Barcode Printers, Labels, Ribbons, Scanners, Accessories and Software

ADBARCODE'S GLOSSARY OF TERM
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AIM
	Automatic Identification Manufacturers. A trade association representing manufacturers of automatic data collection equipment.

Alphanumeric
	A character set that contains letters, numbers, and other characters.

ANSI
	The American National Standards Institute. A non-governmental organization that manages the formation of voluntary industry standards.

Aperture
	The opening in an optical system that establishes the field of view.

Application Specification
	A set of rules for using bar codes.

Auto Discrimination
	The ability of a scanner to automatically decode different types of bar codes without the operator manually indicating the type of bar code.

Background
	The lighter portion of a bar code, including the quiet zone and the spaces between the bars.

Bar
	Width Reduction (BWR)-Reducing the bar-width on a film master to compensate for ink spread during some printing processes.

Bar
	The darker portion or line of a bar code.

Bar Code
	A precise arrangement of parallel lines (bars) and spaces both of varying widths. The bar code represents data elements and can be read by a scanner.

Bar Code Character
	A group of bars and spaces that represent a letter, number, or other information. A bar code character is one part of a full bar code.

Bar Code Density
	The number of characters that can be represented in a linear inch.

Bar Height
	The dimension of a bar (line) measured from its top to its bottom.

Bar Width
	The thickness of a bar (line) measured from one of its edges to the other.

Barcode
	An alpha-numeric encoded arrangement of vertical line.

Barcode Labels
	Codes that are imprinted on a label

Bearer Bar
	Bars that are located on the perimeter of some bar codes. These bars do not carry any information. They reduce the probability of a misread when a skewed scanning beam enters or leaves the bar code through the top or bottom edge. They also allow for printing plate support when printing directly on corrugated packaging material.

CCD
	Cargo Control Document

Character
	A group of bars and spaces that represent a letter, number, or other information. A bar code character is one part of a full bar code.

Check Character
	A character in a bar code used to mathematically verify the accuracy of the decoded data.

Code 39 -- (3 Of 9 Code)
	A discrete, variable length, bar code symbology encoding the characters 0 to 9, A to Z, and the additional characters - (dash), . (period), Space, $ (dollar sign), / (slash), + (plus sign), and % (per cent sign), as well as a special symbology character to denote the start and stop character, conventionally represented as an * (asterisk). Each Code 39 symbol consists of a leading quiet zone, a start symbol pattern, symbol characters representing data, a stop pattern, and a trailing quiet zone. Each Code 39 character has three wide elements out of a total of nine elements. Each symbol consists of a series of symbol characters, each represented by five bars and four intervening spaces. Characters are separated by an intercharacter gap. Each element (bar or space) is one of two widths. The values of the X dimension and N remain constant throughout the symbol. The particular pattern of wide and narrow elements determines the character being encoded. The intercharacter gaps are spaces with a minimum nominal width of 1X.

Code 49
	This symbol is a stack of from 2 to 8 rows. Each row encodes row count information plus data characters.

Code 93
	A full alphanumeric bar code capable of encoding all 128 ASCII characters. See ANSI/AIM X5-5 USS93 for specifications.

Concatenation
	Process of linking two or more bar codes into one long bar code.

Decode
	Determining the information encoded in a bar code.

Decoder
	The part of the scanning system equipment that interprets the bar code.

Defect
	A spot or void in the bar code that adversely affects quality.

Downtime
	Downtime is defined as anytime that a device is not functioning at operational capacity thereby affecting the user’s ability to complete their work. Downtime typically stems from device failures caused by incidents or exposure to environmental conditions

Drop Rating
	Drop Rating: The drop rating is a measure of a devices ability to survive repeated falls from a specified height onto a designated surface in full working function. In rugged device testing, the surface is concrete while the height can vary. The higher the survivable drop height, the more rugged the device. A drop height of 4-5 feet to concrete is considered a reasonable test of ruggedness.

E.C.C.C
	Electronic code council of Canada, Formerly named Code council of Canada To register or visit their website, www.eccc.org

EAN
	International Article Number system. A standard retail bar code primarily used outside the U.S. and Canada.

EDI
	Electronic Data Interchange. The electronic exchange of business data by computer.

Element
	A single bar or space in a bar code.

Encode
	Converting a number, letter, or special character into a bar code.

Film Master
	An extremely accurate photographic representation of a bar code used to make printing plates.

First Pass Read Rate
	The number of successful scans compared to the number of scan attempts. Usually expressed as a percent.

FMI
	Food Marketing Institute. A trade association representing food retailers and wholesalers around the world.

Font
	A specific size and style of printed characters.

GMA
	Grocery Manufacturers of America. A trade association representing manufacturers of consumer products.

GTIN
	Global Trade Identification Number New Standard for merging EAN UPC SCC see GTIN .pdf for more Information

Horizontal Bar Code
	A bar code presented so that the bars and spaces look like a picket fence.

Ink Spread
	The result when a printing plate pushes too hard on the printing surface, causing the printed bars to be thicker than they are on the plate. Printing plates must be designed to anticipate ink spread. Ink spread may also occur in printing processes that do not use printing plates when ink contacts a porous substrate.

Interleaved Bar Code
	A bar code in which bars represent some characters and spaces represent other characters. For example, under Interleaved 2 of 5, characters in odd positions are represented by bars, and characters in even positions are represented by spaces. International Article Number Association-The organization that governs the EAN (formerly European Article Number) code structure and symbology.

Item Number
	A number within the bar code identifying the particular item or unit.

Labeler Identification Number
	This four or five digit number, assigned by the Food and Drug Administration, is part of the UPC for pharmaceutical products. It identifies the labeler-not necessarily the manufacturer of the product. It is synonymous with the manufacturer identification number in a standard UPC.

Laser Scanner
	A bar code reading device using low energy laser light to read the bar code.

Light Pen
	A hand-held scanning wand used to read a bar code by moving the pen across the bar code.

M
	M means per 1000

Magnification
	The amount that a bar code is changed from nominal (100%) size. A bar code may be printed larger or smaller than the nominal size within specified limits.

Manufacturer Identification Number
	Portion of a UPC number that identifies the product manufacturer. The Uniform Code Council assigns a unique six digit manufacturer identification number to each of its members.

Nominal
	The intended value for a particular measurement. When used for bar codes, nominal represents 100% magnification. Bar codes may be larger or smaller than nominal, within specified limits.

Number System Character
	A one digit prefix to a UPC manufacturer identification number.

Nutrition Facts
	Soon to Become a Standard for all Food labelling requirements.(2005) This Handy table gives you a breakdown in grams of the dietary information you may need to maken healthy and informed choices. See document NF.pdf about this subject in our Download section or go to http://www.adbarcode.com/detail/1950/70/Nutrition-Facts.html for a sample picture of the nutrition table.

Opacity
	The property of a substrate that minimizes show-through from behind.

Orientation
	The alignment of a bar code's scan path. The bar code may be horizontal (picket fence) or vertical (ladder).

PAPS
	Pre-Arrival Processing System

PARS
	Pre Authorized Release System See http://www.adbarcode.com/detail/1542/70/PARS-labels-(Pre-Authorized-Release).html for all the information you need.

POS
	Point-of-sale. Usually refers to scanning equipment and terminals in a retail store.

Quiet Zone
	The amount of light reflected from a surface compared to the amount of light naturally appearing on that surface. Usually expressed as a ratio.

RFID
	RFID stands for radio frequency identification. It is an automatic identification technology whereby digital data encoded in an RFID tag or “smart label” is captured by a reader using radio waves. Put simply, RFID is similar to bar code technology but uses radio waves to capture data from tags, rather than optically scanning the bar codes on a label. RFID does not require the tag or label to be seen to read its stored data—that's one of the key characteristics of an RFID system.

RFID Smart Label
	Smart labels are an exciting, emerging type of data carrier that combine the read range and unattended processing capability of radio frequency identification (RFID) with the convenience and flexibility of on-demand label printing. A smart label is an adhesive label with an RFID tag embedded inside. The tag can be encoded with variable data and tested before the label is printed. The label can contain all the bar codes, text, and graphics used in traditional applications. This powerful combination provides unmatched data capacity, security, and flexibility for enhancing and extending identification and data collection applications.

RFID Technology
	RFID technology uses very small radio circuits embedded in a label. The label also contains a memory chip which stores data e.g. a library accession number or parcel ID etc. The circuit needs no power of its own - it is powered when it comes in range of a reader - which sends out enough radio energy to the circuit for it to then send back the contents of its memory. RFID chips are expensive for books (approx. $1 each) but OK for reader cards where they can carry other information for other purposes.

RFID_READER
	A reader is basically a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and receiver, controlled by a microprocessor or digital signal processor. The reader, using an attached antenna, captures data from tags then passes the data to a computer for processing. As with tags, readers come in a wide range of sizes and offer different features. Readers can be affixed in a stationary position (for example, beside a conveyor belt in a factory or dock doors in a warehouse), portable (integrated into a mobile computer that also might be used for scanning bar codes), or even embedded in electronic equipment such as print-on-demand label printers.

Right To Know It
	Chemical Identity labels that let workplace user know the health and saftey relevance of Materials they may be useing See a sample http://www.adbarcode.com/detail/1949/247/Right-To-KnowIt.html

Scanner
	A device that bounces light (usually a laser beam) off of a bar code and measures the reflectance.

SCS
	The 14 digit Interleaved 2 of 5 shipping container symbol.

Self
	checking Bar Code-A bar code that verifies its own accuracy by using a special math formula.

Serial Number
	The 9 digit field of a UCC/EAN-128 shipping container code that is used to reference the contents of a shipping container.

Show
	through-The visibility of the package contents or some other material through the spaces of a bar code. Show-through can seriously affect reflectance.

SKU
	Stockkeeping unit.

Space
	The lighter element of a bar code, usually the background between printed bars

Spot
	Excess ink or specks that appear in the spaces of a bar code.

STAC
	Symbol Technical Advisory Committee. A Uniform Code Council standing committee.

Start/Stop Characters
	Special bar code characters that tell the scanner to start or stop reading a bar code. The start character is typically found on the left side of a bar code and the stop character is typically found on the right side of a bar code.

Substrate
	The material on which a bar code is printed.

Symbol
	A precise arrangement of parallel lines (bars) and spaces both of varying widths. The bar code represents data elements and can be read by a scanner.

Symbol Location
	The site where a bar code is placed on a product, package, or shipping container.

Symbology
	Machine-readable languages using bar/space patterns to encode data.

Tolerance
	Allowable deviations from the standard value.

Truncation
	Decreasing the height of a bar code without decreasing the width.

TTR
	Thermal Transfer Ribbons

UCC
	Uniform Code Council. The not-for-profit administrative and educational organization that: Works with U.S. and Canadian industry to develop and administer product identification and electronic data interchange (EDI) standards Issues a UPC manufacturer identification number to the owner/controller of a product label, i.e., manufacturer, retailer, wholesaler, jobber, etc Publishes all UPC technical specifications and guidelines Educates the business community about the Universal Product Code

UCC Information Interchange
	A service provided by the UCC that facilitates communication of UPC quality problems between retailers and manufacturers.

UPC
	Universal Product Code. The 12 digit bar code and number representing consumer products in retail and non-retail applications.

UPC Coordinator
	An individual within a manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer organization who is responsible for the successful implementation and use of the Universal Product Code.

UPC Symbol
	The machine-readable bar code representation of the Universal Product Code.

Verifier
	A device that tests the accuracy of a bar code to determine if the bar code meets specifications.

Void
	A poorly inked area within a bar (line) of a bar code.

Wand
	A hand-held bar code reading device.

X Dimension
	The width of the narrowest element (bar or space) of a bar code.