GS1 Data Matrix Calibrated Conformance Test Cards
Monday, November 30, 2009
Posted in: Verification
Verifier calibration test cards, for both linear and 2D symbols, can be ordered on the GS1 US website.
2D Barcodes Come of Age: A Glimpse Behind the Scenes
Those of us old enough to remember—and were tuned into what was happening—remember the difficult birthing process of the 1D or linear barcode. This was back in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s and into the early 90’s.
We had the technology to encode information in a machine readable way but because there was no industry-established way of defining, let alone testing quality, barcode scanning was a hit-or-miss proposition.
By the mid 80’s there existed a class of instruments to test barcode quality but no one was really sure what “quality” meant. Early verifiers used light and timing to take relative bar and space width and reflectivity “measurements” but even with passing grades, the barcodes sometimes still wouldn’t scan properly.
The lack of correlation between verifier results and scanner performance led an industry group to push to develop what was basically a verifier for the verifiers, aptly called “The Judge”. It took the finest minds in the industry 10 years to complete this important task.
Thankfully many of those fine minds are still active and productive, and remember well the lessons learned on linear symbols. And they well recognized the likelihood of repeating the false starts and painful gestation that would likely repeat in birthing a widely acceptable, high performing and reliable 2D symbology.
They set to work on a 2D Judge which was quietly and momentously born in Ohio earlier this year. The license to operate it was well earned and won by Product Identification and Processing Systems (PIPS) of New York City who will operate the 2D Judge under contract with GS1 US.
Congratulations to PIPS and colleagues.
Read more about The 2D Judge & Data Matrix conformance test cards on free sample article from SCAN: The Datacapture Report.
Of course, if you don’t subscribe to SCAN: The DATA CAPTURE Report, then you’re missing the other articles in this issue and the excellent and insightful AIDC industry reporting that Rick provides twice a month year in and year out.
Verifier calibration test cards, for both linear and 2D symbols, can be ordered on the GS1 US website.
