Which of the following are typical characteristics of 2D barcodes? Select TWO that apply.

Which of the following are typical characteristics of 2D barcodes? Select TWO that apply.
A . Every 2D barcodes must conform international standards
B . The 2D barcodes are machine-readable
C . 2D barcodes are exclusively used for marketing purpose
D . 2D barcodes can be read by linear scanners
E . 2D barcodes can contain more data than 1D barcodes

View Answer

Answer: B, E

Explanation:

Two-dimensional (2D) barcodes look like squares or rectangles that contain many small, individual dots. This has many different types (i.e. Data matrix, QR codes, Aztec code,…) and several different standards in use (i.e. GS1 standards, ISO/IEC 18004:2015). It can be substituted for 1D barcode, but it has the capability to hold a larger amount of data. For examples, GS1 Data Matrix can contain 3116 Numeric characters or 2335 Alphanumeric characters while GS1-128 barcode has maximum capacity of 48 characters.

Like 1D barcodes, 2D barcodes are also machine-readable with dots/squares and spaces. They have symbology like this:

Since the code is two dimensional, conventional laser scanner can’t read it. 2D barcodes require imaging scanner to read.

2D barcodes can be also used for different purposes throughout the supply chain: identifying products/SKU (single unit, packaged or pallet), identifying content of a purchase order or delivery, identifying the batch number from which the item originates, identifying the manufacturer, country of origin etc, tracking status of an order, shipment or delivery

Reference: CIPS study guide page 44-46

LO 1, AC 1.2