UPC-A is used for marking products which are sold at retail in the USA. The barcode identifies the manufacturer and specific product so point-of- sale cash register systems can automatically look up the price. The UPC-A Code and the assignment of manufacturer ID numbers is controlled in the U.S.A. by the Uniform Code Council (UCC). Sample of a UPC-A Barcode The value to encode by UPC-A has the following structure: 1 digit for Number System (0: regular UPC codes, 1: reserved, 2: random weight items marked at the store, 3: National Drug Code and National Health Related Items code, 4: no format restrictions, for in-store use on non-food items, 5: for use on coupons, 6: reserved, 7: regular UPC codes, 8: reserved, 9: reserved) 5 digits for Manufacturer (Company) Code or prefix. This number is assigned by the Uniform Code Council (UCC) 5 digits for Product Code which is assigned by the manufacturer 1 digit for checksum 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 UPC-A Two-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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