What is EAN code? EAN code Review, Features

The full name of EAN code is European Article Number. It is a barcode for commodities developed by the International Article Numbering Association. It is compiled according to the unified rules of the International Article Numbering Association (EAN) and is commonly used throughout the world.

About EAN Code

The EAN code is a product identification code established based on the UPC code.

EAN is divided into two types: standard version and shortened version. The standard product barcode consists of 13 Arabic numerals, referred to as EAN-13 code. The standard EAN13 coding structure is: country code (2/3 digits) + manufacturer code (5/4 digits) + product code (5 digits) + check code (1 digit). The shortened product barcode consists of 8 digits, referred to as EAN-8 code. Because the EAN code is formed on the basis of the UPC code, technically, the photoelectric reader of the EAN system can read the barcode of the UPC system, but the photoelectric reader of the UPC system cannot read the EAN code.

characteristic

EAN code has the following characteristics:

1. Only numbers can be stored.

2. Bidirectional scanning is possible, that is, the barcode can be scanned from left to right or from right to left.

3. There must be a check code to prevent errors in reading data. It is located at the rightmost part of the EAN code.

4. It has left guard line, center guard line and right guard line to separate different parts of the barcode and capture appropriate safety space for processing.

5. The barcode has a fixed length and lacks flexibility, but through appropriate channels, it can be used in countries around the world.

6. According to the different structures, it can be divided into:

EAN-13 code: Consists of 13 digits and is the standard encoding format of EAN.

EAN-8 code: It consists of 8 digits and is a simplified coding form of EAN.

Basic structure

The EAN13 product barcode consists of a left blank area, a start character, a left data character, a middle separator, a right data character, a check character, a terminator, a right blank area and identification characters.

Its components are as follows:

Left blank area

The area with the same reflectivity as the empty area at the far left of the bar code symbol has a minimum width of 11 modules.

Start character

Located on the right side of the blank area on the left side of the barcode symbol, it is a special symbol indicating the beginning of the information and consists of 3 modules.

·Left side data symbol

A group of barcode characters located to the right of the start symbol and to the left of the middle separator. It represents 6 digits and consists of 42 modules.

Middle separator

Located to the right of the data symbol on the left is a special symbol that divides the barcode character in half, consisting of 5 modules.

Right data symbol

A group of barcode characters located to the right of the middle separator and to the left of the check character. A group of barcode characters representing 5-digit information, consisting of 35 modules.

Check character

Located to the right of the right data symbol, it represents the barcode character of the check code and consists of 7 modules.

Terminator

Located on the right side of the barcode symbol check character, it is a special symbol indicating the end of the information and consists of 3 modules.

·Right blank area

The minimum width of the area with the same reflectivity as the blank area on the far right of the barcode symbol is 7 modules wide. To protect the width of the blank area on the right, you can add a ">" symbol in the lower right corner of the barcode symbol.

· Human-readable characters

Located below the barcode symbol, the 13-digit number corresponding to the barcode. Human-readable characters should preferably use the OCR-B character set specified in GB/T 12508; the minimum distance between the top of the character and the bottom of the barcode character is 0.5 module width. The prefix code in the human-readable characters of the EAN-13 commodity barcode is printed on the left side of the barcode symbol start character.

Example:

Take barcode 6936983800013 as an example

This barcode is divided into 4 parts, from left to right:

1-3 digits: 3 digits in total, corresponding to 693 in this barcode, which is one of China's country codes. (690--695 are codes for mainland China, assigned internationally).

Digits 4-8: 5 digits in total, corresponding to 69838 in the barcode, represent the manufacturer code, which is applied for by the manufacturer and allocated by the country.

Digits 9-12: 4 digits in total, corresponding to 0001 in the barcode, representing the factory product code, which is determined by the manufacturer.

The 13th digit: There is 1 digit in total, which corresponds to the 3 in this barcode. It is the check digit, which is calculated from the previous 12 digits according to a certain algorithm.

Domestic EAN acquisition channels

1. Purchase through official channels.

2. Generator.

3. Apply to join the Chinese Product Barcode System.

Carry out brand registration, and you don’t need to fill in EAN after passing.

Terms of Use

The prefix code is the code used by the international EAN organization to identify each member organization. The code for my country is 690-695. The manufacturer code is the code assigned to the manufacturer by the EAN coding organization based on the prefix code assigned by EAN. The commodity item code is encoded by the manufacturer itself. The check code is used to verify the correctness of the code.

EAN code encoding rules

1. The same commodity item code must be compiled for commodities of the same commodity item; different commodity item codes must be compiled for different commodity items.

2. Ensure that the commodity items and their identification codes correspond one to one, that is, one commodity item has only one code, and one code only identifies one commodity item. my country's universal commodity barcode is equivalent to it.

3. The encoding of product barcodes follows the principle of uniqueness to ensure that product barcodes are not repeated in the world, that is, a product item can only have one code, or a code can only identify one product item. Products of different specifications, different packaging, and different varieties can only use different product codes.

4. The standard size of the product barcode is 37.29mm×26.26mm, and the magnification is 0.8～2.0. When the printing area allows, a barcode with a magnification of 1.0 or more should be selected to meet the reading requirements. The smaller the magnification of the barcode, the higher the printing accuracy requirement. When the printing accuracy cannot meet the requirements, it is easy to cause difficulty in barcode reading.

5. Since the barcode is read by the color contrast between the bar and the space, in general, any color that can meet the contrast (pcs value) requirement can be used. Usually, light colors are used for the space, such as white, orange, yellow, etc., and dark colors are used for the bar, such as black, dark green, dark brown, etc. The most common combination is black bar and white space. According to the practical experience of barcode detection, red, gold, and light yellow are not suitable for the bar color, and transparent and gold are not suitable for the space color.