Step 1: Get a GS1 Company Prefix
Before a company can begin using barcodes, they must create the numbers that go inside the barcode. These numbers are called GS1 Identification Keys. The first step in building a GS1 Identification Key is to obtain a GS1 Company Prefix from GS1 Austalia. GS1 Company Prefixes are used to identify over one million companies today and form the foundation of uniquely identifying everything in the supply chain. To obtain a GS1 Company Prefix contact GS1 Australia.

Step 2: Assign numbers
After receiving a GS1 Company Prefix, a company is ready to begin assigning identification numbers to their trade items (products or services), themselves (as a legal entity), locations, logistic units, individual company assets, returnable assets (returnable pallets, kegs, tubs), and service relationships.

The process is fairly simple. You learn about how to format each number then use the GS1 Company Prefix in combination with reference numbers you assign. GS1 Australia can provide you with specific information about how many numbers you can assign based on the length of your GS1 Company Prefix.

Step 3: Select a barcode printing method
To begin, you should decide what you are barcoding and if the barcode will carry static or dynamic information inside it. An example of static information would be simply a product identification number (GTIN) on a cereal box. An example of dynamnic information would be printing serial numbers on product labels.

If your barcode 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 barcode is an important question to answer in developing a good barcode implementation plan. Again, GS1 Australia is there to assist you in making the right selection.

Step 4: Select a "primary" scanning environment
The specifications for barcode type, size, placement, and quality all depend on where the barcode will be scanned.

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 General Distribution
• 3. Product package scanned at POS but also scanned in General Distribution
• 4. Special environments like medical device marking

By knowing where your barcode 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 General Distribution Scanning and ensure the placement meets automated distribution scanning requirements. You can obtain more information from the GS1 Australia User Manual - Printing and Symbology available from GS1 Australia.

Step 5: Select a barcode
Selecting the right barcode is critical to the success of your barcode implementation plan, but here are some high level tips:

• If you barcode 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 barcode with variable information like serial numbers, expiry dates, or measures, then you will use GS1-128, GS1 DataBar or in special cases Composite Component or Data Matrix Symbols.
• If you just want to print a barcode carrying a GTIN on a corruaged carton, ITF-14 may be the choice for you.

There are other factors to consider so contact GS1 Australia to see what implementation products and services they offer.

Step 6: Pick a barcode size
After the correct barcode symbol is specified together with the information to encode in it, the design stage begins. The size of the symbol within the design will depend on the symbol specified, where the symbol will be used, and how the symbol will be printed.

EAN/UPC Symbols

EAN/UPC Symbols differ from ITF-14 and GS1-128 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 table showing the range of dimensions can be found in the GS1 Australia User Manual - Printing and Symbology available from GS1 Australi). The minimum, nominal, and maximum magnification for EAN/UPC Symbols are shown in the following figures:

EAN/UPC Magnification

Minimum (80%)

Nominal (100%)

Maximum (200%)

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 Australia User Manual - Printing and Symbology available from GS1 Australia.

When EAN/UPC Symbols are used in logistics (shipping and distribution) as well as at 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 they are used in or the identification number they carry in the GS1 User Manuals available from GS1 Australia.

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 Australia for additional implementation guidance.

Step 7: Format the barcode text
The text beneath a barcode is important because if the barcode is damaged or of poor quality to begin with, then the text is used as a back-up.

The best way to cover questions about the Human Readable Interpretation for GS1 System BarCode Symbols is to answer some of the more frequently asked ones.

• Question: Does the Human Readable Interpretation need to be a certain size?
  Answer: The OCR-B font was originally specifed for use with EAN/UPC Symbols, but GS1 System specifications now permit any font as long as it is clearly legible.
  The human-readable text for ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols must be clearly legible and in a size proportional to the symbol size.
  
  
• Question: Is the Human Readable Interpretation supposed to be above or below the symbol?
  Answer: It depends on the symbol you are using. For EAN/UPC Symbols every effort should be made to print the text below the barcode. If this is not possible, move the text to the left of and align it with the barcode symbol. For ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols the text can be printed above or below the symbol.
  
  
• Question: I see parentheses around the Application Identifiers (AIs) in the GS1-128 Symbol. Are they supposed to be there and are they encoded in the bars and spaces of the symbol?
  Answer: All AIs must be enclosed in parentheses in the Human Readable Interpretation, but the parentheses are not encoded in the symbol. For more information refer to the GS1 Australia User Manual - Printing and Symbology available from GS1 Australia.

Step 8: Pick a barcode colour
The optimum colour combination for a barcode symbol is black bars with a white background (spaces and Quiet Zones). If you want to use other colours, the following may help you in choosing satisfactory ones:

• GS1 BarCode 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 BarCode 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 barcode 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 colour combinations can be used. Consult an experienced printer from our Solution Providers Directory for additional guidance.

Step 9: Pick the barcode placement
When discussing symbol location we are referring to the symbol placement on the design. When assigning symbol placement the packaging process should be considered. You should consult the packaging engineer to make sure the symbol will not be obscured or damaged (e.g., over a carton edge, beneath a carton fold, beneath a package flap, or covered by another packaging layer). To determine the proper location for GS1 BarCodes, see the relevant sections of the GS1 Australia User Manual - Numbering and Barcoding available from GS1 Australia.

After determining the proper placement, the printing company should be consulted before assigning the symbol rotation. This is because many printing processes require barcodes 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 contact GS1 Australia.

Step 10: Build a barcode quality plan
Once barcode symbols have been printed, they need to be tested. Testing is the technical process by which a barcode symbol is measured to determine its conformance with specifications for that symbol. GS1 Australia provides a Testing service which uses the ISO/IEC method for testing of barcode symbols.

Maintaining acceptable print quality requires regular ongoing checks. It is therefore important that routine Testing is carried out at all levels of packaging to ensure that the barcode symbol complies with the required quality standard and to identify any potential problems.

For more information on barcode testing, contact GS1 Australia.