characters, but
should be used with caution as not all scanners support this method.
2. Installing Zint
==================
2.1 Linux
---------
The easiest way to configure compilation is to take advantage of the CMake
utilities. You will need to install CMake and libpng first. Note that you will
need both libpng and libpng-devel packages. If you want to take advantage of
Zint Barcode Studio you will also need the Qt libraries pre-installed.
Once you have fulfilled these requirements unzip the source code tarball and
follow these steps in the top directory:
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make
make install
The command line program can be accessed by typing
zint {options} -d {data}
Notice that the data needs to be entered after all other options. Any options
given after the data will be ignored. The GUI can be accessed by typing
zint-qt
To test that the installation has been successful a shell script is included in
the /frontend folder. To run the test type
./test.sh
This should create numerous files showing the many modes of operation which are
available from Zint.
2.2 Microsoft Windows
---------------------
For Microsoft Windows, Zint is distributed as a binary executable. Simply
download the ZIP file, then right-click on the ZIP file and "Extract All". A
new folder will be created within which are two binary files:
qtZint.exe - Zint Barcode Studio
zint.exe - Command Line Interface
For fresh releases you will get a warning message from Microsoft Defender
SmartScreen that this is an "unrecognised app". This happens because Zint is
a free and open-source software project with no advertising and hence no
income, meaning we are not able to afford the $664 per year to have the
application digitally signed by Microsoft.
2.3 Apple macOS
---------------
Zint can be installed using Homebrew. To install homebrew input the following
line into the MacOS terminal
/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
Once homebrew is installed use the following command to install Zint.
brew install zint
2.4 zint tcl backend
--------------------
The tcl backend may be build using the provided TEA build on Linux, Windows,
Mac-OS and Android. For Windows, a MS-VC6 makefile is also available.
3. Using Zint Barcode Studio
============================
Zint Barcode Studio is the graphical user interface for Zint. If you are
starting from a command line interface you can start the GUI by typing
zint-qt
or in Windows
qtZint.exe
See the note in section 2.2 about Microsoft Defender SmartScreen.
(The rest of this section of the manual involves use of the GUI, so has been
removed from this text-only version)
4. Using the Command Line
=========================
This section describes how to encode data using the command line front end
program. The examples given are for the Linux platform, but the same options
are available for Windows - just remember to include the executable file
extension. i.e.:
zint.exe -d "This Text"
4.1 Inputting data
------------------
The data to encode can be entered at the command line using the -d option, for
example
zint -d "This Text"
This will encode the text "This Text". Zint will use the default symbology,
Code 128, and output to the default file out.png in the current directory.
Alternatively, if libpng was not present when Zint was built, the default
output file will be out.gif.
The data input to Zint is assumed to be encoded in Unicode (UTF-8) format. If
you are encoding characters beyond the 7-bit ASCII set using a scheme other than
Unicode then you will need to set the appropriate input options as shown in
section 4.11 below.
Non-printing characters can be entered on the command line using the backslash
(\) as an escape character in combination with the --esc switch. Permissible
characters are shown in the table below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Escape Character | ASCII Equivalent | Interpretation
--------------------------------------------------------------------
\0 | 0x00 | Null
\E | 0x04 | End of Transmission
\a | 0x07 | Bell
\b | 0x08 | Backspace
\t | 0x09 | Horizontal Tab
\n | 0x0A | Line Feed
\v | 0x0B | Vertical Tab
\f | 0x0C | Form Feed
\r | 0x0D | Carriage Return
\e | 0x1B | Escape
\G | 0x1D | Group Selector
\R | 0x1E | Record Selector
\\ | 0x5C | Backslash
\xNN | 0xNN | Any other 8-bit character
| | where NN is hexadecimal
\uNNNN | | Any 16-bit Unicode
| | character where NNNN
| | is hexadecimal
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Input data can be read directly from file using the -i switch as shown below.
The input file is assumed to be Unicode (UTF-8) formatted unless an alternative
mode is selected. This command replaces the use of the -d switch.
zint -i ./somefile.txt
4.2 Directing Output
--------------------
Output can be directed to a file other than the default using the -o switch.
For example:
zint -o here.png -d "This Text"
This draws a Code 128 barcode in the file here.png. If an encapsulated Post
Script file is needed simply append the file name with .eps, and so on for the
other supported file types:
zint -o there.eps -d "This Text"
4.3 Selecting barcode type
--------------------------
Selecting which type of barcode you wish to produce (i.e. which symbology to
use) can be done at the command line using the -b or --barcode= switch followed
by the appropriate integer value in the following table. For example to create
a Data Matrix symbol you could use:
zint -o datamatrix.png -b 71 -d "Data to encode"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Numeric Value | Barcode Name
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 | Code 11
2 | Standard Code 2 of 5
3 | Interleaved 2 of 5
4 | Code 2 of 5 IATA
6 | Code 2 of 5 Data Logic
7 | Code 2 of 5 Industrial
8 | Code 3 of 9 (Code 39)
9 | Extended Code 3 of 9 (Code 39+)
13 | EAN (Including EAN-8 and EAN-13)
14 | EAN + Check Digit
16 | GS1-128 (UCC.EAN-128)
18 | Codabar
20 | Code 128 (automatic subset switching)
21 | Deutshe Post Leitcode
22 | Deutshe Post Identcode
23 | Code 16K
24 | Code 49
25 | Code 93
28 | Flattermarken
29 | GS1 DataBar Omnidirectional (including GS1 DataBar Truncated)
30 | GS1 DataBar Limited
31 | GS1 DataBar Expanded
32 | Telepen Alpha
34 | UPC-A
35 | UPC-A + Check Digit
37 | UPC-E
38 | UPC-E + Check Digit
40 | PostNet
47 | MSI Plessey
49 | FIM
50 | LOGMARS
51 | Pharmacode One-Track
52 | PZN
53 | Pharmacode Two-Track
55 | PDF417
56 | Compact PDF417
57 | Maxicode
58 | QR Code
60 | Code 128 (Subset B)
63 | Australia Post Standard Customer
66 | Australia Post Reply Paid
67 | Australia Post Routing
68 | Australia Post Redirection
69 | ISBN (EAN-13 with verification stage)
70 | Royal Mail 4 State (RM4SCC)
71 | Data Matrix (ECC200)
72 | EAN-14
73 | Vehicle Identification Number
74 | Codablock-F
75 | NVE-18 (SSCC-18)
76 | Japanese Postal Code
77 | Korea Post
79 | GS1 DataBar Stacked (stacked version of GS1 DataBar Truncated)
80 | GS1 DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional
81 | GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked
82 | PLANET
84 | MicroPDF417
85 | USPS Intelligent Mail (OneCode)
86 | Plessey Code
87 | Telepen Numeric
89 | ITF-14
90 | Dutch Post KIX Code
92 | Aztec Code
93 | DAFT Code
96 | DPD Code
97 | Micro QR Code
98 | HIBC Code 128
99 | HIBC Code 39
102 | HIBC Data Matrix
104 | HIBC QR Code
106 | HIBC PDF417
108 | HIBC MicroPDF417
112 | HIBC Aztec Code
115 | DotCode
116 | Han Xin (Chinese Sensible) Code
121 | Royal Mail 4-state Mailmark
128 | Aztec Runes
129 | Code 32
130 | Composite Symbol with EAN linear component
131 | Composite Symbol with GS1-128 linear component
132 | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Omnidirectional linear
| component
133 | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Limited linear component
134 | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Expanded linear component
135 | Composite Symbol with UPC-A linear component
136 | Composite Symbol with UPC-E linear component
137 | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Stacked component
138 | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional
| component
139 | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked component
140 | Channel Code
141 | Code One
142 | Grid Matrix
143 | UPNQR (Univerzalnega Plačilnega Naloga QR)
144 | Ultracode
145 | Rectangular Micro QR Code (rMQR)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4 Adjusting height
--------------------
The height of a linear symbol can be adjusted using the --height switch. For
example:
zint --height=100 -d "This Text"
This specifies a symbol height of 100 times the X-dimension of the symbol.
4.5 Adjusting whitespace
------------------------
The amount of whitespace to the left and right of the generated barcode can be
altered using the –w switch. For example:
zint -w 10 -d "This Text"
This specifies a whitespace width of 10 times the X-dimension of the symbol.
4.6 Adding boundary bars and boxes
----------------------------------
Zint allows the symbol to be bound with 'boundary bars' using the option
--bind. These bars help to prevent misreading of the symbol by corrupting a
scan if the scanning beam strays off the top or bottom of the symbol. Zint can
also put a border right around the symbol and its whitespace with the --box
option.
The width of the boundary or box can be specified using the --border switch.
For example:
zint --box --border=10 -d "This"
gives a box with a width 10 times the X-dimension of the symbol.
These options are ignored for Code 16k and Codablock-F. Special considerations
apply to ITF-14 - see the specific section for that symbology.
4.7 Using colour
----------------
The default colours of a symbol are a black symbol on a white background. Zint
allows you to change this. The -r switch allows the default colours to be
inverted so that a white symbol is shown on a black background. For example the
command
zint -r -d "This"
gives an inverted Code 128 symbol. This is not practical for most symbologies
but white-on-black is allowed by the Data Matrix and Aztec Code
symbology specifications.
For more specific needs the foreground (ink) and background (paper) colours can
be specified using the --fg= and --bg= options followed by a number in RRGGBB
hexadecimal notation (the same system used in HTML). For example the command
zint --fg=004700 -d "This"
alters the symbol to a dark green.
Zint also supports RGBA colour information for some output file formats which
support alpha channels (currently only PNG and SVG) in a RRGGBBAA format.
For example:
zint --fg=00ff0055 -d "This"
will produce a semi-transparent green foreground with standard (white)
background. Note that transparency is handled differently for raster and
vector files so that...
zint --bg=ff0000 --fg=ffffff00 ...
will give different results for PNG and SVG. Experimentation is advised!
Also note that these options don't work properly with Maxicode yet.
In addition the --nobackground option will simply remove the background from
PNG, GIF, SVG, EMF and EPS files.
4.8 Rotating the Symbol
-----------------------
The symbol can be rotated through four orientations using the --rotate= option
followed by the angle of rotation as shown below. This option does not (yet)
apply to EMF file output.
--rotate=0 (default)
--rotate=90
--rotate=180
--rotate=270
4.9 Adjusting image size
------------------------
The scale of the image can be altered using the --scale= option followed by a
multiple of the default X-dimension. The default X-dimension is 2 pixels. For
example for PNG images a scale of 5 will increase the X-dimension to 10 pixels.
4.10 Input modes
----------------
By default all input data is assumed to be encoded in Unicode (UTF-8) format.
Many barcode symbologies encode data using Latin-1 (ISO-8859-1) character
encoding, so input is converted from Unicode to Latin-1 before being put in the
symbol. In addition QR Code, Micro QR Code, Rectangular Micro QR Code, Han Xin
Code and Grid Matrix can encode Japanese or Chinese characters which are also
converted from Unicode. If Zint encounters characters which can not be encoded
using the default character encoding then it will take advantage of the ECI
(Extended Channel Interpretations) mechanism to encode the data. Be aware that
not all barcode readers support ECI mode, so this can sometimes lead to
unreadable barcodes. If you are using characters beyond those supported by
Latin-1 then you should check that the resulting barcode can be understood by
your target barcode reader. Zint will generate a warning message when ECI codes
have been inserted into a symbol.
GS1 data can be encoded in a number of symbologies. Application identifiers
should be enclosed in [square brackets] followed by the data to be encoded (see
5.1.12.3). To encode GS1 data use the --gs1 option. GS1 mode is assumed (and
doesn't need to be set) for GS1-128, EAN-14, DataBar and Composite symbologies
but is also available for Aztec Code, Code 16k, Code 49, Code One, Data Matrix,
DotCode, QR Code and Ultracode.
HIBC data may also be encoded in the symbologies Code 39, Code128, Codablock-F,
Data Matrix, QR Code, PDF417 and Aztec Code. Within this mode, the leading '+'
and the check character are automatically added, conforming to HIBC Labeler
Identification Code (HIBC LIC). For HIBC Provider Applications Standard
(HIBC PAS), preface the data with a slash "/".
The --binary option encodes the input data as given. Automatic code page
translations to ECI pages is disabled. This may be used for raw binary
or binary encrypted data.
This switch plays together with the build-in ECI logic and examples may
be found in that section.
The --fullmultibyte option uses the multibyte modes of QR Code, Micro QR Code,
Rectangular Micro QR Code, Han Xin Code and Grid Matrix for binary and Latin
data, maximizing density. This is achieved by using compression designed for
Kanji characters, however some decoders take blocks which are encoded this
way and interpret them as Kanji characters, typically by applying a
transformation to UTF-8 and thus causing data corruption. Symbols encoded
with this option should be checked against decoders before they are used.
The popular open-source ZXing decoder is known to exhibit this behaviour.
If your data contains non ISO-Latin-1 characters, you may encode it using an
ECI-aware symbology and an ECI value from the table below.
The ECI information is added to your code symbol as prefix data.
The ECI value may be specified with the --eci switch, followed by the value in
the column "ECI Code".
The ECI value of 0 does not encode any ECI information in the code symbol. In
this case, the default encoding applies for the data which is "ISO-8859-1 -
Latin alphabet No. 1".
The first row of the table (ECI code 3) is the default value and does not lead
to any ECI information being included in the symbol.
The input data should be UTF-8 formatted. Zint automatically translates the
data into the target encoding.
The rows marked with a star (*) do not do this transformation. The data must be
specified as binary data (--binary switch) with the data in the encoding given
by the "Character Encoding Scheme" column.
The row marked with a double star (**) only does this transformation for QR
Code, Micro QR Code and Rectangular Micro QR Code.
The row marked with a triple star (***) only does this transformation for Han
Xin Code and Grid Matrix. Han Xin Code can encode GB 18030. Grid Matrix can
encode the subset GB 2312.
Note: the "--eci 3" specification should only be used for special purposes.
Using this parameter, the ECI information is explicitly added to the code
symbol. Nevertheless, for ECI Code 3, this is not required, as this is the
default encoding, which is also active without any ECI information.
--------------------------------------------------------
ECI Code | Character Encoding Scheme
--------------------------------------------------------
3 | ISO-8859-1 - Latin alphabet No. 1
4 | ISO-8859-2 - Latin alphabet No. 2
5 | ISO-8859-3 - Latin alphabet No. 3
6 | ISO-8859-4 - Latin alphabet No. 4
7 | ISO-8859-5 - Latin/Cyrillic alphabet
8 | ISO-8859-6 - Latin/Arabic alphabet
9 | ISO-8859-7 - Latin/Greek alphabet
10 | ISO-8859-8 - Latin/Hebrew alphabet
11 | ISO-8859-9 - Latin alphabet No. 5
12 | ISO-8859-10 - Latin alphabet No. 6
13 | ISO-8859-11 - Latin/Thai alphabet
15 | ISO-8859-13 - Latin alphabet No. 7
16 | ISO-8859-14 - Latin alphabet No. 8 (Celtic)
17 | ISO-8859-15 - Latin alphabet No. 9
18 | ISO-8859-16 - Latin alphabet No. 10
20 ** | Shift-JIS (JISX 0208 amd JISX 0201)
21 | Windows-1250 - Latin 2 (Central Europe)
22 | Windows-1251 - Cyrillic
23 | Windows-1252 - Latin 1
24 | Windows-1256 - Arabic
25 * | UCS-2 Unicode (High order byte first)
26 | Unicode (UTF-8)
27 | ISO-646:1991 7-bit character set
28 * | Big-5 (Taiwan) Chinese Character Set
29 *** | GB (PRC) Chinese Character Set
30 * | Korean Character Set (KSX1001:1998)
--------------------------------------------------------
Three examples:
Ex1: The Euro sign can be encoded in ISO-8859-15.
The Euro-Sign has the ISO-8859-15 codepoint hex A4.
It is encoded in UTF-8 as the hex sequence: e2 82 ac
Those 3 bytes are contained in the file "utf8euro.txt"
This command will generate the corresponding code:
zint.exe -b 71 --square --scale 10 --eci 17 -i utf8euro.txt
Ex2: The Chinese character with Unicode codepoint hex 5E38 can be encoded in
Big5 encoding. The Big5 ECI is marked in the upper table to require input data
in Big5 instead of UTF-8. The Big5 representation of this character is the two
hex bytes: 9C 75 (contained in the file big5char.txt).
The generation command for Data Matrix is:
zint -b 71 --square --scale 10 --eci 28 --binary -i big5char.txt
Ex3: Some decoders (in particular mobile app ones) for QR Code assume UTF-8
encoding by default and do not support ECI. In this case supply UTF-8 data and
use the --binary switch:
zint -b 58 --binary -d "UTF-8 data"
4.11 Batch processing
---------------------
Data can be batch processed by reading from a text file and producing a
separate barcode image for each line of text in that file. To do this use the
--batch switch. To select the input file from which to read data use the –i
option. Zint will automatically detect the end of a line of text (in either
Unix or Windows formatted text files) and produce a symbol each time it finds
this. Input files should end with a return character – if this is not present
then Zint will not encode the last line of text, and will warn you that there
is a problem.
By default Zint will output numbered filenames starting with 00001.png,
00002.png etc. To change this behaviour use the –o option in combination with
--batch using special characters in the output file name as shown in the table
below:
---------------------------------------------
Input Character | Interpretation
---------------------------------------------
~ | Insert a number or '0'
# | Insert a number or space
@ | Insert a number or "*"
Any other | Insert literally
---------------------------------------------
The following table shows some examples to clarify this method:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Input | Filenames Generated
--------------------------------------------------------------
-o file~~~.svg | file001.svg, file002.svg, file003.svg
-o @@@@bar.png | ***1.png, ***2.png, ***3.png
-o my~~~bar.eps | my001.bar.eps, my002.bar.eps, my003bar.eps
-o t@es~t~.png | t*es0t1.png, t*es0t2.png, t*es0t3.png
--------------------------------------------------------------
4.12 Direct output
------------------
The finished image files can be output directly to stdout for use as part of
a pipe by using the --direct option. By default --direct will output data
as a PNG image, but this can be altered by supplementing the --direct option
with a --filetype= option followed by the suffix of the file type required.
For example:
zint -b 84 --direct --filetype=pcx -d "Data to encode"
This command will output the symbol as a PCX file to stdout. The currently
supported output file formats are shown in the following table:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Abbreviation | File format
--------------------------------------------------------------
BMP | Windows Bitmap
EPS | Encapsulated PostScript
GIF | Graphics Interchange Format
PCX | ZSoft Paintbrush image
PNG | Portable Network Graphic
SVG | Scalable Vector Graphic
TIF | Tagged Image File Format
TXT | Text file (see 4.16)
--------------------------------------------------------------
=============================================================================
CAUTION: Outputting binary files to the command shell without catching that
data in a pipe can have unpredictable results. Use with care!
=============================================================================
4.13 Automatic filenames
------------------------
The --mirror option instructs Zint to use the data to be encoded as an
indicator of the filename to be used. This is particularly useful if you are
processing batch data. For example the input data "1234567" will result in
a file named 1234567.png.
There are restrictions, however, on what characters can be stored in a file
name, so the file name may vary from the data if the data includes non-
printable characters, for example, and may be shortened if the data input is
long.
To set the output file format use the --filetype= option as detailed in
section 4.12.
4.14 Working with dots
----------------------
Matrix codes can be rendered as a series of dots or circles rather than the
normal squares by using the --dotty option. This option is only available for
matrix symbologies, and is automatically selected for DotCode. The size of
the dots can be adjusted using the --dotsize= option followed by the radius
of the dot, where that radius is given as a multiple of the X-dimension.
4.15 Help options
-----------------
There are three help options which give information about how to use the
command line. The -h or --help option will display a list of all of the valid
options available, and also gives the exact version of the software.
The -t or --types option gives the table of symbologies along with the symbol
ID numbers.
The -e or --ecinos option gives a list of the ECI codes.
4.16 Other output options
-------------------------
For linear barcodes the text present in the output image can be removed by
using the --notext option.
The text can be set to bold using the --bold option, or a smaller font
can be substituted using the --small option. The --bold and --small options
can be used together if required.
Zint can output a representation of the symbol data as a set of hexadecimal
values if asked to output to a text file (*.txt) or if given the option
--filetype=txt. This can be used for test and diagnostic purposes.
The --cmyk option is specific to output in encapsulated PostScript, and
converts the RGB colours used to the CMYK colour space. Setting custom
colours at the command line will still need to be done in RRGGBB format.
Additional options are available which are specific to certain symbologies.
These may, for example, control the amount of error correction data or the
size of the symbol. These options are discussed in section 6 of this guide.
5. Using the API
================
Zint has been written using the C language and currently only has an API for
use with C language programs.
The libzint API has been designed to be very similar to that used by the GNU
Barcode package. This allows easy migration from GNU Barcode to Zint. Zint,
however, uses none of the same function names or option names as GNU Barcode.
This allows you to use both packages in your application without conflict if
you wish.
5.1 Creating and Deleting Symbols
---------------------------------
The symbols manipulated by Zint are held in a zint_symbol structure defined in
zint.h. These symbols are created with the ZBarcode_Create() function and
deleted using the ZBarcode_Delete() function. For example the following code
creates and then deletes a symbol:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <zint.h>
int main()
{
struct zint_symbol *my_symbol;
my_symbol = ZBarcode_Create();
if (my_symbol != NULL)
{
printf("Symbol successfully created!\n");
}
ZBarcode_Delete(my_symbol);
return 0;
}
When compiling this code it will need to be linked with the libzint library
using the -lzint option:
gcc -o simple simple.c –lzint
5.2 Encoding and Saving to File
-------------------------------
To encode data in a barcode use the ZBarcode_Encode() function. To write the
symbol to a file use the ZBarcode_Print() function. For example the following
code takes a string from the command line and outputs a Code 128 symbol in a
PNG file named out.png (or a GIF file called out.gif if libpng is not present)
in the current working directory:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <zint.h>
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
struct zint_symbol *my_symbol;
my_symbol = ZBarcode_Create();
ZBarcode_Encode(my_symbol, argv[1], 0);
ZBarcode_Print(my_symbol, 0);
ZBarcode_Delete(my_symbol);
return 0;
}
This can also be done in one stage using the ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print()
function as shown in the next example:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <zint.h>
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
struct zint_symbol *my_symbol;
my_symbol = ZBarcode_Create();
ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, argv[1], 0, 0);
ZBarcode_Delete(my_symbol);
return 0;
}
Input data should be Unicode (UTF-8) formatted.
5.3 Encoding and Printing Functions in Depth
--------------------------------------------
The functions for encoding and printing barcodes are defined as:
int ZBarcode_Encode(struct zint_symbol *symbol, unsigned char *input, int
length);
int ZBarcode_Encode_File(struct zint_symbol *symbol, char *filename);
int ZBarcode_Print(struct zint_symbol *symbol, int rotate_angle);
int ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(struct zint_symbol *symbol, unsigned char *input,
int length, int rotate_angle);
int ZBarcode_Encode_File_and_Print(struct zint_symbol *symbol, char *filename,
int rotate_angle);
In these definitions "length" can be used to set the length of the input
string. This allows the encoding of NULL (ASCII 0) characters in those
symbologies which allow this. A value of 0 will disable this function and Zint
will encode data up to the first NULL character in the input string.
The "rotate_angle" value can be used to rotate the image when outputting as a
raster image. Valid values are 0, 90, 180 and 270.
The ZBarcode_Encode_File() and ZBarcode_Encode_File_and_Print() functions can
be used to encode data read directly from a text file where the filename is
given in the "filename" string.
5.4 Buffering Symbols in Memory
-------------------------------
In addition to saving barcode images to file Zint allows you to access a
representation of the resulting bitmap image in memory. The following functions
allow you to do this:
int ZBarcode_Buffer(struct zint_symbol *symbol, int rotate_angle);
int ZBarcide_Encode_and_Buffer(struct zint_symbol *symbol, unsigned char *input,
int length, int rotate_angle);
int ZBarcode_Encode_File_and_Buffer(struct zint_symbol *symbol, char *filename,
int rotate_angle);
The arguments here are the same as above. The difference is that instead of
saving the image to file it is placed in an unsigned integer array. The "bitmap"
pointer is set to the first memory location in the array and the values
"barcode_width" and "barcode_height" indicate the size of the resulting image
in pixels. Rotation and colour options can be used at the same time as using
the buffer functions in the same way as when saving to a raster image. The
pixel data can be extracted from the array by the method shown in
the example below where render_pixel() is assumed to be a function for drawing
a pixel on the screen implemented by the external application:
int row, col, i = 0;
int red, blue, green;
for (row = 0; row < my_symbol->bitmap_height; row++) {
for (column = 0; col < my_symbol->bitmap_width; column++) {
red = (int) my_symbol->bitmap[i];
green = (int) my_symbol->bitmap[i + 1];
blue = (int) my_symbol->bitmap[i + 2];
render_pixel(row, column, red, green, blue);
i += 3;
}
}
5.5 Setting Options
-------------------
So far our application is not very useful unless we plan to only make Code 128
symbols and we don't mind that they only save to out.png. As with the CLI
program, of course, these options can be altered. The way this is done is
by altering the contents of the zint_symbol structure between the creation and
encoding stages. The zint_symbol structure consists of the following variables:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Variable Name | Type | Meaning | Default Value
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
symbology | integer | Symbol to use (see section | BARCODE_CODE128
| | 5.7). |
height | integer | Symbol height. [1] | 50
whitespace_width | integer | Whtespace width. | 0
border_width | integer | Border width. | 0
output_options | integer | Set various output file | 0 (none)
| | parameters (see section |
| | 5.8). |
fgcolour | character | Foreground (ink) colour as | "000000"
| string | RGB/RGBA hexadecimal |
| | string. Must be 6 or 8 |
| | characters followed by |
| | terminating \0. |
fgcolor | pointer | Points to fgcolour allowing |
| | alternate spelling. |
bgcolour | character | Background (paper) colour | "ffffff"
| string | as RGB/RGBA hexadecimal |
| | string. Must be 6 or 8 |
| | characters followed by |
| | terminating \0. |
bgcolor | pointer | Points to bgcolour allowing |
| | alternate spelling. |
outfile | character | Contains the name of the | "out.png"
| string | file to output a result- |
| | ing barcode symbol to. |
| | Must end in .png, .gif, |
| | .bmp, .emf, .eps, .pcx, |
| | .svg, .tif or .txt |
scale | float | Scale factor for adjusting | 1.0
| | size of image. |
option_1 | integer | Symbol specific options. | -1
option_2 | integer | Symbol specific options. | 0
option_3 | integer | Symbol specific options. | 0
show_hrt | integer | Set to 0 to hide text. | 1
input_mode | integer | Set encoding of input data | DATA_MODE
| | (see section 5.9) |
eci | integer | Extended Channel Interpre- | 0 (none)
| | tation code. |
text | unsigned | Human readable text, which | "" (empty)
| character | usually consists of in- |
| string | put data plus one more |
| | check digit. Uses UTF-8 |
| | formatting. |
primary | character | Primary message data for | "" (empty)
| string | more complex symbols. |
dot_size | float | Size of dots used in dotty | 4.0 / 5.0
| | mode. |
rows | integer | Number of rows used by the | (output only)
| | the symbol. |
width | integer | Width of the generated sym- | (output only)
| | bol. |
encoding_data | array of | Representation of the | (output only)
| character | encoded data. |
| strings | |
row_height | array of | Representation of the | (output only)
| integers | height of a row. |
errtxt | character | Error message in the event | (output only)
| string | that an error occurred. |
bitmap | pointer to | Pointer to stored bitmap | (output only)
| unsigned | image. |
| character | |
| array | |
bitmap_width | integer | Width of stored bitmap | (output only)
| | image (in pixels). |
bitmap_height | integer | Height of stored bitmap | (output only)
| | image (in pixels). |
alphamap | pointer to | Pointer to array | (output only)
| unsigned | representing alpha |
| character | channel (or NULL if no |
| array | alpha channel needed). |
bitmap_byte_length| integer | Size of BMP bitmap data. | (output only)
vector | pointer to | Pointer to vector header | (output only)
| vector | containing pointers to |
| structure | vector elements. |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To alter these values use the syntax shown in the example below. This code has
the same result as the previous example except the output is now taller and
plotted in green.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <zint.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
struct zint_symbol *my_symbol;my_symbol = ZBarcode_Create();
strcpy(my_symbol->fgcolour, "00ff00");
my_symbol->height = 400;
ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, argv[1], 0, 0);
ZBarcode_Delete(my_symbol);
return 0;
}
Background removal for PNG, GIF, SVG, EMF and EPS files can be achieved by
setting the background alpha to "00" where the values for R, G and B will be
ignored:
strcpy(my_symbol->bgcolour, "55555500");
5.6 Handling Errors
-------------------
If errors occur during encoding an integer value is passed back to the calling
application. In addition the errtxt value is used to give a message detailing
the nature of the error. The errors generated by Zint are given in the table
below:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return Value | Meaning
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZINT_WARN_INVALID_OPTION | One of the values in zint_struct was set
| incorrectly but Zint has made a guess at
| what it should have been and generated a
| barcode accordingly.
ZINT_WARN_USES_ECI | Zint has automatically inserted an ECI
| character. The symbol may not be readable
| with some readers.
ZINT_ERROR_TOO_LONG | The input data is too long or too short for the
| selected symbology. No symbol has been
| generated.
ZINT_ERROR_INVALID_DATA | The data to be encoded includes characters which
| are not permitted by the selected symbology
| (e.g. alphabetic characters in an EAN
| symbol). No symbol has been generated.
ZINT_ERROR_INVALID_CHECK | An ISBN with an incorrect check digit has been
| entered. No symbol has been generated.
ZINT_ERROR_INVALID_OPTION | One of the values in zint_struct was set
| incorrectly and Zint was unable to guess what
| it should have been. No symbol has been
| generated.
ZINT_ERROR_ENCODING_PROBLEM | A problem has occurred during encoding of the
| data. This should never happen. Please
| contact the developer if you encounter this
| error.
ZINT_ERROR_FILE_ACCESS | Zint was unable to open the requested output
| file. This is usually a file permissions
| problem.
ZINT_ERROR_MEMORY | Zint ran out of memory. This should only be a
| problem with legacy systems.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To catch errors use an integer variable as shown in the code below:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <zint.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(int argc, char **argv)
{
struct zint_symbol *my_symbol;
int error = 0;
my_symbol = ZBarcode_Create();
strcpy(my_symbol->fgcolour, "nonsense");
error = ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, argv[1], 0, 0);
if (error != 0)
{
/* some warning or error occurred */
printf("%s\n", my_symbol->errtxt);
}
if (error >= ZINT_ERROR_TOO_LONG)
{
/* stop now */
ZBarcode_Delete(my_symbol);
return 1;
}
/* otherwise carry on with the rest of the application */
ZBarcode_Delete(my_symbol);
return 0;
}
This code will exit with the appropriate message:
error: malformed foreground colour target
5.7 Specifying a Symbology
--------------------------
Symbologies can be specified by number or by name as shown in the following
table. For example
symbol->symbology= BARCODE_LOGMARS;
means the same as
symbol->symbology = 50;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Numeric | Name | Barcode Name
Value |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 | BARCODE_CODE11 | Code 11
2* | BARCODE_C25STANDARD | Standard Code 2 of 5
3 | BARCODE_C25INTER | Interleaved 2 of 5
4 | BARCODE_C25IATA | Code 2 of 5 IATA
6 | BARCODE_C25LOGIC | Code 2 of 5 Data Logic
7 | BARCODE_C25IND | Code 2 of 5 Industrial
8 | BARCODE_CODE39 | Code 3 of 9 (Code 39)
9 | BARCODE_EXCODE39 | Extended Code 3 of 9 (Code 39+)
13 | BARCODE_EANX | EAN
14 | BARCODE_EANX_CHK | EAN + Check Digit
16* | BARCODE_GS1_128 | GS1-128 (UCC.EAN-128)
18 | BARCODE_CODABAR | Codabar
20 | BARCODE_CODE128 | Code 128 (automatic subset switching)
21 | BARCODE_DPLEIT | Deutshe Post Leitcode
22 | BARCODE_DPIDENT | Deutshe Post Identcode
23 | BARCODE_CODE16K | Code 16K
24 | BARCODE_CODE49 | Code 49
25 | BARCODE_CODE93 | Code 93
28 | BARCODE_FLAT | Flattermarken
29* | BARCODE_DBAR_OMN | GS1 DataBar Omnidirectional
30* | BARCODE_DBAR_LTD | GS1 DataBar Limited
31* | BARCODE_DBAR_EXP | GS1 DataBar Expanded
32 | BARCODE_TELEPEN | Telepen Alpha
34 | BARCODE_UPCA | UPC-A
35 | BARCODE_UPCA_CHK | UPC-A + Check Digit
37 | BARCODE_UPCE | UPC-E
38 | BARCODE_UPCE_CHK | UPC-E + Check Digit
40 | BARCODE_POSTNET | PostNet
47 | BARCODE_MSI_PLESSEY | MSI Plessey
49 | BARCODE_FIM | FIM
50 | BARCODE_LOGMARS | LOGMARS
51 | BARCODE_PHARMA | Pharmacode One-Track
52 | BARCODE_PZN | PZN
53 | BARCODE_PHARMA_TWO | Pharmacode Two-Track
55 | BARCODE_PDF417 | PDF417
56* | BARCODE_PDF417COMP | Compact PDF417 (Truncated PDF417)
57 | BARCODE_MAXICODE | Maxicode
58 | BARCODE_QRCODE | QR Code
60 | BARCODE_CODE128B | Code 128 (Subset B)
63 | BARCODE_AUSPOST | Australia Post Standard Customer
66 | BARCODE_AUSREPLY | Australia Post Reply Paid
67 | BARCODE_AUSROUTE | Australia Post Routing
68 | BARCODE_AUSDIRECT | Australia Post Redirection
69 | BARCODE_ISBNX | ISBN (EAN-13 with verification stage)
70 | BARCODE_RM4SCC | Royal Mail 4 State (RM4SCC)
71 | BARCODE_DATAMATRIX | Data Matrix (ECC200)
72 | BARCODE_EAN14 | EAN-14
73 | BARCODE_VIN | Vehicle Identification Number
74 | BARCODE_CODABLOCKF | Codablock-F
75 | BARCODE_NVE18 | NVE-18 (SSCC-18)
76 | BARCODE_JAPANPOST | Japanese Postal Code
77 | BARCODE_KOREAPOST | Korea Post
79* | BARCODE_DBAR_STK | GS1 DataBar Stacked
80* | BARCODE_DBAR_OMNSTK | GS1 DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional
81* | BARCODE_DBAR_EXPSTK | GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked
82 | BARCODE_PLANET | PLANET
84 | BARCODE_MICROPDF417 | MicroPDF417
85* | BARCODE_USPS_IMAIL | USPS Intelligent Mail (OneCode)
86 | BARCODE_PLESSEY | Plessey Code
87 | BARCODE_TELEPEN_NUM | Telepen Numeric
89 | BARCODE_ITF14 | ITF-14
90 | BARCODE_KIX | Dutch Post KIX Code
92 | BARCODE_AZTEC | Aztec Code
93 | BARCODE_DAFT | DAFT Code
96 | BARCODE_DPD | DPD Code
97 | BARCODE_MICROQR | Micro QR Code
98 | BARCODE_HIBC_128 | HIBC Code 128
99 | BARCODE_HIBC_39 | HIBC Code 39
102 | BARCODE_HIBC_DM | HIBC Data Matrix ECC200
104 | BARCODE_HIBC_QR | HIBC QR Code
106 | BARCODE_HIBC_PDF | HIBC PDF417
108 | BARCODE_HIBC_MICPDF | HIBC MicroPDF417
110 | BARCODE_HIBC_BLOCKF | HIBC Codablock F
112 | BARCODE_HIBC_AZTEC | HIBC Aztec Code
115 | BARCODE_DOTCODE | DotCode
116 | BARCODE_HANXIN | Han Xin (Chinese Sensible) Code
121 | BARCODE_MAILMARK | Royal Mail 4-state Mailmark
128 | BARCODE_AZRUNE | Aztec Runes
129 | BARCODE_CODE32 | Code 32
130 | BARCODE_EANX_CC | Composite Symbol with EAN linear component
131* | BARCODE_GS1_128_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1-128 linear
| | component
132* | BARCODE_DBAR_OMN_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar
| | Omnidirectional linear component
133* | BARCODE_DBAR_LTD_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Limited
| | linear component
134* | BARCODE_DBAR_EXP_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Expanded
| | linear component
135 | BARCODE_UPCA_CC | Composite Symbol with UPC-A linear component
136 | BARCODE_UPCE_CC | Composite Symbol with UPC-E linear component
137* | BARCODE_DBAR_STK_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Stacked
| | component
138* | BARCODE_DBAR_OMNSTK_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Stacked
| | Omnidirectional component
139* | BARCODE_DBAR_EXPSTK_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Expanded
| | Stacked component
140 | BARCODE_CHANNEL | Channel Code
141 | BARCODE_CODEONE | Code One
142 | BARCODE_GRIDMATRIX | Grid Matrix
143 | BARCODE_UPNQR | UPNQR (Univerzalnega Plačilnega Naloga QR)
144 | BARCODE_ULTRA | Ultracode
145 | BARCODE_RMQR | Rectangular Micro QR Code (rMQR)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Symbologies marked with an asterisk (*) in the above table used different
names in Zint before version 2.9.0. For example, symbology 29 used the name
"BARCODE_RSS14". These names are now depreciated but are still recognised by
Zint and will continue to be supported in future versions.
5.8 Adjusting other output options
----------------------------------
The output_options variable can be used to adjust various aspects of the output
file. To select more than one option from the table below simply or them
together when adjusting this value:
my_symbol->output_options |= BARCODE_BIND | READER_INIT;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Value | Effect
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 | No options selected.
BARCODE_BIND | Boundary bars above and below the symbol and between
| rows if stacking multiple symbols. [2]
BARCODE_BOX | Add a box surrounding the symbol and whitespace. [2]
BARCODE_STDOUT | Output the file to stdout.
READER_INIT | Add a reader initialisation symbol to the data before
| encoding.
SMALL_TEXT | Use a smaller font for the human readable text.
BOLD_TEXT | Embolden the human readable text.
CMYK_COLOUR | Select the CMYK colour space option for encapsulated
| PostScript files.
BARCODE_DOTTY_MODE | Plot a matrix symbol using dots rather than squares.
GS1_GS_SEPARATOR | Use GS instead FNC1 as GS1 separator (Data Matrix).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.9 Setting the Input Mode
--------------------------
The way in which the input data is encoded can be set using the input_mode
property. Valid values are shown in the table below.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Value | Effect
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
DATA_MODE | Uses full ASCII range interpreted as Latin-1 or binary data.
UNICODE_MODE | Uses pre-formatted UTF-8 input.
GS1_MODE | Encodes GS1 data using FNC1 characters.
ESCAPE_MODE | Process input data for escape sequences.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
DATA_MODE, UNICODE_MODE and GS1_MODE are mutually exclusive, whereas ESCAPE_MODE
is optional. So, for example, you can set
my_symbol->input_mode = UNICODE_MODE | ESCAPE_MODE;
whereas
my_symbol->input_mode = DATA_MODE | GS1_MODE;
is not valid. Permissible escape sequences are listed in section 4.1.
5.10 Verifying Symbology Availability
-------------------------------------
An additional function available in the API is defined as:
int ZBarcode_ValidID(int symbol_id);
This function allows you to check whether a given symbology is available. A
non-zero return value indicates that the given symbology is available. For
example:
if (ZBarcode_ValidID(BARCODE_PDF417) != 0) {
printf("PDF417 available");
} else {
printf("PDF417 not available");
}
[1] This value is ignored for Australia Post 4-State Barcodes, PostNet, PLANET,
USPS Intelligent Mail, RM4SCC, PDF417, Data Matrix, Maxicode, QR Code, GS1
DataBar Stacked, PDF417 and MicroPDF417 - all of which have a fixed height.
[2] This value is ignored for Code 16k and Codablock-F. Special considerations
apply to ITF-14 - see the specific section for that symbology.
6. Types of Symbology
=====================
6.1 One-Dimensional Symbols
---------------------------
One-Dimensional Symbols are what most people associate with the term barcode.
They consist of a number of bars and a number of spaces of differing widths.
6.1.1 Code 11
-------------
Developed by Intermec in 1977, Code 11 is similar to Code 2 of 5 Matrix and is
primarily used in telecommunications. The symbol can encode any length string
consisting of the digits 0-9 and the dash character (-). Two modulo-11 check
digits are added by default. To add just one check digit, set option_2 = 1 or
--vers=1. To add no check digits, set option_2 = 2 or --vers=2.
6.1.2 Code 2 of 5
-----------------
Code 2 of 5 is a family of one-dimensional symbols, 8 of which are supported by
Zint. Note that the names given to these standards alters from one source to
another so you should take care to ensure that you have the right barcode type
before using these standards.
6.1.2.1 Standard Code 2 of 5
----------------------------
Also known as Code 2 of 5 Matrix is a self-checking code used in industrial
applications and photo development. Standard Code 2 of 5 will encode any length
numeric input (digits 0-9).
6.1.2.2 IATA Code 2 of 5
------------------------
Used for baggage handling in the air-transport industry by the International
Air Transport Agency, this self-checking code will encode any length numeric
input (digits 0-9) and does not include a check digit.
6.1.2.3 Industrial Code 2 of 5
------------------------------
Industrial Code 2 of 5 can encode any length numeric input (digits 0-9) and
does not include a check digit.
6.1.2.4 Interleaved Code 2 of 5
-------------------------------
This self-checking symbology encodes pairs of numbers, and so can only encode
an even number of digits (0-9). If an odd number of digits is entered a leading
zero is added by Zint. No check digit is added.
6.1.2.5 Code 2 of 5 Data Logic
------------------------------
Data Logic does not include a check digit and can encode any length numeric
input (digits 0-9).
6.1.2.6 ITF-14
--------------
ITF-14, also known as UPC Shipping Container Symbol or Case Code is based on
Interleaved Code 2 of 5 and requires a 13 digit numeric input (digits 0-9). One
modulo-10 check digit is added by Zint.
If no border option is specified Zint defaults to adding a bounding box with a
border width of 5. This behaviour can be overridden by using the --bind option
(or adding BARCODE_BIND to symbol->output_options). Similarly the border width
can be overridden using --border= (or by setting symbol->border_width). If a
symbol with no border is explicitly required this can be achieved by setting
the border type to box or bind and setting the border width to 0.
6.1.2.7 Deutsche Post Leitcode
------------------------------
Leitcode is based on Interleaved Code 2 of 5 and is used by Deutsche Post for
mailing purposes. Leitcode requires a 13-digit numerical input and includes a
check digit.
6.1.2.8 Deutsche Post Identcode
-------------------------------
Identcode is based on Interleaved Code 2 of 5 and is used by Deutsche Post for
mailing purposes. Identcode requires an 11-digit numerical input and includes a
check digit.
6.1.3 Universal Product Code (EN 797)
-------------------------------------
6.1.3.1 UPC Version A
---------------------
UPC-A is used in the United States for retail applications. The symbol requires
an 11 digit article number. The check digit is calculated by Zint. In addition
EAN-2 and EAN-5 add-on symbols can be added using the + character. For example,
to draw a UPC-A symbol with the data 72527270270 with an EAN-5 add-on showing
the data 12345 use the command:
zint --barcode=34 -d 72527270270+12345
or encode a data string with the + character included:
my_symbol->symbology = BARCODE_UPCA;
error = ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, "72527270270+12345");
If your input data already includes the check digit symbology BARCODE_UPCA_CHK
(35) can be used which takes a 12 digit input and validates the check digit
before encoding.
You can adjust the gap between the main symbol and an add-on in multiples of
the X-dimension by setting --addongap= (option_2) to a value between 9 (default)
and 12.
6.1.3.2 UPC Version E
---------------------
UPC-E is a zero-compressed version of UPC-A developed for smaller packages. The
code requires a 6 digit article number (digits 0-9). The check digit is
calculated by Zint. EAN-2 and EAN-5 add-on symbols can be added using the +
character as with UPC-A. In addition Zint also supports Number System 1
encoding by entering a 7-digit article number stating with the digit 1. For
example:
zint --barcode=37 -d 1123456
or
my_symbol->symbology = BARCODE_UPCE;
error = ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, "1123456");
If your input data already includes the check digit symbology BARCODE_UPCE_CHK
(38) can be used which takes a 7 or 8 digit input and validates the check digit
before encoding.
You can adjust the gap between the main symbol and an add-on in multiples of
the X-dimension by setting --addongap= (option_2) to a value between 7 (default)
and 12.
6.1.4 European Article Number (EN 797)
--------------------------------------
6.1.4.1 EAN-2, EAN-5, EAN-8 and EAN-13
--------------------------------------
The EAN system is used in retail across Europe and includes standards for EAN-2
and EAN-5 add-on codes, EAN-8 and EAN-13 which encode 2, 5, 7 or 12 digit
numbers respectively. Zint will decide which symbology to use depending on the
length of the input data. In addition EAN-2 and EAN-5 add-on symbols can be
added using the + symbol as with UPC symbols. For example:
zint --barcode=13 -d 54321
will encode a stand-alone EAN-5, whereas
zint --barcode=13 -d 7432365+54321
will encode an EAN-8 symbol with an EAN-5 add-on. As before these results can
be achieved using the API:
my_symbol->symbology = BARCODE_EANX;
error = ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, "54321");
error = ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, "7432365+54321");
All of the EAN symbols include check digits which are added by Zint.
If you are encoding an EAN-8 or EAN-13 symbol and your data already includes
the check digit then you can use symbology BARCODE_EANX_CHK (14) which takes an
8 or 13 digit input and validates the check digit before encoding.
You can adjust the gap between the main symbol and an add-on in multiples of
the X-dimension by setting --addongap= (option_2) to a value between 7 (default)
and 12.
6.1.4.2 SBN, ISBN and ISBN-13
-----------------------------
EAN-13 symbols (also known as Bookland EAN-13) can also be produced from
9-digit SBN, 10-digit ISBN or 13-digit ISBN-13 data. The relevant check digit
needs to be present in the input data and will be verified before the symbol is
generated. In addition EAN-2 and EAN-5 add-on symbols can be added using the +
symbol as with UPC symbols, and the gap set with --addongap= (option_2) to
between 7 (default) and 12.
6.1.5 Plessey
-------------
Also known as Plessey Code, this symbology was developed by the Plessey Company
Ltd. in the UK. The symbol can encode any length data consisting of digits
(0-9) or letters A-F and includes a CRC check digit.
6.1.6 MSI Plessey
-----------------
Based on Plessey and developed by MSE Data Corporation, MSI Plessey is
available with a range of check digit options available by setting option_2 or
by using the --vers= switch. Any length numeric (digits 0-9) input can be
encoded. The table below shows the options available:
-------------------------------------------
Value of option_2 | Check Digits
-------------------------------------------
0 | None
1 | Modulo-10
2 | Modulo-10 & Modulo-10
3 | Modulo-11
4 | Modulo-11 & Modulo-10
-------------------------------------------
6.1.7 Telepen
-------------
6.1.7.1 Telepen Alpha
---------------------
Telepen Alpha was developed by SB Electronic Systems Limited and can encode any
length of ASCII text input. Telepen includes a modulo-127 check digit.
6.1.7.2 Telepen Numeric
-----------------------
Telepen Numeric allows compression of numeric data into a Telepen symbol. Data
can consist of pairs of numbers or pairs consisting of a numerical digit
followed an X character. For example: 466333 and 466X33 are valid codes whereas
46X333 is not (the digit pair "X3" is not valid). Telepen Numeric includes a
modulo-127 check digit which is added by Zint.
6.1.8 Code 39
-------------
6.1.8.1 Standard Code 39 (ISO 16388)
------------------------------------
Standard Code 39 was developed in 1974 by Intermec. Input data can be of any
length and can include the characters 0-9, A-Z, dash (-), full stop (.), space,
asterisk (*), dollar ($), slash (/), plus (+) and percent (%). The standard
does not require a check digit but a modulo-43 check digit can be added if
required by setting option_2 = 1 or using --vers=1.
6.1.8.2 Extended Code 39
------------------------
Also known as Code 39e and Code39+, this symbology expands on Standard Code 39
to provide support to the full ASCII character set. The standard does not
require a check digit but a modulo-43 check digit can be added if required by
setting option_2 = 1 or using --vers=1.
6.1.8.3 Code 93
---------------
A variation of Extended Code 39, Code 93 also supports full ASCII text. Two
check digits are added by Zint.
6.1.8.4 PZN (Pharmazentralnummer)
---------------------------------
PZN is a Code 39 based symbology used by the pharmaceutical industry in Germany.
PZN encodes a 7 digit number to which Zint will add a modulo-11 check digit.
6.1.8.5 LOGMARS
---------------
LOGMARS (Logistics Applications of Automated Marking and Reading Symbols) is a
variation of the Code 39 symbology used by the US Department of Defence.
LOGMARS encodes the same character set as Standard Code 39. It does not require
a check digit but a modulo-43 check digit can be added by setting option_2 = 1
or using --vers=1.
6.1.8.6 Code 32
---------------
A variation of Code 39 used by the Italian Ministry of Health ("Ministero della
Sanità") for encoding identifiers on pharmaceutical products. This symbology
requires a numeric input up to 8 digits in length. A check digit is added by
Zint.
6.1.8.7 HIBC Code 39
--------------------
This option adds a leading '+' character and a trailing modulo-49 check digit
to a standard Code 39 symbol as required by the Health Industry Barcode
standards.
6.1.8.8 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
-------------------------------------------
A variation of Code 39 that for vehicle identification numbers used in North
America (first character '1' to '5') has a check character verification stage.
An Import character prefix 'I' can be added by setting option_2 = 1 or using
--vers=1.
6.1.9 Codabar (EN 798)
----------------------
Also known as NW-7, Monarch, ABC Codabar, USD-4, Ames Code and Code 27, this
symbology was developed in 1972 by Monarch Marketing Systems for retail
purposes. The American Blood Commission adopted Codabar in 1977 as the standard
symbology for blood identification. Codabar can encode any length string
starting and ending with the letters A-D and containing between these letters
the numbers 0-9, dash (-), dollar ($), colon (:), slash (/), full stop (.) or
plus (+). No check digit is generated by default, but a modulo-16 one can be
added by setting option_2 = 1 or using --vers=1.
6.1.10 Pharmacode
-----------------
Developed by Laetus, Pharmacode is used for the identification of
pharmaceuticals. The symbology is able to encode whole numbers between 3 and
131070.
6.1.11 Code 128
---------------
6.1.11.1 Standard Code 128 (ISO 15417)
--------------------------------------
One of the most ubiquitous one-dimensional barcode symbologies, Code 128 was
developed in 1981 by Computer Identics. This symbology supports full ASCII text
and uses a three-mode system to compress the data into a smaller symbol. Zint
automatically switches between modes and adds a modulo-103 check digit. Code
128 is the default barcode symbology used by Zint. In addition Zint supports
the encoding of Latin-1 (non-English) characters in Code 128 symbols [1]. The
Latin-1 character set is shown in Appendix A.
6.1.11.2 Code 128 Subset B
--------------------------
It is sometimes advantageous to stop Code 128 from using subset mode C which
compresses numerical data. The BARCODE_CODE128B option (symbology 60)
suppresses mode C in favour of mode B.
6.1.11.3 GS1-128
----------------
A variation of Code 128 previously known as UCC/EAN-128, this symbology is
defined by the GS1 General Specifications. Application Identifiers (AIs) should
be entered using [square bracket] notation. These will be converted to (round
brackets) for the human readable text. This will allow round brackets to be used
in the data strings to be encoded. Fixed length data should be entered at the
appropriate length for correct encoding. GS1-128 does not support extended ASCII
characters. Check digits for GTIN data (AI 01) are not generated and need to be
included in the input data. The following is an example of a valid GS1-128
input:
zint --barcode=16 -d "[01]98898765432106[3202]012345[15]991231"
6.1.11.4 EAN-14
---------------
A shorter version of GS1-128 which encodes GTIN data only. A 13 digit number is
required. The GTIN check digit and AI (01) are added by Zint.
6.1.11.5 NVE-18 (SSCC-18)
-------------------------
A variation of Code 128 the "Nummer der Versandeinheit" standard, also known as
SSCC-18 (Serial Shipping Container Code), includes both modulo-10 and modulo-103
check digits. NVE-18 requires a 17 digit numerical input. Check digits and AI
(00) are added by Zint.
6.1.11.6 HIBC Code 128
----------------------
This option adds a leading '+' character and a trailing modulo-49 check digit
to a standard Code 128 symbol as required by the Health Industry Barcode
standards.
6.1.11.7 DPD Code
-----------------
Another variation of Code 128 as used by DPD (Deutsher Paket Dienst). Requires
a 28 character alphanumeric input. Zint formats human readable text as
specified by DPD and adds a modulo-36 check character.
6.1.12 GS1 DataBar (ISO 24724)
------------------------------
Previously known as RSS (Reduced Spaced Symbology) these symbols are due to
replace GS1-128 symbols in accordance with the GS1 General Specifications. If a
GS1 DataBar symbol is to be printed with a 2D component as specified in ISO
24723 set option_1 = 2 or use the option --mode=2 at the command prompt. See
section 6.3 of this manual to find out how to generate DataBar symbols with 2D
components.
6.1.12.1 DataBar Omnidirectional and DataBar Truncated
------------------------------------------------------
Previously known as RSS-14 this standard encodes a 13 digit item code. A check
digit and application identifier of (01) are added by Zint. (A 14 digit code
that appends the check digit may be given, in which case the check digit will be
verified.) To produce a truncated symbol set the symbol height to a value
between 32 and 13. Normal DataBar Omnidirectional symbols should have a height
of 33 or greater.
6.1.12.2 DataBar Limited
------------------------
Previously known as RSS Limited this standard encodes a 13 digit item code and
can be used in the same way as DataBar above. DataBar Limited, however, is
limited to data starting with digits 0 and 1 (i.e. numbers in the range 0 to
1999999999999). As with DataBar Omnidirectional a check digit and application
identifier of (01) are added by Zint, and a 14 digit code may be given in which
case the check digit will be verified.
6.1.12.3 DataBar Expanded
-------------------------
Previously known as RSS Expanded this is a variable length symbology capable of
encoding data from a number of AIs in a single symbol. AIs should be encased in
[square brackets] in the input data. This will be converted to (rounded
brackets) before it is included in the human readable text attached to the
symbol. This method allows the inclusion of rounded brackets in the data to be
encoded. GTIN data (AI 01) should also include the check digit data as this is
not calculated by Zint when this symbology is encoded. Fixed length data should
be entered at the appropriate length for correct encoding. The following is an
example of a valid DataBar Expanded input:
zint --barcode=31 -d "[01]98898765432106[3202]012345[15]991231"
6.1.13 Korea Post Barcode
-------------------------
The Korean Postal Barcode is used to encode a six-digit number and includes one
check digit.
6.1.14 Channel Code
-------------------
A highly compressed symbol for numeric data. The number of channels in the
symbol can be between 3 and 8 and this can be specified by setting the value of
option_2 or using the --vers= option. It can also be determined by the length of
the input data e.g. a three character input string generates a 4 channel code by
default. The maximum values permitted depend on the number of channels used as
shown in the table below:
--------------------------------------------
Channels | Minimum Value | Maximum Value
--------------------------------------------
3 | 00 | 26
4 | 000 | 292
5 | 0000 | 3493
6 | 00000 | 44072
7 | 000000 | 576688
8 | 0000000 | 7742862
--------------------------------------------
6.2 Stacked Symbologies
-----------------------
6.2.1 Basic Symbol Stacking
---------------------------
An early innovation to get more information into a symbol, used primarily in
the vehicle industry, is to simply stack one-dimensional codes on top of each
other. This can be achieved at the command prompt by giving more than one set
of input data. For example
zint -d 'This' -d 'That'
will draw two Code 128 symbols, one on top of the other. The same result can be
achieved using the API by executing the ZBarcode_Encode() function more than
once on a symbol. For example:
my_symbol->symbology = BARCODE_CODE128;
error = ZBarcode_Encode(my_symbol, "This");
error = ZBarcode_Encode(my_symbol, "That");
error = ZBarcode_Print(my_symbol);
The stacked barcode rows can be separated by row separator bars by specifying
--bind (output_options |= BARCODE_BIND). The height of the row separator bars in
multiples of the X-dimension (minimum and default 1, maximum 4) can be set by
--separator= (option_3):
zind --bind --separator=2 -d 'This' -d 'That'
A more sophisticated method is to use some type of line indexing which indicates
to the barcode reader which order the symbols should be read. This is
demonstrated by the symbologies below.
6.2.2 Codablock-F
-----------------
This is a stacked symbology based on Code 128 which can encode extended ASCII
code set data up to a maximum length of 2725 characters. The width of the
Codablock-F symbol can be set using the --cols= option at the command line or
option_2. The height (number of rows) can be set using the --rows= option at the
command line or by setting option_1. Zint does not support encoding of GS1 data
in Codablock-F symbols.
6.2.3 Code 16k (EN 12323)
-------------------------
Code 16k uses a Code 128 based system which can stack up to 16 rows in a block.
This gives a maximum data capacity of 77 characters or 154 numerical digits and
includes two modulo-107 check digits. Code 16k also supports extended ASCII
character encoding in the same manner as Code 128.
6.2.4 PDF417 (ISO 15438)
------------------------
Heavily used in the parcel industry, the PDF417 symbology can encode a vast
amount of data into a small space. Zint supports encoding up to the ISO
standard maximum symbol size of 925 codewords which (at error correction level
0) allows a maximum data size of 1850 text characters, or 2710 digits. The
width of the generated PDF417 symbol can be specified at the command line using
the --cols switch followed by a number between 1 and 30, and the amount of
check digit information can be specified by using the --secure switch
followed by a number between 0 and 8 where the number of codewords used for
check information is determined by 2^(value + 1). If using the API these values
are assigned to option_2 and option_1 respectively. The default level of check
information is determined by the amount of data being encoded. This symbology
uses Latin-1 character encoding by default but also supports the ECI encoding
mechanism. A separate symbology ID can be used to encode Health Industry
Barcode (HIBC) data which adds a leading '+' character and a modulo-49 check
digit to the encoded data.
6.2.5 Compact PDF417
--------------------
Previously known as Truncated PDF417. Options are the same as for PDF417 above.
6.2.6 MicroPDF417 (ISO 24728)
-----------------------------
A variation of the PDF417 standard, MicroPDF417 is intended for applications
where symbol size needs to be kept to a minimum. 34 predefined symbol sizes are
available with 1 - 4 columns and 4 - 44 rows. The maximum size MicroPDF417
symbol can hold 250 alphanumeric characters or 366 digits. The amount of error
correction used is dependent on symbol size. The number of columns used can be
determined using the --cols switch or option_2 as with PDF417. This symbology
uses Latin-1 character encoding by default but also supports the ECI encoding
mechanism. A separate symbology ID can be used to encode Health Industry
Barcode (HIBC) data which adds a leading '+' character and a modulo-49 check
digit to the encoded data.
6.2.7 GS1 DataBar Stacked (ISO 24724)
-------------------------------------
A stacked variation of the GS1 DataBar Truncated symbol requiring the same input
(see section 6.1.12.1). The height of this symbol is fixed. The data is encoded
in two rows of bars with a central finder pattern. This symbol can be generated
with a two-dimensional component to make a composite symbol.
6.2.8 GS1 DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional (ISO 24724)
-----------------------------------------------------
A stacked variation of the GS1 DataBar Omnidirectional symbol requiring the same
input (see section 6.1.12.1). The data is encoded in two rows of bars with a
central finder pattern. This symbol can be generated with a two-dimensional
component to make a composite symbol.
6.2.9 GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked (ISO 24724)
----------------------------------------------
A stacked variation of the GS1 DataBar Expanded symbol for smaller packages.
Input is the same as for GS1 DataBar Expanded (see section 6.1.12.3). In
addition the width of the symbol can be altered using the --cols switch or
option_2. In this case the number of columns relates to the number of character
pairs on each row of the symbol. This symbol can be generated with a two-
dimensional component to make a composite symbol. For symbols with a 2D
component the number of columns must be at least 2.
6.2.10 Code 49
-------------
Developed in 1987 at Intermec, Code 49 is a cross between UPC and Code 39. It
it one of the earliest stacked symbologies and influenced the design of Code
16K a few years later. It supports full 7-bit ASCII input up to a maximum of 49
characters or 81 numeric digits. GS1 data encoding is also supported.
6.3 Composite Symbols (ISO 24723)
---------------------------------
Composite symbols employ a mixture of components to give more comprehensive
information about a product. The permissible contents of a composite symbol is
determined by the terms of the GS1 General Specifications. Composite symbols
consist of a linear component which can be an EAN, UPC, GS1-128 or GS1 DataBar
symbol, a 2D component which is based on PDF417 or MicroPDF417, and a separator
pattern. The type of linear component to be used is determined using the -b or
--barcode= switch or by adjusting symbol->symbology as with other encoding
methods. Valid values are shown below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Numeric | Name | Barcode Name
Value |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
130 | BARCODE_EANX_CC | Composite Symbol with EAN linear component
131 | BARCODE_GS1_128_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1-128 linear
| | component
132 | BARCODE_DBAR_OMN_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar
| | Omnidirectional linear component
133 | BARCODE_DBAR_LTD_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Limited
| | linear component
134 | BARCODE_DBAR_EXP_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Expanded
| | linear component
135 | BARCODE_UPCA_CC | Composite Symbol with UPC-A linear component
136 | BARCODE_UPCE_CC | Composite Symbol with UPC-E linear component
137 | BARCODE_DBAR_STK_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Stacked
| | component
138 | BARCODE_DBAR_OMNSTK_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Stacked
| | Omnidirectional component
139 | BARCODE_DBAR_EXPSTK_CC | Composite Symbol with GS1 DataBar Expanded
| | Stacked component
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The data to be encoded in the linear component of a composite symbol should be
entered into a primary string with the data for the 2D component being entered
in the normal way. To do this at the command prompt use the --primary= command.
For example:
zint -b 130 --mode=1 --primary=331234567890 -d "[99]1234-abcd"
This creates an EAN-13 linear component with the data "331234567890" and a 2D
CC-A (see below) component with the data "(99)1234-abcd". The same results can
be achieved using the API as shown below:
my_symbol->symbology = 130;
my_symbol->option_1 = 1;
strcpy(my_symbol->primary, "331234567890");
ZBarcode_Encode_and_Print(my_symbol, "[99]1234-abcd");
EAN-2 and EAN-5 add-on data can be used with EAN and UPC symbols using the +
symbol as described in section 6.1.3 and 5.1.4.
The 2D component of a composite symbol can use one of three systems: CC-A, CC-B
and CC-C as described below. The 2D component type can be selected
automatically by Zint dependant on the length of the input string.
Alternatively the three methods can be accessed using the --mode= prompt
followed by 1, 2 or 3 for CC-A, CC-B or CC-C respectively, or by using the
option_1 variable as shown above.
6.3.1 CC-A
----------
This system uses a variation of MicroPDF417 which optimised to fit into a small
space. The size of the 2D component and the amount of error correction is
determined by the amount of data to be encoded and the type of linear component
which is being used. CC-A can encode up to 56 numeric digits or an alphanumeric
string of shorter length. To select CC-A use --mode=1.
6.3.2 CC-B
----------
This system uses MicroPDF417 to encode the 2D component. The size of the 2D
component and the amount of error correction is determined by the amount of
data to be encoded and the type of linear component which is being used. CC-B
can encode up to 338 numeric digits or an alphanumeric string of shorter
length. To select CC-B use --mode=2.
6.3.3 CC-C
----------
This system uses PDF417 and can only be used in conjunction with a GS1-128
linear component. CC-C can encode up to 2361 numeric digits or an alphanumeric
string of shorter length. To select CC-C use --mode=3.
6.4 Two-Track Symbols
---------------------
6.4.1 Two-Track Pharmacode
--------------------------
Developed by Laetus, Pharmacode Two-Track is an alternative system to
Pharmacode One-Track used for the identification of pharmaceuticals. The
symbology is able to encode whole numbers between 4 and 64570080.
6.4.2 PostNet
-------------
Used by the United States Postal Service until 2009, the PostNet barcode was
used for encoding zip-codes on mail items. PostNet uses numerical input data
and includes a modulo-10 check digit. While Zint will encode PostNet symbols of
any length, standard lengths as used by USPS were PostNet6 (5 digits ZIP
input), PostNet10 (5 digit ZIP + 4 digit user data) and PostNet12 (5 digit ZIP
+ 6 digit user data).
6.4.3 PLANET
------------
Used by the United States Postal Service until 2009, the PLANET (Postal Alpha
Numeric Encoding Technique) barcode was used for encoding routing data on mail
items. PLANET uses numerical input data and includes a modulo-10 check digit.
While Zint will encode PLANET symbols of any length, standard lengths used by
USPS were Planet12 (11 digit input) and Planet14 (13 digit input).
6.5 4-State Postal Codes
------------------------
6.5.1 Australia Post 4-State Symbols
------------------------------------
6.5.1.1 Customer Barcodes
-------------------------
Australia Post Standard Customer Barcode, Customer Barcode 2 and Customer
Barcode 3 are 37-bar, 52-bar and 67-bar specifications respectively, developed
by Australia Post for printing Delivery Point ID (DPID) and customer
information on mail items. Valid data characters are 0-9, A-Z, a-z, space and
hash (#). A Format Control Code (FCC) is added by Zint and should not be
included in the input data. Reed-Solomon error correction data is generated by
Zint. Encoding behaviour is determined by the length of the input data
according to the formula shown in the following table:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Input | Required Input Format | Symbol | FCC | Encoding
Length | | Length | | Table
-----------------------------------------------------------------
8 | 99999999 | 37-bar | 11 | None
13 | 99999999AAAAA | 52-bar | 59 | C
16 | 9999999999999999 | 52-bar | 59 | N
18 | 99999999AAAAAAAAAA | 67-bar | 62 | C
23 | 99999999999999999999999 | 67-bar | 62 | N
-----------------------------------------------------------------
6.5.1.2 Reply Paid Barcode
--------------------------
A Reply Paid version of the Australia Post 4-State Barcode (FCC 45) which
requires an 8-digit DPID input.
6.5.1.3 Routing Barcode
-----------------------
A Routing version of the Australia Post 4-State Barcode (FCC 87) which requires
an 8-digit DPID input.
6.5.1.4 Redirect Barcode
------------------------
A Redirection version of the Australia Post 4-State Barcode (FCC 92) which
requires an 8-digit DPID input.
6.5.2 Dutch Post KIX Code
-------------------------
This symbology is used by Royal Dutch TPG Post (Netherlands) for Postal code
and automatic mail sorting. Data input can consist of numbers 0-9 and letters
A-Z and needs to be 11 characters in length. No check digit is included.
6.5.3 Royal Mail 4-State Customer Code (RM4SCC)
----------------------------------------------
The RM4SCC standard is used by the Royal Mail in the UK to encode postcode and
customer data on mail items. Data input can consist of numbers 0-9 and letters
A-Z and usually includes delivery postcode followed by house number. For
example "W1J0TR01" for 1 Piccadilly Circus in London. Check digit data is
generated by Zint.
6.5.4 Royal Mail 4-State Mailmark
---------------------------------
Developed in 2014 as a replacement for RM4SCC this 4-state symbol includes
Reed Solomon error correction. Input is a pre-formatted alphanumeric string of
22 (for Barcode C) or 26 (for Barcode L) characters, producing a symbol with
66 or 78 bars respectively. Some of the permitted inputs include a number of
trailing space characters - these will be appended by Zint if not included in
the input data.
6.5.5 USPS Intelligent Mail
---------------------------
Also known as the OneCode barcode and used in the US by the United States Postal
Service (USPS), the Intelligent Mail system replaced the PostNet and PLANET
symbologies in 2009. Intelligent Mail is a fixed length (65-bar) symbol which
combines routing and customer information in a single symbol. Input data
consists of a 20 digit tracking code, followed by a dash (-), followed by a
delivery point zip-code which can be 0, 5, 9 or 11 digits in length. For example
all of the following inputs are valid data entries:
"01234567094987654321"
"01234567094987654321-01234"
"01234567094987654321-012345678"
"01234567094987654321-01234567891"
6.5.6 Japanese Postal Code
--------------------------
Used for address data on mail items for Japan Post. Accepted values are 0-9,
A-Z and Dash (-). A modulo 19 check digit is added by Zint.
6.6 Two-Dimensional Matrix Symbols
----------------------------------
6.6.1 Data Matrix (ISO 16022)
-----------------------------
Also known as Semacode this symbology was developed in 1989 by Acuity CiMatrix
in partnership with the US DoD and NASA. The symbol can encode a large amount
of data in a small area. Data Matrix can encode characters in the
Latin-1 set by default but also supports encoding using other character sets
using the ECI mechanism. It can also encode GS1 data. The size of the
generated symbol can also be adjusted using the --vers= option or by setting
option_2 as shown in the table below. A separate symbology ID can be used to
encode Health Industry Barcode (HIBC) data which adds a leading '+' character
and a modulo-49 check digit to the encoded data. Note that only ECC200 encoding
is supported, the older standards have now been removed from Zint.
---------------------
Input | Symbol Size
---------------------
1 | 10 x 10
2 | 12 x 12
3 | 14 x 14
4 | 16 x 16
5 | 18 x 18
6 | 20 x 20
7 | 22 x 22
8 | 24 x 24
9 | 26 x 26
10 | 32 x 32
11 | 36 x 36
12 | 40 x 40
13 | 44 x 44
14 | 48 x 48
15 | 52 x 52
16 | 64 x 64
17 | 72 x 72
18 | 80 x 80
19 | 88 x 88
20 | 96 x 96
21 | 104 x 104
22 | 120 x 120
23 | 132 x 132
24 | 144 x 144
25 | 8 x 18
26 | 8 x 32
28 | 12 x 26
28 | 12 x 36
29 | 16 x 36
30 | 16 x 48
---------------------
When using automatic symbol sizes you can force Zint to use square symbols
(versions 1-24) at the command line by using the option --square and when
using the API by setting the value option_3 = DM_SQUARE.
Data Matrix Rectangular Extension (ISO/IEC21471) codes may be generated with the
following values as before:
---------------------
Input | Symbol Size
---------------------
31 | 8 x 48
32 | 8 x 64
33 | 8 x 80
34 | 8 x 96
35 | 8 x 120
36 | 8 x 144
37 | 12 x 64
38 | 12 x 88
39 | 16 x 64
40 | 20 x 36
41 | 20 x 44
42 | 20 x 64
43 | 22 x 48
44 | 24 x 48
45 | 24 x 64
46 | 26 x 40
47 | 26 x 48
48 | 26 x 64
---------------------
DMRE symbol sizes may be activated in automatic size mode using the option
--dmre or by the API option_3 = DM_DMRE
GS1 data may be encoded using FNC1 (preferred) or GS as separator.
Use the option --gssep to change to GS or use the API
output_options |= GS1_GS_SEPARATOR
6.6.2 QR Code (ISO 18004)
-------------------------
Also known as Quick Response Code this symbology was developed by Denso. Four
levels of error correction are available using the --secure= option or by
setting option_1 as shown in the following table.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Input | ECC Level | Error Correction Capacity | Recovery Capacity
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 | L (default) | Approx 20% of symbol | Approx 7%
2 | M | Approx 37% of symbol | Approx 15%
3 | Q | Approx 55% of symbol | Approx 25%
4 | H | Approx 65% of symbol | Approx 30%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The size of the symbol can be set by using the --vers= option or setting
option_2 to the QR Code version required (1-40). The size of symbol generated
is shown in the table below.
---------------------
Input | Symbol Size
---------------------
1 | 21 x 21
2 | 25 x 25
3 | 29 x 29
4 | 33 x 33
5 | 37 x 37
6 | 41 x 41
7 | 45 x 45
8 | 49 x 49
9 | 53 x 53
10 | 57 x 57
11 | 61 x 61
12 | 65 x 65
13 | 69 x 69
14 | 73 x 73
15 | 77 x 77
16 | 81 x 81
17 | 85 x 85
18 | 89 x 89
19 | 93 x 93
20 | 97 x 97
21 | 101 x 101
22 | 105 x 105
23 | 109 x 109
24 | 113 x 113
25 | 117 x 117
26 | 121 x 121
28 | 125 x 125
28 | 129 x 129
29 | 133 x 133
30 | 137 x 137
31 | 141 x 141
32 | 145 x 145
33 | 149 x 149
34 | 153 x 153
35 | 157 x 157
36 | 161 x 161
38 | 165 x 165
38 | 169 x 169
39 | 173 x 173
40 | 177 x 177
---------------------
The maximum capacity of a (version 40) QR Code symbol is 7089 numeric digits,
4296 alphanumeric characters or 2953 bytes of data. QR Code symbols can also be
used to encode GS1 data. QR Code symbols can by default encode characters in
the Latin-1 set and Kanji characters which are members of the Shift-JIS
encoding scheme. In addition QR Code supports using other character sets using
the ECI mechanism. Input should usually be entered as Unicode (UTF-8) with
conversion to Shift-JIS being carried out by Zint. A separate symbology ID can
be used to encode Health Industry Barcode (HIBC) data which adds a leading '+'
character and a modulo-49 check digit to the encoded data.
Non-ASCII data density may be maximized by using the --fullmultibyte switch or
by setting option_3 to ZINT_FULL_MULTIBYTE, but check that your barcode reader
supports this before using.
6.6.3 Micro QR Code (ISO 18004)
-------------------------------
A miniature version of the QR Code symbol for short messages. ECC levels can be
selected as for QR Code (above). QR Code symbols can encode characters in the
Latin-1 set and Kanji characters which are members of the Shift-JIS encoding
scheme. Input should be entered as a UTF-8 stream with conversion to Shift-JIS
being carried out automatically by Zint. A preferred symbol size can be
selected by using the --vers= option or by setting option_2 although the actual
version used by Zint may be different if required by the input data. The table
below shows the possible sizes:
---------------------------------
Input | Version | Symbol Size
---------------------------------
1 | M1 | 11 x 11
2 | M2 | 13 x 13
3 | M3 | 15 x 15
4 | M4 | 17 x 17
---------------------------------
For barcode readers that support it, non-ASCII data density may be maximized by
using the --fullmultibyte switch or by setting option_3 to ZINT_FULL_MULTIBYTE.
6.6.4 Rectangular Micro QR Code (rMQR)
--------------------------------------
A rectangular version of QR Code. Like QR code rMQR supports encoding of GS1
data, Latin-1 and Kanji characters in the Shift-JIS encoding scheme.
It does not support other ISO 8859 character sets or Unicode. As with other
symbologies data should be entered as UTF-8 with the conversion to Shift-JIS
being handled by Zint. The amount of ECC codewords can be adjusted using
--secure=, however only ECC levels M and H are valid for this type of symbol.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Input | ECC Level | Error Correction Capacity | Recovery Capacity
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 | M (default) | Approx 37% of symbol | Approx 15%
4 | H | Approx 65% of symbol | Approx 30%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The preferred symbol sizes can be selected using the --vers= option as shown
in the table below. Input values between 33 and 38 fix the height of the
symbol while allowing Zint to determine the minimum symbol width.
---------------------------------
Input | Version | Symbol Size
---------------------------------
1 | R7x43 | 7 x 73
2 | R7x59 | 7 x 59
3 | R7x77 | 7 x 77
4 | R7x99 | 7 x 99
5 | R7x139 | 7 x 139
6 | R9x43 | 9 x 43
7 | R9x59 | 9 x 59
8 | R9x77 | 9 x 77
9 | R9x99 | 9 x 99
10 | R9x139 | 9 x 139
11 | R11x27 | 11 x 27
12 | R11x43 | 11 x 43
13 | R11x59 | 11 x 59
14 | R11x77 | 11 x 77
15 | R11x99 | 11 x 99
16 | R11x139 | 11 x 139
17 | R13x27 | 13 x 27
18 | R13x43 | 13 x 43
19 | R13x59 | 13 x 59
20 | R13x77 | 13 x 77
21 | R13x99 | 13 x 99
22 | R13x139 | 13 x 139
23 | R15x43 | 15 x 43
24 | R15x59 | 15 x 59
25 | R15x77 | 15 x 77
26 | R15x99 | 15 x 99
27 | R15x139 | 15 x 139
28 | R17x43 | 17 x 43
29 | R17x59 | 17 x 59
30 | R17x77 | 17 x 77
31 | R17x99 | 17 x 99
32 | R17x139 | 17 x 139
---------------------------------
33 | Fixed height 7
34 | Fixed height 9
35 | Fixed height 11
36 | Fixed height 13
37 | Fixed height 15
38 | Fixed height 17
---------------------------------
For barcode readers that support it, non-ASCII data density may be maximized by
using the --fullmultibyte switch or by setting option_3 to ZINT_FULL_MULTIBYTE.
6.6.5 UPNQR (Univerzalnega Plačilnega Naloga QR)
------------------------------------------------
A variation of QR Code used by Združenje Bank Slovenije (Bank Association of
Slovenia). The size, error correction level and ECI are set by Zint and do not
need to be specified. UPNQR is unusual in that it uses ISO-8859-2 formatted
data. Zint will accept UTF-8 data and convert it to ISO-8859-2, or if your data
is already ISO-8859-2 formatted use the --binary switch or if using the API set
symbol->input_mode = DATA MODE;
The following example creates a symbol from data saved as an ISO-8859-2 file:
zint -o upnqr.png -b 143 --border=5 --scale=3 --binary -i ./upn.txt
6.6.6 Maxicode (ISO 16023)
--------------------------
Developed by UPS the Maxicode symbology employs a grid of hexagons surrounding
a 'bulls-eye' finder pattern. This symbology is designed for the identification
of parcels. Maxicode symbols can be encoded in one of five modes. In modes 2
and 3 Maxicode symbols are composed of two parts named the primary and
secondary messages. The primary message consists of a structured data field
which includes various data about the package being sent and the secondary
message usually consists of address data in a data structure. The format of the
primary message required by Zint is given in the following table:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters | Meaning
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 9 | Postcode data which can consist of up to 9 digits (for mode 2)
| or up to 6 alphanumeric characters (for mode 3). Remaining
| unused characters should be filled with the SPACE character
| (ASCII 32).
10 - 12 | Three digit country code according to ISO 3166.
13 - 15 | Three digit service code. This depends on your parcel courier.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The primary message can be set at the command prompt using the --primary=
switch. The secondary message uses the normal data entry method. For example:
zint -o test.eps -b 57 --primary='999999999840012' -d 'Secondary Message Here'
When using the API the primary message must be placed in the symbol->primary
string. The secondary is entered in the same way as described in section 5.2.
When either of these modes is selected Zint will analyse the primary message
and select either mode 2 or mode 3 as appropriate.
Modes 4 to 6 can be accessed using the --mode= switch or by setting option_1.
Modes 4 to 6 do not require a primary message. For example:
zint -o test.eps -b 57 --mode=4 -d 'A MaxiCode Message in Mode 4'
Mode 6 is reserved for the maintenance of scanner hardware and should not be
used to encode user data.
This symbology uses Latin-1 character encoding by default but also supports the
ECI encoding mechanism. The maximum length of text which can be placed in a
Maxicode symbol depends on the type of characters used in the text.
Example maximum data lengths are given in the table below:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mode | Maximum Data Lenth | Maximum Data Length | Number of Error
| for Capital Letters | for Numeric Digits | Correction Codewords
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2* | 84 | 126 | 50
3* | 84 | 126 | 50
4 | 93 | 135 | 50
5 | 77 | 110 | 66
6 | 93 | 135 | 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* - secondary only
6.6.7 Aztec Code (ISO 24778)
----------------------------
Invented by Andrew Longacre at Welch Allyn Inc in 1995 the Aztec Code symbol is
a matrix symbol with a distinctive bulls-eye finder pattern. Zint can generate
Compact Aztec Code (sometimes called Small Aztec Code) as well as "full-range"
Aztec Code symbols and by default will automatically select symbol type and
size dependent on the length of the data to be encoded. Error correction
codewords will normally be generated to fill at least 23% of the symbol. Two
options are available to change this behaviour:
The size of the symbol can be specified using the --vers= option or setting
option_2 to a value between 1 and 36 according to the following table. The
symbols marked with an asterisk (*) in the table below are "compact" symbols,
meaning they have a smaller bulls-eye pattern at the centre of the symbol.
---------------------
Input | Symbol Size
---------------------
1 | 15 x 15*
2 | 19 x 19*
3 | 23 x 23*
4 | 27 x 27*
5 | 19 x 19
6 | 23 x 23
7 | 27 x 27
8 | 31 x 31
9 | 37 x 37
10 | 41 x 41
11 | 45 x 45
12 | 49 x 49
13 | 53 x 53
14 | 57 x 57
15 | 61 x 61
16 | 67 x 67
17 | 71 x 71
18 | 75 x 75
19 | 79 x 79
20 | 83 x 83
21 | 87 x 87
22 | 91 x 91
23 | 95 x 95
24 | 101 x 101
25 | 105 x 105
26 | 109 x 109
28 | 113 x 113
28 | 117 x 117
29 | 121 x 121
30 | 125 x 125
31 | 131 x 131
32 | 135 x 135
33 | 139 x 139
34 | 143 x 143
35 | 147 x 147
36 | 151 x 151
---------------------
Note that in symbols which have a specified size the amount of error correction
is dependent on the length of the data input and Zint will allow error
correction capacities as low as 3 codewords.
Alternatively the amount of error correction data can be specified by use of the
--secure= option or by setting option_1 to a value from the following table:
----------------------------------
Mode | Error Correction Capacity
----------------------------------
1 | >10% + 3 codewords
2 | >23% + 3 codewords
3 | >36% + 3 codewords
4 | >50% + 3 codewords
----------------------------------
It is not possible to select both symbol size and error correction capacity for
the same symbol. If both options are selected then the error correction
capacity selection will be ignored.
Aztec Code supports ECI encoding and can encode up to a maximum length of
approximately 3823 numeric or 3067 alphabetic characters or 1914 bytes of data.
A separate symbology ID can be used to encode Health Industry Barcode (HIBC)
data which adds a leading '+' character and a modulo-49 check digit to the
encoded data.
6.6.8 Aztec Runes
-----------------
A truncated version of compact Aztec Code for encoding whole integers between 0
and 255. Includes Reed-Solomon error correction. As defined in ISO/IEC 24778
Annex A.
6.6.9 Code One
--------------
A matrix symbology developed by Ted Williams in 1992 which encodes data in a
way similar to Data Matrix. Code One is able to encode the Latin-1
character set or GS1 data. There are two types of Code One symbol - variable
height symbols which are roughly square (versions A thought to H) and
fixed-height versions (version S and T). These can be selected by using --vers=
or setting option_2 as shown in the table below:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Input | Version | Size | Numeric | Alphanumeric
| | | Data Capacity | Data Capacity
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1 | A | 16 x 18 | 22 | 13
2 | B | 22 x 22 | 44 | 27
3 | C | 28 x 28 | 104 | 64
4 | D | 40 x 42 | 217 | 135
5 | E | 52 x 54 | 435 | 271
6 | F | 70 x 76 | 886 | 553
7 | G | 104 x 98 | 1755 | 1096
8 | H | 148 x 134 | 3550 | 2218
9 | S | 8X height | 18 | N/A
10 | T | 16X height | 90 | 55
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Version S symbols can only encode numeric data. The width of version S and
version T symbols is determined by the length of the input data.
6.6.10 Grid Matrix
-----------------
By default Grid Matrix supports encoding in Latin-1 and Chinese characters
within the GB 2312 standard set to be encoded in a chequerboard pattern. Input
should be entered as Unicode (UTF-8) with conversion to GB 2312 being carried
out automatically by Zint. The symbology also supports the ECI mechanism. The
size of the symbol and the error correction capacity can be specified. If you
specify both of these values then Zint will make a 'best-fit' attempt to
satisfy both conditions. The symbol size can be specified using the --vers=
option or by setting option_2, and the error correction capacity can be
specified by using the --secure= option or by setting option_1 according to
the following tables:
---------------------
Input | Symbol Size
---------------------
1 | 18 x 18
2 | 30 x 30
3 | 42 x 42
4 | 54 x 54
5 | 66 x 66
6 | 78 x 78
7 | 90 x 90
8 | 102 x 102
9 | 114 x 114
10 | 126 x 126
11 | 138 x 138
12 | 150 x 150
13 | 162 x 162
---------------------
----------------------------------
Mode | Error Correction Capacity
----------------------------------
1 | Approximately 10%
2 | Approximately 20%
3 | Approximately 30%
4 | Approximately 40%
5 | Approximately 50%
----------------------------------
Non-ASCII data density may be maximized by using the --fullmultibyte switch or
by setting option_3 to ZINT_FULL_MULTIBYTE, but check that your barcode reader
supports this before using.
6.6.11 DotCode
-------------
DotCode uses a grid of dots in a rectangular formation to encode characters up
to a maximum of approximately 450 characters (or 900 numeric digits). The
symbology supports ECI encoding and GS1 data encoding. By default Zint will
produce a symbol which is approximately square, however the width of the symbol
can be adjusted by using the --cols= option or by setting option_2. Outputting
DotCode to raster images (PNG, GIF, BMP, PCX) will require setting the scale of
the image to a larger value than the default (e.g. approx 10) for the dots to
be plotted correctly. Approximately 33% of the resulting symbol is comprised of
error correction codewords.
6.6.12 Han Xin Code
-------------------
Also known as Chinese Sensible Code, Han Xin is a symbology which is still under
development, so it is recommended it should not yet be used for a production
environment. The symbology is capable of encoding characters in the GB18030
character set (up to 4-byte characters) and is also able to support the ECI
mechanism. Support for the encoding of GS1 data has not yet been implemented.
The size of the symbol can be specified using the --vers= option or setting
option_2 to a value between 1 and 84 according to the following table.
---------------------
Input | Symbol Size
---------------------
1 | 23 x 23
2 | 25 x 25
3 | 27 x 27
4 | 29 x 29
5 | 31 x 31
6 | 33 x 33
7 | 35 x 35
8 | 37 x 37
9 | 39 x 39
10 | 41 x 41
11 | 43 x 43
12 | 45 x 45
13 | 47 x 47
14 | 49 x 49
15 | 51 x 51
16 | 53 x 53
17 | 55 x 55
18 | 57 x 57
19 | 59 x 59
20 | 61 x 61
21 | 63 x 63
22 | 65 x 65
23 | 67 x 67
24 | 69 x 69
25 | 71 x 71
26 | 73 x 73
28 | 75 x 75
28 | 77 x 77
29 | 79 x 79
30 | 81 x 81
31 | 83 x 83
32 | 85 x 85
33 | 87 x 87
34 | 89 x 89
35 | 91 x 91
36 | 93 x 93
37 | 95 x 95
38 | 97 x 97
39 | 99 x 99
40 | 101 x 101
41 | 103 x 103
42 | 105 x 105
43 | 107 x 107
44 | 109 x 109
45 | 111 x 111
46 | 113 x 113
47 | 115 x 115
48 | 117 x 117
49 | 119 x 119
50 | 121 x 121
51 | 123 x 123
52 | 125 x 125
53 | 127 x 127
54 | 129 x 129
55 | 131 x 131
56 | 133 x 133
57 | 135 x 135
58 | 137 x 137
59 | 139 x 139
60 | 141 x 141
61 | 143 x 143
62 | 145 x 145
63 | 147 x 147
64 | 149 x 149
65 | 151 x 151
66 | 153 x 153
67 | 155 x 155
68 | 157 x 157
69 | 159 x 159
70 | 161 x 161
71 | 163 x 163
72 | 165 x 165
73 | 167 x 167
74 | 169 x 169
75 | 171 x 171
76 | 173 x 173
77 | 175 x 175
78 | 177 x 177
79 | 179 x 179
80 | 181 x 181
81 | 183 x 183
82 | 185 x 185
83 | 187 x 187
84 | 189 x 189
---------------------
There are four levels of error correction capacity available for Han Xin Code
which can be set by using the --secure= option or by setting option_1 to a value
from the following table:
--------------------------
Mode | Recovery Capacity
--------------------------
1 | Approx 8%
2 | Approx 15%
3 | Approx 23%
4 | Approx 30%
--------------------------
Non-ASCII data density may be maximized by using the --fullmultibyte switch or
by setting option_3 to ZINT_FULL_MULTIBYTE, but check that your barcode reader
supports this before using.
6.6.13 Ultracode
----------------
This symbology uses a grid of coloured elements to encode data. ECI and GS1
modes are supported. The amount of error correction can be set using the
--secure= option or by setting option_1 to a value as shown in the following
table:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Value | EC Level | Amount of symbol holding error correction data
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1 | EC0 | 0% - Error detection only
2 | EC1 | Approx 5%
3 | EC2 | Approx 9% - Default value
4 | EC3 | Approx 17%
5 | EC4 | Approx 25%
6 | EC5 | Approx 33%
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Zint does not currently implement data compression by default, but this can
be initiated through the API by setting
symbol->option_3 = ULTRA_COMPRESSION;
WARNING: Ultracode data compression is experimental and should not be used
in a production environment.
6.7 Other Barcode-Like Markings
-------------------------------
6.7.1. Facing Identification Mark (FIM)
---------------------------------------
Used by the United States Postal Service (USPS), the FIM symbology is used to
assist automated mail processing. There are only 4 valid symbols which can be
generated using the characters A-D as shown in the table below.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Code Letter | Usage
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A | Used for courtesy reply mail and metered reply mail with a
| pre-printed PostNet symbol.
B | Used for business reply mail without a pre-printed zip code.
C | Used for business reply mail with a pre-printed zip code.
D | Used for Information Based Indicia (IBI) postage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.7.2 Flattermarken
-------------------
Used for the recognition of page sequences in print-shops, the Flattermarken is
not a true barcode symbol and requires precise knowledge of the position of the
mark on the page. The Flattermarken system can encode any length numeric data
and does not include a check digit.
6.7.3 DAFT Code
---------------
This is a method for creating 4-state codes where the data encoding is provided
by an external program. Input data should consist of the letters 'D', 'A', 'F'
and 'T' where these refer to descender, ascender, full (ascender and descender)
and tracker (neither ascender nor descender) respectively. All other characters
are ignored.
7. Legal and Version Information
================================
7.1 License
-----------
Zint, libzint and Zint Barcode Studio are Copyright © 2020 Robin Stuart. All
historical versions are distributed under the GNU General Public License
version 3 or later. Version 2.5 is released under a dual license: the encoding
library is released under the BSD license whereas the GUI, Zint Barcode Studio,
is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later.
Telepen is a trademark of SB Electronic Systems Ltd.
QR Code is a registered trademark of Denso Wave Incorporated.
Microsoft, Windows and the Windows logo are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other
countries.
Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other
countries.
Zint.org.uk website design and hosting provided by Robert Elliott.
7.2 Patent Issues
-----------------
All of the code in Zint is developed using information in the public domain,
usually freely available on the Internet. Some of the techniques used may be
subject to patents and other intellectual property legislation. It is my belief
that any patents involved in the technology underlying symbologies utilised by
Zint are 'unadopted', that is the holder does not object to their methods being
used.
Any methods patented or owned by third parties or trademarks or registered
trademarks used within Zint or in this document are and remain the property of
their respective owners and do not indicate endorsement or affiliation with
those owners, companies or organisations.
7.3 Version Information
-----------------------
v0.1 - (as Zebar) Draws UPC-A. UPC-E, EAN-8, EAN-13, Interlaced 2 of 5,
Codabar, Code 39, Extended Code 39 and Code 93 barcodes and Add-on codes EAN-2
and EAN-5 without parity. 13/11/2006
v0.2 - Added Code 128 (which is now the default), Code 11, Code 2 of 5, Add-on
codes EAN-2 and EAN-5 parity and MSI/Plessey without check digit. 12/12/2006
v0.3 - Added MSI/Plessey Mod 10 check and 2 x Mod 10 check options, Telepen
ASCII and Telepen numeric, Postnet, RM4SCC. Code has been tidied up quite a
bit. Bind option added. 30/12/2006
v0.4 - Added barcode stacking (now stacks up to 16 barcodes) and Code16k
(stub). 15/1/2007
v0.5 - Added Australia Post 4-State Barcodes and Pharmacode (1 and 2 track).
4-state codes now draw with correct height/width ratio. 28/2/2007
v0.6 - Added Plessey and some derivative codes (EAN-128, Code 128 subset B,
Auspost Reply, Auspost Routing, Auspost Redirect, ITF-14). Tidied up code
again: separated symbologies into more files and put all lookup tables into
arrays (much reducing the amount of code, especially for Code 39e and Code 93).
Errors now output to stderr. Added proper input verification. Distribution now
packs with HTML pages instead of separate README. Outputs to PNG. Outputs
colour. User variable whitespace and border width. Box option. Fixed EAN add-on
bug. Added whitespace and height options. Project name changed to Zint to avoid
conflict with extant trade name. Added escape character input. 1/4/2007
v1.0 - Corrected problem with escape character codes. Supports PDF417. This
completes the list of features I originally wanted (plus a few more), hence
skip to version 1.0. 20/4/2007
v1.1 - Added more derivatives (Code 2 of 5 Matrix, IATA and Data Logic,
Truncated PDF417, Deutsche Post Leitcode and Identcode, Pharmazentralnummer,
Planet) and Flattermarken. Tidied up 2 of 5 code. 26/4/2007
v1.2 - Supports Data Matrix ECC200 (by absorption of IEC16022 code by Stefan
Schmidt et al). Added reverse colours, FIM, MSI/Plessey Modulo 11 and Modulo
11/10. Corrected Code 16k check digit calculation. 28/5/2007
v1.3 - Supports USPS OneCode and LOGMARS. Brought all usage information into
one User Manual document. 13/6/2007
v1.4 - Added NVE-18 support. Corrected some problems with compilation and input
verification. Command line option handling now uses getopt(), and all the
switches have changed. Added –font option. 20/6/2007
v1.5 - Pulled everything together to make an API. Corrected errors with EAN-13,
PDF417 and LOGMARS. Added EPS output. Added QR Code support using libqrencode.
Corrected ISBN verification error. Re-compiled documentation in HTML form. Put
in place proper error handling routines. --font option removed. Encoding is now
done with a restructured zint_symbol structure. Added make install option and
optional QR Code support to Makefile. Corrected minor problem with 4-State
Codes. Restructured code into fewer source code files. Added MicroPDF417
support. 12/8/2007
v1.5.1 - Added formatting code to EPS output of EAN and UPC symbols according
to EN 797:1996. Checked against and, where appropriate, altered or corrected to
comply with ISO 16388 and ISO 15417 including Latin-1 support. Altered default
image settings, added automatic ITF border. Corrected error with USPS OneCode.
Tidied up Code 39 quite a bit, added Mod 43 options. 3/9/2007
v1.5.2 - Added extended ASCII support to Code 16k. Corrected Code 128 error.
Added Maxicode support by integrating code by John Lien. 26/9/2007
v1.5.3 - Made huge corrections to Maxicode support by removing and re-writing
much of John's code. Maxicode now supports extended ASCII and modes 4, 5 and 6.
10/10/2007
v1.5.4 - Added GS1 DataBar (Reduced Space Symbology) support. 26/11/2007
v1.5.5 - Added composite symbology support. Corrected errors with GS1-128 and
PDF417/MicroPDF417 byte processing. Transferred licence to GPL version 3.
9/3/2008
v1.6 - Data Matrix ECC200, Maxicode and Australia Post now use common
Reed-Solomon functions – this also fixes a bug in Maxicode error correction and
replaces the last of the Lien code. Added PNG output for Maxicode symbols.
Removed some useless code. Updated QR support for libqrencode v2.0.0. 22/4/2008
v1.6.1 - Major restructuring of PNG generating code: Now draws UPCA and EAN
symbols properly and puts human readable text into the image. Also corrected
some nasty 'never ending loop' bugs in Code 128 and check digit bugs in PostNet
and Planet. 8/7/2008
v1.6.2 - Added KIX Code support and PNG image rotation. Corrected a bug
affecting extended ASCII support in Code 128 and Code 16k. 28/7/2008.
v2.0 beta - Added support for Aztec Code, Codablock-F, Code 32, EAN-14 and DAFT
Code. Rearranged symbology numbers to match Tbarcode v8. Corrected a never
ending loop bug in EAN-128. 29/9/2008
v2.0 beta r2 - Many corrections and bugfixes. (Code 11, Code 128, EAN-128,
Aztec Code, Codablock-F, Code 16k, Postnet, PLANET, NVE-18, PZN, Data Matrix
ECC200, Maxicode and QR Code)
v2.0 - Made corrections to Aztec Code and tested output with bcTester. Added
Aztec Runes, Micro QR Code and Data Matrix ECC200 ECC 000-140. Updated e-mail
information. 18/11/2008
v2.1 - Reinstated Korea Post barcodes, harmonised bind and box options, moved
Unicode handling into backend and added input_mode option, added size options
to Data Matrix ECC200, added NULL character handling for Codablock-F, Code 128,
Code 16k, Extended Code 39, Code 93, Telepen, Maxicode, Data Matrix ECC200 ECC
200, PDF417 and MicroPDF417. Added GS1 support for Code 16k, Codablock-F and
Aztec Code. Added scale and direct to stdout options. Rebult Data Matrix ECC200
ECC 200 encoding algorithms to support NULL encoding and GS1 data encoding.
31/1/2009
v2.1.1 - Minor Data Matrix ECC200 bugfix and added HIBC options. 10/2/2009
v2.1.2 - Added SVG output option. Improved Japanese character support including
Unicode > Shift-JIS capability. Bugfixes for Data Matrix ECC200 (missing
characters at end of string) and Codablock-F (K1/K2 check digit and row
indicators above row 6). 1/3/2009
v2.1.3 - Many improvements to the QZint GUI which is now renamed "Zint Barcode
Studio 0.2". Added Japanese Postal Barcode, Code 49 and Channel Code and made
corrections to Data Matrix ECC200 (Binary mode data compression terminates too
soon), Aztec Code (Bug when automatically resizing after removing "all 0" and
"all 1" codewords) and Code 128 (Extended ASCII characters become corrupt).
19/5/2009
v2.1.4 - Many stability improvements including removal of buffer overruns in
Code 39, LOGMARS, PZN, Aztec Code and Composite CC-A. Addition of files for
compiling on MS Windows platform - tested successfully on XP and Vista.
19/6/2009
v2.2 - Added Code One and GS1 support in Code 49. Changed GUI binary name to
zint-qt and brought GUI up to version 1.0. Made some minor bugfixes to Code 39,
ITF-14, Aztec Code, Code 128 and Code 16K. Added 'rest' button to GUI. Included
.spec file from Radist. 18/7/2009
v2.2.1 - Data encoding bugfixes for Aztec Code, Data Matrix ECC200, USPS One
Code and PDF417. Symbol plotting bugfixes for MicroPDF417 and 2D components of
composite symbols. Text formatting bugfix for Qt renderer and a couple of
compiler fixes for MSVC PNG image output. 6/8/2009
v2.2.2 - A beta release previewing the new API structure. Better NULL character
support with "nullchar" value removed. Added loading from file and sequence
dialogs in Barcode Studio. 29/9/2009
v2.3 - Fixed problems with Micro QR Code and rebuilt QR Code support removing
dependence on libqrencode. Improved Kanji character support for QR Code and
Micro QR Code which now auto-detects and automatically converts to Shift-JIS.
Added Grid Matrix symbology with Kanji character support and automatic
conversion to GB 2312. Removed no_qr compile option. Advanced Barcode Studio
version number to match library version number. 23/11/2009
v2.3.1 - Removed Codablock-F. Redesigned scale function so that human readable
text and Maxicode symbols can be scaled consistently. Corrected encoding bugs
with Code 128/Code 16k and Data Matrix ECC200 ECC 050. Added --notext option to
CLI. 7/3/2010
v2.3.2 - Corrected many bugs in GS1 DataBar Extended thanks to the careful
study of the code by Pablo Orduña at the PIRAmIDE project. Similarly corrected
some bugs in Maxicode thanks to Monica Swanson at Source Technologies. Also
minor bugfixes for ISBN and Aztec Code, and added some small features like a
--square option in the CLI. 29/5/2010
v2.4 - Built extensions to the API for integrating with glabels with thanks to
Sam Lown and Jim Evins. Added code optimisation and input from stdin thanks to
Ismael Luceno. Reinstated escape character input. Simplification of Barcode
Studio. 13/9/2010
v2.4.1 & 2.4.2 – A whole host of bugfixes including correction of ECC routines
for Code-1 and addition of batch processing at the command line. 19/4/2011 &
4/5/2011
v2.4.3 - Includes minor bugfixes 16/5/2011
v2.5 – Support for DotCode and Han Xin code. Restore support for Codablock-F.
ECI code processing. Output to BMP, GIF and PCX. Added bold text option. Many
minor bugfixes and improvements.
13/11/2016
v2.6 - Output to EMF and TIF. Update frontend to Qt5. Copy to clipboard on
KDE and Windows.
12/5/2017
v2.6.1 - Various bugfixes to backend, including improved Aztec code processing.
Many improvements to GUI including resizeable screens and more output while
batch processing, more consistent use of dialogues.
27/8/2017
v2.6.2 - Further bugfixes in Aztec and DotCode. Expand escape sequence support
to API and GUI. Handle UTF BOM. Bugfix raster images of Maxicode.
22/10/2017
v2.6.3 - New symbology Royal Mail 4-state Mailmark. Added North America VIN
verification. Bugfixes for TIF and EMF output and escape character handling.
15/02/2018
v2.6.4 - Datamatrix DMRE updated to the ISO/IEC29158 version. This is
incompatible in the way, that the old -vers numbers for DMRE are re-assigned.
The separator of GS1-datamatrix may be switched from FNC1 to GS.
GS1 field length check AI 8009 and 7230 to 7239 corrected.
v2.6.5 - minor bugfixes
v2.6.6 - minor Bugfixes
v2.6.7 - Allow to code ECI 3 if explicitly given for debug purposes.
v2.7.0 - new features:
- Automatic height option added to qzint
- DotCode in line with new specification
- New GS1 AIs 7240, 235, 417, 7040, 8026, updated checks for 7007, 8008
- New Symbology rMQR
- QR and Gridmatrix optimisation for GB2312
- removed depreciated interface for gLabels program. Please use current
interface.
v2.8.0
- Add Ultracode implementation
- Disable full multi byte compression for QR family, Han Xin and Gridmatrix by
default. It may be enabled by a new option.
7.4 Sources of Information
--------------------------
Below is a list of some of the sources used in rough chronological order:
Nick Johnson's Barcode Specifications
Bar Code 1 Specification Source Page
SB Electronic Systems Telepen website
Pharmacode specifications from Laetus
Morovia RM4SCC specification
Austalia Post's 'A Guide to Printing the 4-State Barcode' and bcsample source
code
Plessey algorithm from GNU-Barcode v0.98 by Leonid A. Broukhis
GS1 General Specifications v 8.0 Issue 2
PNG: The Definitive Guide and wpng source code by Greg Reolofs
PDF417 specification and pdf417 source code by Grand Zebu
Barcode Reference, TBarCode/X User Documentation and TBarCode/X demonstration
program from Tec-It
IEC16022 source code by Stefan Schmidt et al
United States Postal Service Specification USPS-B-3200
Adobe Systems Incorporated Encapsulated PostScript File Format Specification
BSI Online Library
Libdmtx Data Matrix ECC200 decoding library
7.5 Standard Compliance
-----------------------
Zint was developed to provide compliance with the following British and
international standards:
> BS EN 797:1996 Bar coding - Symbology specifications - 'EAN/UPC'
> BS EN 798:1996 Bar coding - Symbology specifications - 'Codabar'
> ISO/IEC 12323:2005 AIDC technologies - Symbology specifications - Code 16K
> ISO/IEC 15417:2007 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - Code 128 bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 15438:2015 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - PDF417 bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 16022:2006 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - Data Matrix ECC200 bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 16023:2000 Information technology - International symbology
specification – Maxicode
> ISO/IEC 16388:2007 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - Code 39 bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 18004:2015 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - QR Code bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC DIS 20830:2019 (Draft 2019-10-10) Information technology - Automatic
identification and data capture techniques - Han Xin Code bar code
symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 24723:2010 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - GS1 Composite bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 24724:2011 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - GS1 DataBar bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 24728:2006 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - MicroPDF417 bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC 24778:2008 Information technology - Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - Aztec Code bar code symbology specification
> ISO/IEC JTC1/SC31N000 (Draft 2018-6-8) Information technology - Automatic
identification and data capture techniques - Rectangular Micro QR Code
(rMQR) bar code symbology specification
> Uniform Symbology Specification Code One (AIM Inc., 1994)
> ANSI/AIM BC12-1998 - Uniform Symbology Specification Channel Code
> ANSI/AIM BC6-2000 - Uniform Symbology Specification Code 49
> ANSI/HIBC 2.3-2009 - The Health Industry Bar Code (HIBC) Supplier Labeling
Standard
> AIM ISS-X-24 - Uniform Symbology Specification Codablock F
> AIMD013 (v 1.34a) – Information technology – Automaic identification and data
capture techniques – Bar code symbology specification – DotCode (Revised
19th Feb 2009)
> AIMD014 (v 1.63) - Information technology, Automatic identification and data
capture techniques - Bar code symbology specification - Grid Matrix
(Released 9th Dec 2008)
> AIMD/TSC15032-43 (v 0.99c) - International Technical Specification –
Ultracode Symbology (Draft) (Released 4th Nov 2015)
> GS1 General Specifications Release 20.0 (Jan 2020)
> AIM ITS/04-001 International Technical Standard – Extended Channel
Interpretations Part 1: Identification Schemes and Protocol (Released 24th
May 2004)
> AIM ITS/04-023 International Technical Standard – Extended Channel
Interpretations Part 3: Register (Released 15th July 2004)
A. Character Encoding
=====================
This section is intended as a quick reference to the character sets used by
Zint. All symbologies use standard ASCII input as shown in section A.1, but
some support extended character support as shown in the subsequent section.
A.1 ASCII Standard
------------------
The ubiquitous ASCII standard is well known to most computer users. It's
reproduced here for reference.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Hex | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
-------------------------------------------------------------
0 | NULL | DLE | SPACE | 0 | @ | P | ` | p
1 | SOH | DC1 | ! | 1 | A | Q | a | q
2 | STX | DC2 | " | 2 | B | R | b | r
3 | ETX | DC3 | # | 3 | C | S | c | s
4 | EOT | DC4 | $ | 4 | D | T | d | t
5 | ENQ | NAK | % | 5 | E | U | e | u
6 | ACK | SYN | & | 6 | F | V | f | v
7 | BEL | ETB | ' | 7 | G | W | g | w
8 | BS | CAN | ( | 8 | H | X | h | x
9 | TAB | EM | ) | 9 | I | Y | i | y
A | LF | SUB | * | : | J | Z | j | z
B | VT | ESC | + | ; | K | [ | k | {
C | FF | FS | , | < | L | \ | l | |
D | CR | GS | - | = | M | ] | m | }
E | SO | RS | . | > | N | ^ | n | ~
F | SI | US | / | ? | O | _ | o | DEL
-------------------------------------------------------------
A.2 Latin Alphabet No 1 (ISO 8859-1)
------------------------------------
A common extension to the ASCII standard, Latin-1 is used to expand the range
of Code 128, PDF417 and other symbols. Input strings should be in Unicode
format
------------------------------------------------------
Hex | 8 | 9 | A | B | C | D | E | F
------------------------------------------------------
0 | | | NBSP | ° | À | Ð | à | ð
1 | | | ¡ | ± | Á | Ñ | á | ñ
2 | | | ¢ | ² | Â | Ò | â | ò
3 | | | £ | ³ | Ã | Ó | ã | ó
4 | | | ¤ | ´ | Ä | Ô | ä | ô
5 | | | ¥ | μ | Å | Õ | å | õ
6 | | | ¦ | ¶ | Æ | Ö | æ | ö
7 | | | § | · | Ç | × | ç | ÷
8 | | | ¨ | ¸ | È | Ø | è | ø
9 | | | © | ¹ | É | Ù | é | ù
A | | | ª | º | Ê | Ú | ê | ú
B | | | « | » | Ë | Û | ë | û
C | | | ¬ | ¼ | Ì | Ü | ì | ü
D | | | SHY | ½ | Í | Ý | í | ý
E | | | ® | ¾ | Î | Þ | î | þ
F | | | ¯ | ¿ | Ï | ß | î | ÿ
------------------------------------------------------
Reference in a new issue View git blame Copy permalink