[IDAutomation.com Home Page | ORDER NOW]

# IDautomation.com UPC/EAN Font Advantage Package DEMO

A license is required for each computer this software is installed on; this software may only be used according to the License Agreement. Demo versions of this software may be used for evaluation purposes only

NOT ICE: We recommend you use our Font Tools to automatically perform the required check character calculations on barcode fonts and ensure the printed barcode will scan properly. This sample UPC/EAN bar code font should only be used for testing and evaluation purposes because some of the characters contain the text "DEMO" in them which can cause scan errors. For testing purposes, a successful scan can be obtained by scanning the lower 25% of the barcode that does not contain any "DEMO" text in it. After you order the UPC/EAN Font Advantage Package, you will receive the fully functional font set, with rights to use the font tools, plug-ins, macros and source code in your application. Below are two examples you may use to test the functionality of our font:

Symbol to Produce: | Number to use: | Characters to type:
UPC-A | 20 34 89 34 38 22 | W(c03489*NONSMm(W
UPC-E | 04 90 00 00 65 82 | U(EJ65I0)W
EAN-8 | 2034 0698 | (2034*KQTS(

INDEX:

- Symbology Overview

- Font Advantage Package Features

- Font Installation Instructions

- Font Specifications

- Printing with the UPC / EAN Fonts

- Font Character Mapping

- Font Technical Support

- More Information

- It is important to have the ability to test the barcodes you print, with a barcode scanner. If you do not already have a barcode scanner, we also sell high quality complete barcode scanner kits.

Symbology Overview

UPC, UCC, EAN, JAN, ISBN and Bookland barcodes can all be created from our UPC/EAN Font Advantage Package, with the exception of EAN-14, UCC-128 and EAN-128, that are created with Code 128 Barcode Fonts. The primary purpose for these barcodes is to uniquely identify a product and manufacturer for retail checkout and tracking purposes. Below, we briefly describe the different bar code standards.

- UPC - The Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode has been used in the retail industry in the US and Canada since 1973. UPC-A consists of 12 numbers and UPC-E consists of 12 numbers that are compressed into 8 numbers for small packages.
- UCC - The Universal Code Council creates standards for multi-industry product identification. UCC12 is another name for the UPC-A standard.
- EAN - The European Article Numbering System (EAN) is a superset of U.P.C. EAN-13 consists of 13 numbers and EAN-8 consists of 8 digits for small packages. EAN-14 is a different barcode type created with ITF or Code 128.
- ISBN and Bookland - The EAN-13 barcode for a book or periodical is generated from the ISBN number assigned to it. When encoding ISBN in an EAN-13 barcode, the ISBN number is preceded by the number 978 and the ISBN check digit is not used. When the ISBN number is encoded in the EAN-13 barcode in this way, it is often called Bookland. A 5 digit add-on barcode is optional and can contain the price of the book or periodical.
- JAN - the JAN codes are the same as the EAN codes, except the first two characters are set to "49".
- Add-on Barcodes - an additional barcode can be created just to the right of the symbol to encode additional information. These barcodes are either 2 or 5 digits in length.
- UCC128 or EAN128 is a barcode type created with Code 128.

Because of the complex encoding that is required in these specifications, the fonts may be difficult to use if you are not a technical user or programmer. Therefore, if your application is Microsoft Access, Word, Excel, Visual Basic or C++ we suggest you consider our Linear ActiveX Controls that support UPC, EAN, JAN, ISBN and Bookland, as well as other barcode types, and they automatically calculate everything, so you don't have to be concerned with macros and source code. In addition, Java programmers may try our Java Packages.

UPC/EAN Font Advantage Package Features

Our UPC/EAN Font Advantage Package enables you to print UPC, EAN, JAN, ISBN and Bookland bar codes from systems supporting TrueType, OpenType, PostScript, PCL, BDF and FON fonts, such as Windows, Macintosh and UNIX. Our UPC/EAN Font Advantage Package much more than just a few fonts! With this package you get 4 different font versions in 6 different font formats. You also get font tools, macros and source code to help you integrate the fonts into your application. Implementing solutions with our fonts provides a high level of scalability with operating system, application and printer independence. Learn more about the quality of our fonts. Details of the UPC/EAN Font Advantage Package are as follows:

- Advanced Font Encoding - Our implementation of these symbologies allows a single advanced font to produce all UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-8, EAN-13, JAN & ISBN barcodes.
- Multiple Tools Provided - to help users integrate barcode fonts into their applications, we provide font tools with our fonts that include MS Office Macros for Word, Excel and Access, LotusScript, Visual Basic, Visual FoxPro, ANSI C and JAVA Source Code, FileMaker Pro Plug-ins, Oracle Reports Libraries, Crystal Reports User Function Libraries (UFLs) and a check digit calculation application with Visual Basic source code as a free download for programmers and technical users. The DLLs, macros, UFLs and code provided automatically format the start, stop and check characters to the barcode font.
- Cross-platform Support - the unique encoding in our font allows cross-platform support between UNIX, Macintosh and Windows systems. For example, the same Microsoft® Access application or Excel spreadsheet with our Microsoft Office Macros can be used on Windows and Macintosh computers that have our font installed.
- Four Different Heights Provided - Fonts with "S" in the name are "shortened height" fonts, that are below what the UCC recommends, but we have seen these heights in use with UPC-A and UPC-E barcodes and they do scan properly. Fonts with "M" in the name are medium height fonts and are recommended for printing EAN-8 barcodes. Fonts with "L" in the name are the tallest, with a height of approximately 22MM when printed at 20 points, which is recommended for printing UPC-A, UPC-E and EAN-13 barcodes. Fonts with "XS" in the name are a height of 6MM.
- Industry Standards - The UPC/EAN barcode font was created according to UCC and European (EN 797) standards. All symbols of this barcode specification are in the fonts including human readable characters and add-on symbols.
- Non-Human Readable Font Provided - IDAutomationUPCEANXSnoHR is provided in the purchased version only for special applications that do not require the human readable portion below the barcode.
- Multiple Formats Provided - when you purchase a license for this font, you will receive all versions in a single ZIP file. The manual is supplied in a file named "readme" in the ZIP file. The following fonts are included:
  - TrueType fonts are supplied in PC and Macintosh format. The TrueType TTF fonts are compatible with Macintosh OS X and all versions of Microsoft Windows, including Pocket PC. Macintosh formatted MTT TrueType fonts are compatible with Macintosh System 7.1 and above.
  - OpenType OTF fonts with PostScript outlines are provided. These are compatible with Windows, Macintosh OS X and other systems supporting the OpenType format.
  - PostScript Type 1 fonts are supplied in binary, ASCII and Macintosh versions.
  - Also included in this package are PCL laserjet soft fonts in 20, 24, 28 and 32 points.
  - With the purchase of a Developer License and 1 year of support and upgrade protection, we can convert fonts from this package to PCL 4, Xerox Metacode, XES, FNT, BDF, FON and AFP. More about this is provided here. The Developer License also grants you the right to convert our fonts to other formats as necessary including TrueDoc and OpenType.
  - You may also get more information on what font types are provided.
  - For the most up to date installation procedures for Macintosh, UNIX and other operating systems, please visit our Technical Support Site.

Font Installation Instructions

To install the TrueType fonts in Windows, run the INSTALL.EXE program or perform the following for manual installation:

1. Click on Start, Select settings and click on Control Panel.
2. Click on Fonts, Click on File in your main tool bar, Select Install New Font.
3. Select the folder where you placed the barcode fonts.
4. The fonts will appear and look like this: FontName (true type) - select the fonts you want to install and choose OK.
5. Click Start and choose to shut down and restart your computer.
6. The font should be active when you restart your computer.

### Installing the fonts on Macintosh OS X:

1. Drag or copy and paste the TrueType font file(s) ending in TTF to the Library/Fonts folder.
2. To activate the fonts, restart the application - some applications may require you to restart the computer.
3. The font should now be active in the font menu of your application.

To install the TrueType font on the Classic Macintosh (OS 7.1 - OS 9):

1. Download and install Stuffit Expander on your Macintosh if you do not have an expander utility that can open ZIP files and decode MacBinary files.
2. Open the ZIP distribution file that contains the fonts by dragging the ZIP file on the Stuffit Expander icon. The font files will be extracted from the ZIP distribution file and will appear in a subfolder of the folder you placed the ZIP file in. Open this subfolder to view the font files. At this point, you may want to view the documentation supplied with the font files. To do so just drag the file "readme.html" to the Netscape or Internet Explorer icon.
3. Now we must decode the files from MacBinary format. Drag the font files that you wish to use that end with "mtt" to the Stuffit Expander icon.
4. Drag the decoded font files to the System - Fonts folder.
5. Restart the application you wish to use the font with.
6. The font will be active in the font menu of your application.
7. To create the correct output for the font, you will need to choose the font in your application and type in the corresponding letter.

Font installation procedures for other operating systems are provided here

Specifications

Four different versions of the UPCEAN barcode fonts are provided to support human readable versions and different width and height requirements. The last characters in the UPCEAN barcode font name determines the height of the barcode with the shortest being "XS" and the tallest being "L". Because each single font can be printed at various point sizes, there are several combinations of heights and widths that can be produced.

Font name of purchased version | Font name of eval version | Font height at 20 points*
IDAutomationUPCEANXS | IDAutomationSUPCEANXS | 1/4" (.25") or .6 cm
IDAutomationUPCEANS | IDAutomationSUPCEANS | 1/2" (.50") or 1.3 cm
IDAutomationUPCEANM | IDAutomationSUPCEANM | 11/16" (.689") or 1.8 cm
IDAutomationUPCEANL | IDAutomationSUPCEANL | 7/8" (.857") or 2.2 cm
IDAutomationUPCEANXSnoHR* | (in purchased version only) | 1/4" (.25") or .6 cm
* Measurements are approximate and were measured when printed at 20 points which is the recommended print size. However, a magnification factor of .8 to 2.0 can be used which allows printing at 18 to 36 points. Measurements for Human Readable fonts do not include the text below or guard bars. * IDAutomationUPCEANXSnoHR is provided in the purchased version only for special applications that do not require the human readable portion below the barcode. To print at a different height, find the font that has the height closest to what you need and use this formula to find the point size you need to print the font at to get that height: 20 * (height you want) / (height at 20 points) = (point size converted to integer) For example, if you are using IDAutomationUPCEANS and you want it to be about .60" tall, you need to print it at 24 points because: 20 * .6 / .5 = 24

Printing with the UPC / EAN Fonts

We recommend you use our Font Tools to automatically perform the required check character calculations on barcode fonts and ensure the printed barcode will scan properly. To manually create the barcode, please refer to the Character Mapping section of this manual.

### UPC / EAN Barcode Font Size

The UPC / EAN font characters are all represented in a single font named UPCEAN. UCC standards specify that the UPC / EAN barcode font should be printed at 20 points. However, they allow a magnification factor of .8 to 2.0 which allows printing at 18 to 36 points. For best results, print the UPC / EAN barcode font at the largest point size and height possible.

### UPC / EAN Barcode Font Height

Fonts with "S" in the name are "shortened height" fonts, that are below what the UCC recommends, but we have seen these heights in use with UPC-A and UPC-E barcodes and they do scan properly. Fonts with "M" in the name are medium height fonts and are recommended for printing EAN-8 barcodes. Fonts with "L" in the name are the tallest, with a height of approximately 22mm when printed at 20 points. This height is recommended for printing UPC-A, UPC-E and EAN-13 barcodes. Other various font heights are marked with a number that represents the height in MM of the barcode (minus the human-readable number) printed at 20 points.

### About Print Quality

When printing the barcode font, a high quality printer with a 600 DPI or greater should be used; it may also be necessary to reduce the print intensity if you have increased this in the past to a value greater than normal. The proper output can be determined by examining the "normal guard pattern". The space between the two bars of the "normal guard pattern" should be approximately the same as the bar to the left or right of the space.

If you are using a 203 or 300 DPI printer, it is recommended you print at either 20, 25 or above 30 points to create a high quality barcode.

### About Check Digits and Character Sets

Barcode Plug-in Also Available - if your application is Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, Visual Basic, C++ or an application that supports ActiveX in Windows, we also sell an easy to use barcode plug-in called the Linear ActiveX Control that supports UPC and EAN as well as other barcode types and they automatically calculate everything, so you don't have to be concerned with macros and source code.

Need a Scanner? - it is important to have the ability to test the barcodes you print with a barcode scanner. If you do not already have a barcode scanner, we also sell high quality complete barcode scanner kits at our IDAutomation.com site.

Barcode Font Character Mapping

In order to represent all symbols of the UPC and EAN barcodes, we have mapped these to the standard PC keyboard. The layout for all symbols of the UPC and EAN barcodes is presented in figures 1-1 through 1-5. The following barcodes should be made up as follows, reading from left to right:

## UPC-A:

1. The number representing the first digit from figure 1-3.
2. Normal guard pattern from figure 1-4.
3. The number representing the first digit from figure 1-2.
4. 5 digits from character set A of figure 1-1.
5. A center pattern.
6. 5 symbols from character set C of figure 1-1.
7. The last (or 12th) digit from figure 1-2.
8. Normal guard pattern from figure 1-4.
9. The last (or 12th) digit from figure 1-3.

Below is a sample of the UPC-A barcode encoding the number 20348934382 with a check digit of 2. The check digit and characters were calculated using our Bar Code Check Digit Calculator & Printing Application. To print out this barcode, we chose the IDAutomationUPCEANS font and typed W(c03489*NONSMm(W to get the proper output.

##

## UPC-E: (also called the zero-suppression barcode)

1. The number representing the prefix digit from figure 1-3.
2. Normal guard pattern from figure 1-4.
3. 6 symbols from character sets A or B.
4. Special guard pattern from figure 1-4.
5. The number representing the check character from figure 1-3.

## EAN-13, ISBN, Bookland, ISSN & JAN:

- The EAN-13 barcode for a book is generated from the ISBN number assigned to it. When encoding ISBN in an EAN-13 barcode, the ISBN number is preceded by the number 978 and the ISBN check digit is not used. When the ISBN number is encoded in the EAN-13 barcode in this way, it is often called Bookland. A 5 digit add-on barcode is optional and can contain the price of the book.
- When encoding ISSN in an EAN-13 barcode, the ISSN is preceded by the number 977 and the ISSN check digit (the last of the 8 digits) is not used. A two digit number, usually the number "00" (a 2 digit price code) is added to the end, and then the normal EAN check digit is added. Periodicals may have a two digit add on representing the issue number.
- The JAN codes are the same as the EAN codes, except the first two characters are set to "49".

1. The number representing the 1st digit encoded by variable parity, from figure 1-3.
2. Normal guard pattern from figure 1-4.
3. 6 symbols from character sets A and B of figure 1-1. The difference between character sets A and B (called variable parity) is how the first digit is encoded. This can be automatically calculated with our font automation tools, or can be calculated manually by reviewing the variable parity section below.
4. A center pattern.
5. 6 symbols from character set C of figure 1-1.
6. Normal guard pattern from figure 1-4.

Variable Parity in EAN13:

In EAN-13, the leading digit is encoded into the left half of the EAN-13 symbol by using variable parity between character sets A and B according to the following VB source code:

    Select Case LeadingDigit
     Case 0 Encoding = "AAAAAACCCCCC"
     Case 1 Encoding = "AABABBCCCCCC"
     Case 2 Encoding = "AABBABCCCCCC"
     Case 3 Encoding = "AABBBACCCCCC"
     Case 4 Encoding = "ABAABBCCCCCC"
     Case 5 Encoding = "ABBAABCCCCCC"
     Case 6 Encoding = "ABBBAACCCCCC"
     Case 7 Encoding = "ABABABCCCCCC"
     Case 8 Encoding = "ABABBACCCCCC"
     Case 9 Encoding = "ABBABACCCCCC"
    End Select

## EAN-8:

1. Normal guard pattern from figure 1-4.
2. 4 symbols from character set A of figure 1-1.
3. A center pattern.
4. 4 symbols from character set C of figure 1-1.
5. Normal guard pattern from figure 1-4.

Digit Value | Letter to type for Character Set A | Letter to type for Character Set B (ASCII + 17) | Letter to type for Character Set C (ASCII + 27)
0 | 0 | A | K
1 | 1 | B | L
2 | 2 | C | M
3 | 3 | D | N
4 | 4 | E | O
5 | 5 | F | P
6 | 6 | G | Q
7 | 7 | H | R
8 | 8 | I | S
9 | 9 | J | T

Figure 1-1: UPC / EAN barcodes with human readable characters. These are the primary barcodes with the number representing the symbol printed at the bottom.

Digit Value | Letter to type for Character Set A (ASCII + 49) | Letter to type for Character Set C (ASCII + 59)
0 | a | k
1 | b | l
2 | c | m
3 | d | n
4 | e | o
5 | f | p
6 | g | q
7 | h | r
8 | i | s
9 | j | t

Figure 1-2: UPC / EAN barcodes without human readable characters below. Used for far left and far right digits of UPC-A symbols and other barcodes as required.

Digit Value | Letter to type to print numbers only | (ASCII + 37) / (ASCII + 64)
0 | U | 85
1 | V | 86
2 | W | 87
3 | X | 88
4 | Y | 89
5 | u | 117
6 | v | 118
7 | w | 119
8 | x | 120
9 | y | 121
Greater symbol | > |
Dash "-" | - |
Less symbol | < |
Add-on Greater | ' |

Figure 1-3: UPC / EAN numbers and characters without barcodes. These are used as required for human interpretation but are not printed as a barcode.

Guard Patterns | Letter to Type
Normal Guard Pattern | (
Center Pattern | *
Special Guard Pattern | )
Add-on Guard Pattern | +
Add-on Delineator | !
9X (UPC add-on space) | Space
7X (EAN add-on space) | Z
2X | `

Figure 1-4: UPC / EAN guard patterns and special functions.

Digit Value | Letter to type for Character Set A | ASCII | Letter to type for Character Set B | ASCII
0 | " | 34 | z | 122
1 | # | 35 | = | 61
2 | $ | 36 | ? | 63
3 | % | 37 | @ | 64
4 | & | 38 | [ | 91
5 | , | 44 | \ | 92
6 | . | 46 | ] | 93
7 | / | 47 | _ | 95
8 | : | 58 | { | 123
9 | ; | 59 | } | 125

Figure 1-5: Add-on UPC / EAN barcodes with human readable characters. These barcodes can be used for ISSN, ISBN Bookland and others that require an add on barcode. The human readable character is printed above the barcode.

More Information

## About the UPC and EAN Numbers:

You must obtain a UCC or EAN company number before you can start barcoding. This company number allows a company to build ID numbers that uniquely identify products, assets, etc. Information on this can be obtained at the UCC website or EAN website.

## JAN:

For more information on JAN barcodes visit the Japanese Standards Association website.

## ISBN and Bookland:

For more information on ISBN and Bookland barcodes visit the ISBN website.

[IDAutomation.com Home Page | ORDER NOW]

Copyright © 1999-2003 IDAutomation.com, Inc. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.