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17. About Barcodes
This section provides information on bar codes and their use
with the Card Software.
Bar Codes
Introduction
A bar code is a machine-readable symbol representing humanreadable information.
The information represented can be alpha or numeric only,
limited alphanumeric, or the full character set. The humanreadable alpha or numeric characters are represented in the
bar code symbol by a series of varying width vertical lines
(called bars) and spaces. Bars and spaces together are elements.
An element can be a wide black bar or white space, or a narrow
black bar or white space. Each element is assigned a binary
value of either “1” or “0”. To represent the necessary character
in the bar code, the elements must follow a precise sequential
order as part of a group.
Scanning is the process of acquiring or “reading” the
information encoded in a bar code symbol. To read the
information contained in a bar code symbol, a scanning device
such as a light pen is moved across the symbol from one side
to the other. As the scanning device is moved across the
symbol, the width pattern of the bars and spaces is translated
back into the original information. Bar code is an optical
technique because information is scanned using light that
reflects off dark or light regions of the symbol.
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Card Software User Manual