19.9.13

Bar Codes And Their Function

By Keren Kipfer


In the United States and other countries, you can find bar codes printed in our food products when you look for them on the side of the packaging. The back side of a product is usually the area where they are placed. They are not only placed there to make it easier for store checkers to easily add up the cost of your total grocery bill and they have other purpose. Here are some of their important functions aside from the one mentioned before.

UPC codes, which stand for Universal Product Code is another common name of bar codes. The Uniform Code Council or UCC was the group that set up this UPC system. The codes usually are labeled in a normal black bar on a white background print having several numbers found at the bottom. Some parts of the code can only be read with a specific machine or scanner, but the number portion provides a great deal of information that can be used either by the store selling the item or even by the consumer if you understand what these codes mean.

A 12-digit code is composed in a standard UPC code containing a manufacturer's identification number. From left to right, the first six digits will specify who manufactured the product while the remaining next five digits of the code indicate the actual product. The end result is known as the check digit and it should always be the answer to a mathematical formula that uses all of the previous numbers in the code. A UPC coordinator is required to avoid using the same code on more than one product and retire these codes as these products are removed from shelves.

Most of the products in a grocery store that are manufactured elsewhere like sodas, pastas, tomato sauces and the millions of other products we buy usually have number codes 0,1,6,7 and 8 which they represent. Deli meat, cheese or produce have a number 2 which indicates item sold by weight. Different types of coupons use the numbers 4, 5 and 9 while 3 is for different for pharmaceutical items.

Bar codes are not the only ones that are printed on the packaging of different food products. Manufacturers include printing the batch number and expiration date on these products also. To do this, they use a special kind of printer, known as an ID coder or ID printer. There are many brands of coders that are available in the market, including Domino coders, VideoJet coders, Imaje coders and many more. This is very important especially the expiration dates since they help one determine if these products are safe for consumption or use. Food is vital for our daily lives and we need to be absolutely sure about their quality and freshness.

In order for your ID coders or printers to function properly they will require very high quality types of inks and fluids. While these items certainly can be purchased directly from the company that produced your coder, these name brand inks are very expensive and this is a cost you incur again and again. So it is wise to find a company that caters to those with product ID coders. They create quality generic versions of inks for all brands of coders. You can purchase Altima ink, Domino ink or any other brand for much less than retail price.




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