Smart Label with 2D Data Matrix GS1 Barcode - FAQs

No, all information stored in the 2D barcode will stay 'human readable' on the labels.

Yes, very likely and we will inform you soon after updates are made.

Yes, please use a scanning device which is able to read Data Matrix 2D barcodes that adhere to the GS1 standard.

Important note - Do not confuse 1D Data Matrix GS1 barcode scanners with scanners able to read 2D Data Matrix GS1 barcodes.

Not immediately. After internal and customer systems/processes have been updated, the 1D barcodes will likely be removed.

For more information, visit the Smart Label page.

For best results, please set up your scanner to use an English keyboard layout.

If you encounter any issues, please contact customer service.

Yes. Please see the Scan Now App download page for more information.

Our Smart Labels follow the barcode guidelines defined by GS1, a global not-for-profit standards group. Read more about GS1 here.

The specification includes rules for how to format the product data contained in the barcode. Those rules include Application Identifiers (AIs), which are prefixes that are paired with the product information itself, such as the expiration date, for example.

When it is possible, GS1 standardizes the data fields themselves, too. For instance, the aforementioned expiration date is AI code 17; the GS1 rules say that the date is six digits long, two digits for the year, two for the month, and two for the date. So a full example Expiry Date would be 17250128 where '17' is the AI, '25' is the year (2025), '01' is the month (January), and '28' is the date.

There are dozens of AIs, including GTIN (AI 01), USE BY OR EXPIRY (AI 17), BATCH/LOT (AI 10), SERIAL (AI 21), and ORIGIN (AI 422).

Read more about AIs on the GS1 website here and the GS1 standard here.

The Scan Now webpage reads the long string of numbers and letters that make up a Smart Label barcode, finds the AIs and product data and displays the information in a table.