Documentation On Barcode
What is a barcode?
A barcode is simply a series of stripes (usually black) on a light background (usually
white) that can be scanned and read directly into a computer. They are interpreted
virtually instantaneously and without errors by a barcode reading system. The elements
(bars and spaces) in a barcode symbol must be of a consistent, proportional thickness and
thinness. The widest element could be as thick as a pencil, or as thin as a business card,
as long as the corresponding thin bars and spaces in the bar code remain proportionally
thin.
Barcodes are read the same way that people read text from a page; by the reflectance and
absorption of light. A light of a given wavelength is beamed and moved across a barcode
at a consistent speed. The reflected light is measured with a photoreceptor, tuned to look
for light of the given wavelength. The off-and-on (white and black) pattern of the
barcode creates an electrical wave that is sent on to a computer chip called a “decoder.”
The decoder then deciphers the signal into something the waiting computer understands.
Imager and CCD (charge coupled device) barcode scanners read somewhat differently in
that they “take a picture” of a barcode symbol, analyze it, and create a conditioned
electronic signal that basically mimics that from the reader.
The Barcode “Symbology”
In another point of view, a barcode “symbology” is to barcodes in much what a particular
alphabet is to language. Different symbologies of barcodes use different combinations of
bars and spaces to represent different characters. Barcode symbologies, like languages,
are given different names, such as Code 39, UPC, Codabar, PDF417, DataMatrix.
Barcode generation for Advance Shipping :
An EDI 856 Advance Shipping Notice is an electronic version of a printed packing slip
that tells a buyer how a supplier has packed their items for shipment. Most ASNs will
follow either standard pack or pick and pack guidelines. Usually the buyer will specify
how they want the goods packed. The Advance Ship Notice, or ASN, also tells the buyer
that the goods have been shipped so they can be expecting the shipment.
The EDI Advance Ship Notice along with the UCC-128 bar code label lets the receiving
dock know what is in the supplier's cartons without having to open the cartons. The
UCC-128 bar code label contains the supplier's vendor number, ASN number, and carton
number. The receiving dock can scan the bar code label and then check the EDI ASN that
was previously received electronically from the supplier to know the contents of the
cartons
