Listed below is basic information about bar code technology in general.  As the bar code industry and technology develops, so does this information.  Plan to visit this site periodically for all the new updates.

I am going to manufacture a new product and I need a UPC bar code.  How do I get it?

The Uniform Code Council is where you will find the information you need to register to get a UPC bar code.

http://www.uc-council.org/

What is a bar code and how does it work?

A bar code is an image that can be interpreted by a bar code scanning device to reflect a particular value.  The most common bar codes are linear-type bar codes.  This is the typical bar code that is on most retail packages and is scanned at the checkout counter.  These linear bar codes consist of black and white bars of varying widths.  The bar code reader digitizes the black and white image and determines the value of the bar code.  The bar codes you see on retail packages are UPC (Universal Product Code) bar codes and contain 11 digits.  Most linear bar codes contain 25 characters of data or less.

Many people think the bar code on the package contains the item description and price because when the bar code is scanned, this information is displayed and printed on your receipt.  This is not true, however the bar code only contains the item number.  The computer terminal at the check out counter looks up the product description and price in the computer's data base using the number read from the bar code.

How can bar code technology help with product recalls?

Bar codes are printed and used to identify specific batches of product.  This information is stored in a database and can generate a trail to specific locations of shipped and un-shipped products.  Click on Bar Code Software's CertainTRAC product to see how this product can help company's track their inventory in and beyond their warehouse.