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The EAN-8 (European Article Numbering) barcode is a compact version of the EAN-13 barcode designed for smaller packages where a full EAN-13 barcode would be too large. It is used primarily in retail for product identification.

Heres a detailed description of its structure:

Overview

Total Length: 8 digits (7 data digits + 1 check digit).

Data Capacity: Encodes a GTIN-8 (Global Trade Item Number).

Symbology: Continuous, numeric-only.

Components of an EAN-8 Barcode

1.Start Guard Bars: These are three bars at the beginning of the barcode that signal the scanner to start reading. The pattern is always 101.

2.Left Group (First 4 digits):

The first 4 digits are encoded using a specific pattern of bars and spaces.

Each digit is represented by 7 modules (bars and spaces).

Encoding utilizes the same Left Parity (L-code) as the first half of EAN-13.

3.Center Guard Bars:

A pattern of five bars in the middle of the barcode that separates the left and right groups. The pattern is always 01010.

4.Right Group (Last 4 digits):

The last 4 digits are encoded in a similar manner to the left group but use the Right Parity (R-code) which is different from L-code.

5.End Guard Bars: These are three bars at the end of the barcode that signal the scanner to stop reading. The pattern is always 101.

6.Check Digit:

The 8th digit is a check digit calculated from the first 7 digits using a modulo-10 algorithm.

It helps in verifying the integrity of the barcode.

Detailed Encoding

Start and End Guard Bars: Fixed pattern 101.

Center Guard Bars: Fixed pattern 01010.

Left Side Encoding (L-code):

Each digit is encoded into a series of 7 bars and spaces (modules).

Example:

0: 0001101

1: 0011001

2: 0010011

... (and so on up to 9)

Right Side Encoding (R-code):

Each digit on the right side also uses 7 modules but with a different pattern.

Example:

0: 1110010

1: 1100110

2: 1101100

... (and so on up to 9)

Example of an EAN-8 Barcode Encoding

For an EAN-8 number 12345670, the structure will be:

Start Guard Bars: 101

Left Group: 1234

1: 0011001

2: 0010011

3: 0111101

4: 0100011

Center Guard Bars: 01010

Right Group: 5670

5: 1001110

6: 1010000

7: 1000100

0: 1110010

End Guard Bars: 101

Therefore, the full barcode pattern would be:

101 0011001 0010011 0111101 0100011 01010 1001110 1010000 1000100 1110010 101

Check Digit Calculation

To calculate the check digit for an EAN-8 barcode, follow these steps:

1.Take the first 7 digits of the barcode.

2.Multiply each digit by a weight that alternates between 3 and 1, starting with 3 for the first digit.

Example: For 1234567, the calculation would be:

1×3+2×1+3×3+4×1+5×3+6×1+7×31 \times 3 + 2 \times 1 + 3 \times 3 + 4 \times 1 + 5 \times 3 + 6 \times 1 + 7 \times 31×3+2×1+3×3+4×1+5×3+6×1+7×3

3.Sum the results.

4.Find the modulo 10 of the sum (the remainder when divided by 10).

5.If the remainder is 0, the check digit is 0. If not, subtract the remainder from 10 to get the check digit.

Using the example 1234567:

1×3+2×1+3×3+4×1+5×3+6×1+7×3=3+2+9+4+15+6+21=601 \times 3 + 2 \times 1 + 3 \times 3 + 4 \times 1 + 5 \times 3 + 6 \times 1 + 7 \times 3 = 3 + 2 + 9 + 4 + 15 + 6 + 21 = 601×3+2×1+3×3+4×1+5×3+6×1+7×3=3+2+9+4+15+6+21=60

60mod 10=060 \mod 10 = 060mod10=0

Check digit = 0

Hence, the full EAN-8 number is 12345670.

This detailed structure ensures that the EAN-8 barcode is both compact and reliable, suitable for small items while maintaining compatibility with existing retail systems.

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Highlights

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