GS1 Malaysia - Ten Steps to Bar Code Implementation

Steps One to Ten

• Step 1: Get a GS1 Company Prefix


• Step 2: Assign Numbers


• Step 3: Select a Bar Code Printing Method


• Step 4: Select a 'Primary' Scanning Environment


• Step 5: Select a Bar Code


• Step 6: Pick a Bar Code Size


• Step 7: Format the Bar Code Text


• Step 8: Pick a Bar Code Colour


• Step 9: Pick the Bar Code Placement


• Step 10: Build a Bar Code Quality Plan

Step 1: Get a GS1 Company Prefix

Step 2: Assign Numbers

Step 3: Select a Bar Code Printing Method

If your bar code has static information and you need a large volume of labels then you will likely ask a printing company to print your labels. If you need a small volume of labels or need to print labels with dynamic information you will likely need an on-demand printer like a laser printer in your office or thermal transfer printer in your warehouse.

Knowing how you will print your bar code is an important question to answer in developing a good bar code implementation plan. Again, GS1 Malaysia is there to assist you in making the right selection and many Member Organisations can also help you find a printer in your local area.

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Step 4: Select a 'Primary' Scanning Environment

There are four basic scanner environment scenarios for trade items:

1. Product package scanned at the retail point-of-sale (POS)


2. Product package scanned in a general distribution


3. Product package scanned at POS but also scanned in distribution


4. special environments like medical device marking

By knowing where your bar code will be scanned you can establish the right specifications for its production. For example, if a product package is scanned at Point-of-Sale (POS) and in general distribution, you will need to use an EAN/UPC symbol to accomodate POS but print it in a larger size to accomodate distribution scanning and ensure the placement meets automated distribution scanning requirements.

Further information is available from GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications".

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Step 5: Select a Bar Code

• If you bar code a trade item that will be scanned at the retail point-of-sale (POS), you must use an EAN/UPC symbol.


• If you are printing a bar code with variable information like serial numbers, expiry dates, or measures, then you will use GS1-128, Reduced Space Symbology, or in special cases Composite Component or Data Matrix symbols.


• If you just want to print a bar code carrying GTIN on a corruaged carton, ITF-14 may be the choice for you.

Step 6: Pick a Bar Code Size

EAN/UPC Symbols
EAN/UPC Symbols differ from ITF-14 and UCC/EAN-128 Symbols because they are scanned by retail omni-directional scanners. This means that EAN/UPC Symbols have a fixed relationship between symbol height and width. When one dimension is modified, the other dimension should be altered by a proportional amount.

Because of this relationship, EAN/UPC Symbols have a nominal height and width specified. A range of allowable sizes from 80% to 200% of the nominal size are also specified and a figure showing the range of dimensions can be found in the GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications". This range of sizes is often referred to as ""magnification factors"" on purchase orders specifying EAN/UPC Symbol sizes. The minimum, nominal, and maximum magnification for EAN/UPC Symbols are shown in below.

EAN/UPC Magnification

In order to decrease the amount of space EAN/UPC Symbols take up on a design, a decreased symbol height might be specified. This process, called truncation, is not permitted within EAN/UPC Symbology specifications and should be avoided. This is because of the negative impact it has on scan rates for retail omni-directional scanners. For more information on truncation, refer to the GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications".

When EAN/UPC Symbols are used in logistics (shipping and distribution) as well as at the Point-of-Sale (POS), the range of magnification allowed is limited to between 150% and 200%. An example of this would be the symbol on a carton used for a large appliance (e.g. TV or microwave oven).

ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols
ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols also have a range of sizes specified. ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbol sizes are often specified by the width of the X-Dimension instead of magnification values. You can find information on the sizes for ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols based on the application where they are used or the identification number they carry in the GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications".

Consideration of the Printing Process
The final major consideration for symbol size is the capability of the selected printing process. The minimum size (magnification) and correct Bar Width Reduction (BWR) for a symbol varies by printing process and even from press to press. Printing companies should establish a minimum symbol size (magnification) and BWR to achieve acceptable and repeatable quality results.

As always, be sure to contact GS1 Malaysia
for additional implementation guidance.

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Step 7: Format the Bar Code Text

Does the Human Readable Interpretation need to be a certain size?
The OCR-B font was originally specified for use with EAN/UPC Symbols, but GS1 System specifications now permit any font as long as it is clearly legible. For detailed size specifications for EAN/UPC Symbols, see GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications".

The human-readable text for ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols must be clearly legible and in a size proportional to the symbol size as per GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications".

Is the Human Readable Interpretation supposed to be above or below the symbol?
It depends on the symbol you are using. For EAN/UPC Symbols, refer to the drawings in the GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications". For ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols the text can be printed above or below the symbol as per GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications".

Can I put spaces in between the text characters?
Yes, in fact, EAN/UPC Symbols specify spacing per the drawings referenced in the question above. Many companies specify spacing in between ITF-14 and UCC/EAN-128 Human Readable Interpretation. This makes the text easier to read, remember, and key enter. While including spaces is perfectly appropriate for the Human Readable Interpretation, the spaces must not be encoded into ITF-14 or GS1-128 Symbols.

I see parentheses around the Application Identifiers (AI) in the GS1-128 Symbol. Are they supposed to be there and are they encoded in the bars and spaces of the symbol?
All AIs must be enclosed in parentheses in the Human Readable Interpretation, but the parentheses are not encoded in the symbol per the GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications".

How many digits do I print beneath the EAN/UPC Symbol in the Human Readable text?
You must, absolutely and without exception, print 12 digits, no more, no less, below the UPC-A Symbol.
You must, absolutely and without exception, print 13 digits, no more, no less, below the EAN-13 Symbol.
You must, absolutely and without exception, print eight digits, no more, no less, below UPC-E and EAN-8 Symbols.

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Step 8: Pick a Bar Code Colour

• Code Symbols require dark colours for bars (e.g., black, dark blue, dark brown, or dark green).


• The bars should always consist of a single line colour and should never be printed by multiple imaging tools (e.g., plate, screen, cylinder).


• GS1 Bar Code Symbols require light backgrounds for the Quiet Zones and spaces (e.g., white).


• In addition to light backgrounds, ""reddish"" colours may also be used. If you have ever been in a darkroom with red lighting and tried to read red copy, you know it can virtually disappear. This is also true of similar colours such as orange, pink, peach, and light yellows. Given the fact that most bar code scanners use a red light source, you can quickly see why these colours may be suitable for backgrounds, but should be avoided for bars.

• In many cases the symbol background is not printed. It is the colour of the substrate that is being printed. If the symbol background is printed beneath the bars, the background should be printed as solid line colours.


• If you use multiple layers of ink to increase the background opacity, each layer should be printed as a solid.


• If you use a fine screen to deliver more ink to the substrate, be sure there are no voids in the print caused by the screen not adequately filling in.

Again, by staying with black bars and white spaces, you have selected the optimal combination, but other color combinations can be used. Consult an experienced printer recommended by GS1 Malaysia for additional guidance.

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Step 9: Pick the Bar Code Placement

• Logistics Label Design


• General Placement Principles


• General Placement Guidelines for the Retail Point of Sale


• Placement Guidelines for Specific Package Types


• Symbol Placement for Clothing and Fashion Accessories


• General Format Guidelines for Clothing and Fashion Accessories Labels


• General Placement Guidelines for Symbol Placement on Items used in Distribution

After determining the proper placement, the printing company should be consulted before assigning the symbol rotation. This is because many printing processes require bar codes to be printed in a specific orientation to the feed direction of the web or sheet.

If possible, when using flexographic printing, the bars should run parallel to the press web direction or in the picket fence orientation. If the bars are required to run perpendicular to the press direction or in the ladder orientation, try to avoid distorting the symbol for the plate roll circumference.

When using either silk screen or rotogravure printing processes, the symbol should be aligned parallel to the cell structure on the screen or gravure plate cylinder to provide the smoothest bar edge possible.

For more information or to obtain a copy of the GS1 Malaysia "User's Guide to GS1 Specifications",
contact GS1 Malaysia.

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Step 10: Build a Bar Code Quality Plan

GS1 utilises the ISO/IEC method, but specifies the minimum grade necessary for every GS1 bar code based on which symbol is used, where it is used, or what identification number it is carrying. In addition to the minimum grade, GS1 also specifies the verifier aperture width and wavelength.

Setting up different minimum specifications is similar to a university using a standardized test to determine whether applicants qualify for admission. Several universities may utilize the same standardized test, but each sets the minimum score necessary for its applicants to be admitted.

GS1 members may choose to perform their own quality control of bar code production but today many GS1 Member Organisation offer bar code quality verification services.

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