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

A linear 3of9 barcode 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 barcode, and the total width of the barcode is directly proportional to the number of characters being encoded. Linear 3of9 barcodes do not contain any redundancy, meaning that if any portion of the barcode is damaged, recognition will fail. Linear 3of9 barcodes are encoded like a standard font, therefore most software can produce a 3of9 barcode without external assistance.

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

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

When choosing to use linear 3of9 barcodes 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 Barcode Example #1: *09-11375*

 

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

Linear 3of9 Barcoding Rules

  1. In addition to the information being encoded, all linear 3of9 barcodes 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 barcode must fit on one unbroken line.
  3. For accurate barcode 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 barcode examples on this page are set at exactly 22 points.

Related Topics

How to Configure Linear 3of9 Barcodes on a Merge Form:

Barcoded Forms Introduction