Code 128 Set A linear symbology encodes ASCII characters, start/stop symbols, check characters etc. A Code 128 SET A barcode font widely used in commercial and non-commercial industries. Code 128 is a high-density barcode symbology that allows the encoding of alphanumeric data. It provides a facility to encode 128 characters of ASCII and contains a checksum digit for verification, so the barcodes can be verified character by character.
The Code 128 barcode font has been used in the shipping and packaging industries for product identification. The Code 128 barcode has been widely implemented in various products where large amounts of data must be encoded. The Code 128 barcode includes 0–9 numbers, A–Z letters, and all standard ASCII symbols and is divided into three subsets: A, B, and C.
Application Area : Widely used in Inventory Tracking purpose, shipping, and packaging industry etc.
Sample of Code 128 SET A Barcode Font designed by DRPU Corporate Edition Barcode Software.
Structure of Code 128 A barcode
- Quiet Zone: It is the clear area before or after the bars and Its presence allows scanners to establish base values for the color and reflectance of the material they are reading. Code 128 A numbers are used to dynamically determine what will count as a space or as a bar.
- Start Code: It is one of three codes that signal the start of Code 128 A barcode. The Code 128 specification defines three "character sets" or "character modes" such as codes, Start-A, Start-B, and Start-C, which are used to signal which character set will be used. Code 128 character set may also be changed in the middle of the barcode to encode the data more efficiently.
- Data: Code 128 data is encoded in strips of bars using the binary system to represent the encoding, using a "1" for a single-width bar and a "0" for a space, and sequences of zeros or ones simply appear as thicker bars or spaces.
- Checksum: It is included in the barcode and is a digit that verifies that the data just read in was correct and based on a module 103 calculation based on the weighted sum of the values of each of the digits encoded, including the start character.
Who uses Code 128 A?
- Shipping and Packaging: Code 128 is part of the standard barcode label specification and is the barcode used in the GS1 global standard for commercial data exchange, GS1-128;
- USPS: The United States Postal Service now uses Code 128 barcodes as part of its Intelligent Mail Package Barcodes for package tracking. It is now required on all commercial packages shipped via USPS. Priority Mail items with barcodes qualify for discounts and free insurance from the USPS.
- Human medical products: International Standard for Blood and Transplant defines the use of Code 128 for identifying, labeling, and transmitting information about medical products such as blood, tissue, and organs.
- Healthcare: Code 128 is one of the supported barcodes in the FDA’s broad medical device labeling standard, Unique Device Identification, and the Health Industry Bar Code.
- Department of Defense: uses Code 128 for asset labeling and tracking across all branches of the military like, IUID: Item Unique Identification, part of Military Standard 130.
Advantages
- It requires 6 elements to encode a character, 3 bars, and 3 spaces, which makes it compact and concise, storing a large amount of data in a small barcode, unlike code 39, which requires nine elements to encode barcode element.
- It can encode all the ASCII characters (including all special characters) without cumbersome procedures, unlike code 39, which could encode only six special characters.
- Code 128 A provides more security over encoded data and minimizes the chances of error while scanning.
- It uses the least amount of label space for messages of six or more characters with high message integrity.