1D Type Barcodes

Linear barcodes are uni-dimensional, i.e. the same data is present in all vertical elements. If you increase the number of characters in a linear barcode, it expands horizontally. The vertical dimension remains unchanged. Increasing the height of a linear barcode does not change its data capacity, just the ease of scanning.

1D Type Barcodes	GS1-128	ITF	Code-39	Code 128
Sample Barcode
Character Set	All ASCII characters & control codes	Numbers	Uppercase letters, Numbers Space-.$/+%	All ASCII
Length	Variable	14 or 16	Variable	Variable
Application(s)	Logistics	Distribution	Logistics, Healthcare & Automotive	Retail, Healthcare & Logistics

2D Type Barcodes

The 2-D symbologies take advantage of both horizontal and vertical encodation to reduce the symbol size and achieve character densities up to 2000 characters per square inch. There are two primary approaches taken. The first is to "stack" high-density linear symbols with very small vertical measurements. The other is to use a "pattern" code in which data can be en­ coded in an X-Y matrix.

2D Type Barcodes	Data Matrix	QR Code	RSS	PDF 417
Sample Barcode
Features	Marking on small items Fast Reading	Fast reading 360 degree scanning Large data storage	Options to scan only the lower portion Flexibility in barcode patterns	Large data storage High security Flexibility in barcode size

Comparison between 1D and 2D Barcode

Barcode Type	1D	2D
Sample Barcode
Information Density	Low	High
Information Capacity	Small	Big
Omni-direction & Orientation Reading	No	Yes
Information Type	Numbers, English	Numbers, English, Chinese, pictures, voice and other binary information
Error Detection & Correction Function	No	Yes
Dependence on Database	Yes, Must depend on database or communication network	No, depend on database or communication network
Nature	Object label & index	Description on objects

Comparison between Barcode and RFID

	Barcode	RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification)
Read Rate	Only one at a time	10's, 100's or 1000's simultaneously
Read Range	Several inches up to several feet	Passive UHF RFID: - Up to 40 feet (fixed readers) - Up to 20 feet (handheld readers) Active RFID: - Up to 100's of feet or more
Read Speed	Slow	Very fast (ms)
Readable Through Objects	No, must be line of sight	Yes
Identification	Most barcodes only identify the type of item (UPC Code) but not uniquely	Can uniquely identify each item/asset tagged
Reliability	Wrinkled or smeared labels will not be read	Nearly flawless read rate
Data Capacity	<20 characters with linear	100's-1000's of characters
Ruggedness	No	Yes
Passive (automated) Data	No	Yes (via portals and smart shelves)
Orientation Dependence	Yes	No
Simultaneous Scanning of Multiple Codes/Tags	No	Yes (10-1000 tags per second)
Updatable	No	Yes

Security QR Codes (SQRC)

SQRC (Security QR Code) is developed from the QR code and is meant to prevent unauthorized access to the personal and private data capture of users. With the Security QR Code, only authorized users with the correct encryption key can access the hidden data.