User`s manual

A–15Bar Codes
• Fixed length of seven characters per complete symbol. The first digit is
the number system code, followed by six digits of data. The printer
computes the check digit automatically and embeds it in the bar code as
the eighth digit. All eight digits are encoded in the bar code symbol with
four digits to the left of the CENTER code in odd parity, and four digits
to the right of the CENTER code in even parity.
• If more or less than seven characters are used, or if any of the characters
used are illegal, an error message is printed.
EAN–13
EAN–13 has two dark bars and two light bars for a total of four bars. Each
light/dark bar is 1 – 4 modules wide. A module is the smallest increment that
can represent data. Zeros are represented by light modules and ones by dark
modules. Each character contains some combination of seven modules that
total two dark bars and two light bars.
The above is always true except with the START/STOP and CENTER
character codes. The START/STOP character bar pattern consists of two dark
bars and one light bar for a total of three bars. The CENTER character bar
pattern has two dark bars and three light bar for a total of five bars.
Parameters P2 through P5 and P7 are not applicable and will be ignored.
EAN–13 has the following characteristics:
• Ten digit character set (0 – 9)
• START and STOP codes
• CENTER code
• Intercharacter gap not definable
• Fixed length of twelve characters per complete symbol. The first digit is
the number system code, followed by eleven digits of data, then the
check digit. Only twelve of the digits (the second through the thirteenth)
are encoded in the bar code symbol with six digits to the left of the
CENTER code and six to the right of it. An EAN–13 number can have
three different bar patterns depending on its position and number system
code. The printer computes the check digit automatically and embeds it
in the bar code as the thirteenth digit. All thirteen digits are printable in
the human–readable line.