Data Matrix Barcode FAQ

What is Data Matrix barcode, ECC200, encode character set, symbol structure, ECI, Structure Append & reading Data Matrix barcode











2D Data Maxtrix Introduction

What is Data Matrix?


Data Matrix, also known as Data Matrix ECC200, is a two-dimensional (2D) matrix symbology, which is defined in "INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 16022:2006".

The future version "ISO/IEC CD 16022.4" is still under development.



What are Data Matrix types?


Data Matrix symbology has two types, based on error correction mode:

  • ECC 200: ECC 200 uses Reed-Solomon error correction. ECC 200 is recommended.
  • ECC 000 - 140: with several available levels of convolutional error correction, referred to as ECC 000, ECC 050, ECC 080, ECC 100 and ECC 140 respectively. ECC 000 - 140 should only be used in closed applications where a single company or organization controls both the generating and reading of the Data Matrix symbols.



Data Matrix encoding character set

Data Matrix barcode supports full ASCII characters encoding.

Data Matrix encodable character set

  • values 0 - 127 in accordance with the US national version of ISO/IEC 646
  • values 128 - 255 in accordance with ISO 8859-1. These are referred to as extended ASCII.
  • Other character sets (e.g. Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew) may be supported when using the Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI) protocol



What is the maximum data length of Data Matrix?

Depends on your encoding data type, Data Matrix supports maximum length from 1,555 to 3,116 characters.

  • Alphanumeric data: up to 2,335 characters
  • Byte data (8-bit): 1,555 characters
  • Numeric data: 3,116 digits



Data Matrix data encoding mode

Data Matrix will encode the data using any combination of six encoding modes (schemes).



Table-1: Data Matrix ECC 200 Encoding Modes

Encodation Scheme Characters
ASCII double digit numerics
ASCII values 0 - 127
Extended ASCII values 128 - 255
C40 Upper-case alphanumeric
Lower case and special characters
Text Lower-case alphanumeric
Upper case and special characters
X12 ANSI X12 EDI data set
EDIFACT ASCII values 32 - 94
Base 256 All byte values 0 - 255


Data Matrix symbol structure

Symbol Size

Data Matrix supports 24 square symbols and 6 rectangular symbols in ECC 200.

View the table below for list of Data Matrix symbol sizes

A sample square Data Matrix barcode with 32 rows and 32 columns.



A sample rectangular Data Matrix barcode with 8 rows and 32 columns.



What is Data Matrix data region?

Each Data Matrix barcode consists one or more data regions (up to 36). In larger ECC 200 barcode, data regions are separated by alignment patterns.

The highlighted alignment pattern below width is 2X (bar module).



What is Data Matrix finder pattern?

The finder pattern is a perimeter to the data region and is one bar module wide.

Two adjacent sides, the left and lower sides, forming the L boundary, are solid dark lines.

The two opposite sides are made up of alternating dark and light modules.

The finder pattern width is X (bar module).



What is Data Matrix quiet zone border?

Data Matrix barcode all four sides are surrounded by a quiet zone border.

The minimum quiet zone is equal to X (bar module) on all four sides. For applications with moderate to excessive reflected noise in close proximity to the symbol, a Quiet Zone of 2X to 4X is recommended.





Table-2: Data Matrix ECC 200 symbol attributes

Symbol size Data region Maximum data capacity
Row Column Size No. Num. Alphanum. Byte
10 10 8 x 8 1 6 3 1
12 12 10 x 10 1 10 6 3
14 14 12 x 12 1 16 10 6
16 16 14 x 14 1 24 16 10
18 18 16 x 16 1 36 25 16
20 20 18 x 18 1 44 31 20
22 22 20 x 20 1 60 43 28
24 24 22 x 22 1 72 52 34
26 26 24 x 24 1 88 64 42
32 32 14 x 14 4 124 91 60
36 36 16 x 16 4 172 127 84
40 40 18 x 18 4 228 169 112
44 44 20 x 20 4 288 214 142
48 48 22 x 22 4 348 259 172
52 52 24 x 24 4 408 304 202
64 64 14 x 14 16 560 418 277
72 72 16 x 16 16 736 550 365
80 80 18 x 18 16 912 682 453
88 88 20 x 20 16 1,152 862 573
96 96 22 x 22 16 1,392 1,042 693
104 104 24 x 24 16 1,632 1,222 813
120 120 18 x 18 36 2,100 1,573 1,047
132 132 20 x 20 36 2,608 1,954 1,301
144 144 22 x 22 36 3,116 2,335 1,555
Rectangular Symbols
8 18 6 x 16 1 10 6 3
8 32 6 x 14 2 20 13 8
12 26 10 x 24 1 32 22 14
12 36 10 x 16 2 44 31 20
16 36 14 x 16 2 64 46 30
16 48 14 x 22 2 98 72 47



Data Matrix Barcode Dimension Size

The width of a Data Matrix barcode, including quiet zones, can be calculated from the following expression:

W = Row * X + 2Q

where

The height of a Data Matrix barcode, including quiet zones, can be calculated from the following expression:

H = Col * X + 2Q

where

  • H: is the barcode height
  • Col: is the modules per column (Symbol Size)
  • X: is the width of the module
  • Q: is the width of the quiet zone

Note: if the Data Matrix is a square, the width and height are the same value.



Data Matrix Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI) Output

The Data Matrix default character interpretation for character values 0 to 127 shall conform to ISO/IEC 646. The default character interpretation for character values 128 to 255 shall conform to ISO 8859-1: Latin Alphabet No. 1.

The Extended Channel Interpretation (ECI) protocol allows the output data stream to have interpretations different from that of the default character set.

Four broad types of interpretations are supported in Data Matrix

  • international character sets (e.g. Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew). View complete source code: Encode Thai text in Data Matrix using C#
  • general purpose interpretations such as encryption and compaction
  • user defined interpretations for closed systems
  • control information for structured append in unbuffered mode



Data Matrix Structure Append

Data Matrix can append up to 16 barcodes in a structured format. Structure Appended is only for ECC 200 barcodes. Some key terms for Data Matrix Structure Append:

  • Symbol sequence indicator: It indicates the position of the symbol within the set (up to 16 barcodes) of Data Matrix barcodes.
  • File identification: All Data Matrix barcodes with the same file identification value are parts of the same message.



Data Matrix terms and definitions

some common terms and definitions in Data Matrix

  • codeword: Data matrix barcode character value, an intermediate level of coding between Data matrix source data and the graphical encodation in the Data matrix
  • module: single cell in a Data matrix barcode used to encode one bit of data, nominally a square shape in Data Matrix












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