If everything goes to plan, the ubiquitous, venerable UPC will soon be relegated to barcode history. It leaves a 50-year history and big boots to fill, but the successor QR Code is well up to the task. But what exactly makes this 2D barcode better when UPC did it so well for so long?

Barcode: from a solution to a problem

The answer you hear most often is data capacity. The handful of bytes stored in a UPC just aren’t up to the task anymore. This is a significant difference. Barcodes today are required to do more than just product identification—and it’s not just the consumers that want more. So do retailers, environmentalists and the regulators. The ability to encode a URL along with the product identification gives health-conscious consumers nutritional, allergy information and menu ideas. Retailers get freshness and expiration data. Environmentalists get package material and recycling information. Regulators obtain sourcing specifics in the event of recalls.  The UPC couldn’t do any of this.

…and back to a solution

For years, these same groups have struggled to get their information on the product package, and the precious space for the barcode was often viewed as the enemy of these competing forces. Now the barcode will be their savior and everybody wins—especially the consumer. The QR Code needs about half as much space, and has the capacity for as many as 4,300 alphanumeric characters—and that’s just the barcode itself. The URL it points to can be a multi-page document such as a User Guide, a receipt (or an entire cookbook), a website, a video—you get the idea.

A Solution for everyone

The new 2D barcode has some important advantages for the packages.  The format has more tolerance for printing inaccuracies, making it easier for printers to reproduce thousands of scannable barcodes. However, there is another significant benefit to the QR symbol. It has the ability to recover missing data from a damaged barcode image. No UPC could ever do that!

The migration from UPC to QR code is a real game-changer.

It puts the power of data collection right into the hands of the people who can benefit the most—you and me.

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3db Barcode Testimonial

Our company (an advanced software company) recently worked with Barcode Test to source a barcode verifier.  Not long ago, we were awarded a contract requiring products to be marked with IUIDs in accordance with MIL-STD-130.  For that standard, marking labels must pass a verification test that evaluates many variables (contrast, size, clarity, syntax, modularity, and more).  After a thorough search, we reduced our options to a select few.

In our search for a verifier, the Axicon line caught our attention.  Barcode Test is our regional reseller for this product.   From the beginning, they were very prompt with their responses.  We ended up having a quick call with John Nachtrieb to go over our needs.  John was extremely easy to work with and provided a lot of great information.  He was very knowledgeable on the matter and was quick to offer up a demo unit (free of charge).

Upon receiving the demo verifier and testing it, a few questions arose.  John joined a call with us and answered all our questions.  Ultimately, the Axicon verifier wasn’t the best fit for us, so we shipped the demo back.  John was completely understanding.  A few weeks later, Barcode Test reached back out with another possible verifier for us to try.  While they didn’t sell that brand, they just wanted to help us find the best option that met our needs. They even offered to send us the unit that they have in-house to see if it worked to our liking. 

Barcode Test is truly a great company to work with.  Their service and willingness to help the customer are far beyond what you typically get from other companies.  They are experts in barcode quality assurance and seem willing to help in any way they can (even if that means not getting a sale and recommending another option that better fits the customer’s needs).  If anyone is in the market for barcode verification/scanning services or products, I would highly recommend giving Barcode Test a call.

Regards,

Production Manager