Non-preferred but Supported: Linear 3of9 1D Bar Code Type.

A Linear 3of9 bar code consists of a grouping of parallel lines of varying widths. Each unique combination of lines and the space in-between the lines represent a specific character, number, or symbol. The line height is fixed for a given bar code, and the total width of the bar code is directly proportional to the number of characters being encoded. Linear 3of9 bar codes do not contain any redundancy, meaning that if any portion of the bar code is damaged, recognition will fail. Linear 3of9 bar codes are encoded like a standard font, therefore most software can produce a 3of9 bar code without external assistance.

Pros: The chief reasons to choose a linear 3of9 bar code is application compatibility and ease of implementation.

Cons: The major disadvantages of choosing a linear 3of9 bar code are their relatively large size and susceptibility to being damaged. Producing a reliably recognizable linear 3of9 bar code is a tradeoff between these two problems. Increasing the bar code width and height will improve recognition accuracy, but consume more space on the page.

When choosing to use linear 3of9 bar codes on the document, keep in mind that the most likely recognition problem will be caused by the space between two adjacent bars being too small to be recognized by the scanning system.

Linear 3of9 Bar Code Example #1: *09-11375*

 

Linear 3of9 Bar Code Example #2: *This is a rather long text string.*

Linear 3of9 Barcoding Rules

  1. In addition to the information being encoded, all linear 3of9 bar codes must begin and end with an asterisk (*) character. An asterisk cannot appear in the information being encoded and the leading and trailing asterisks are not returned as part of the text.
  2. The entire linear 3of9 bar code must fit on one unbroken line.
  3. For accurate bar code recognition, the minimum font size should be 22 points or larger which results in a bar height of 0.25 inch. If space permits, an even larger point size can be used which will increase recognition accuracy. The linear 3of9 bar code examples on this page are set at exactly 22 points.

Related Topics

How to Configure Linear 3of9 Bar Codes on a Merge Form:

Bar Coded Forms Introduction