Barcode Requirements

January 22, 2015QUA-2015-006

Barcode Requirements

1. Objective Statement

The purpose of this document is to provide the barcode label requirements to the suppliers of Prime-Line Productsto achieve the objectives below.

• Meet Prime-Line Products requirements in full.
• Minimizecustomer charge-backs to Prime-Line, as well as to charge-back to suppliers.

1. Scope

Prime-Line barcode requirements are applied to import purchases of finish good products. Which includes all entities of Prime-Line: Sentry, Precision Screen and Security Products.It is not applied to import purchase orders of raw components.

1. Barcode Standards

The internationaland American standards on barcode labels and barcode related equipment, are followed by both Prime-Line / Prime-Line Customers. All Prime-Lines suppliers must follow these standards:

• ISO (International Organization for Standardization):15416 Standard
• ANSI (American National Standards Institute): X3.182 Standard

1. Barcode Labels

1. GSI Specifications

All barcode labels must conform tothe GS1 specifications, the international barcode specifications governed by GS1.

• GS1 is aglobal non-profit association with members in over one hundred countries, which handle all inquiries related to GS1. Please refer to its organization web at For additional help, please contact your local GS1 office. The GSI offices in China and Taiwan are shown:

The latest GS1 Specifications are available at:

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GS1 China 4-6th Floor, Wing B, Imperial International Bldg. No 136 Andingmenwai Street Dongcheng District, Beijing, P.R.China 100011 Phone: + 86 40 0700 0690 Fax: + 86 10 8429 5624 E-mail: Web site:

GS1 Taiwan 4F, No.10, LIN SEN S. RD. TaipeiTaiwan Phone: + 886 2 2393 9145 Fax: +886 2 2391 3171 E-mail: Web site:

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1. Barcode Label Specifications

1. Thermal Transfer paper, permanent acrylic adhesive, 6.0 mils thickness, 85% brightness.
2. Label Size should be standard size: 2” length x 3-1/2” width for the inner box and master carton both.
3. Barcode Label Format - ITF-14 (Interleaved 2-of-5): It carries GTIN-14 ID numbers. A step by step process to download a barcode file can be found in Oracle I-Supplier, “Training Barcode Process – Download a Barcode” The finished barcode label is shown below:

Note: This is not actual size

1. Barcode Compliance Grading Standards

It is crucial to scan the barcode labels to insure thatthey will meet GS1 requirements. The ISO 15416 and ANSI X3.182 standardsare regulated onhow to grade barcode labels through a barcode scanner.

1. Barcode Label Grading Parameters

The following are critical non-conforming grading parameters:

• Scratches directly on barcode

• Blurry appearance or faded barcode

• Barcode spacing (bearer bars are uneven etc...)
• Tape over barcode label
• Print Quality
• Quite Zone: It is theBLANK margin on either side of bar code to tell where a barcodestarts and ends.

1. Barcode Grading Process and Acceptance Level

Grades A, B, and C are the acceptable grades when scanning a barcode. Any grade less than C is not acceptable. If an unacceptable grade is displayed on the display view screen of the scanner, the barcode must be removed, re-labelled, replaced and re-scanned until an acceptable barcode is read.

The barcode scanner grading and the acceptance levels are as follows.

• The most common reasons for being rejected at Grade D or F are as follows and as the Appendix (P.6)

○ Barcode label is over or under the clear tape, resulting in high reflectance and rejected.

○ Poor carton. If barcode label is wrinkled over dented carton, the scan ability will be lower and rejected.

○ Poor printer maintenance, such as dirt in printer, printing ribbon being dried out, etc.

○ Inferior and/or incorrect thermal transfer ribbon or label material being used.

○ Poor printing through Direct Thermal printer, bar code labels illegible under heat in transit.

○ Damaged barcode labels in transit.

1. Barcode Label Approval

Prior to each shipment to Prime-Line; five pieces of each barcode label per item must be submitted as a First Article Sample. This will apply for the inner and master carton.

1. Barcode Scanning Test

Scan Test at Suppliers: It is required that all Prime-Line suppliers must perform and document the scan test at the packaging lines on all shipments. Prime-Line requires grade A or B at supplier’s location.

Scan Test at Prime-Line: Prime-Line scans barcode labelsfor all import shipments of finish producton AQL (Acceptance Quality Level) basis. Grade A through C are acceptable. Grade D and F are notacceptable.

1. Barcode Software and Equipment Recommended by Prime-Line

Barcode Software: It is mandatory for all Prime-Line suppliers to use the Bartender Professional Version 10.1 barcode software. Which is the same barcode software mentioned in Oracle I-Supplier at Prime-Line. When downloading a barcode file in Oracle I-Supplier, the barcode format could be saved to the Bartender. The barcode printing will be enabled at the barcode printer through the print command.

Barcode Software and Equipment: It is mandatoryto use the same barcode software and equipment as Prime-Line. Below is information on Equipment and Software.

1. Barcode Label Placements

Two adjacent labels are required on each side of the master carton and inner carton. Labels are to be placed 1 inch away from the edge of the carton. See below:

Appendix – Acceptable Barcodes and Bad Barcodes

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