EAN-13, based upon the UPC-A standard, was implemented by the International Article Numbering Association (EAN) in Europe. EAN-13 is a superset of UPC-A. This means that any software or hardware capable of reading an EAN-13 symbol will automatically be able to read an UPC-A symbol. The only difference between EAN-13 and UPC-A is that the number system code in UPC-A is a single digit from 0 through 9 whereas an EAN-13 number system code consists of two digits ranging from 00 through 99, which is essentially a country code. Sample of an EAN-13 Barcode The value to encode by EAN-13 has the following structure: 2 or 3 digits for Number System or Country Code 5 or 4 digits for Manufacturer (Company) Code or prefix 5 digits for Product Code 1 digit for checksum Each country has a numbering authority which assigns manufacturer codes to companies within its jurisdiction. Add-On or Supplement code The Add-On Symbols were designed to encode information supplementary to that in the main bar code symbol on periodicals and paperback books. The Add-On can be composed of 2 or 5 digits only. Sample of an EAN-13 Five-Digit Add-On Barcode Light Margin Indicators - a greater than (>) and/or less than (<) character - are intended to protected the essential light areas to the left and right of the code that the barcode scanner needs to recognize the beginning and end.
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