Bar Code Glossary

Application Program:

A computer program that performs useful work not related to the computer itself. Examples are word processors, spreadsheets, accounting systems, and engineering programs.

ASCII:

American Standard Code for Information Interchange - a standard code for representing characters as numbers used on most microcomputers, computer terminals, and printers.

Aspect ratio:

The ratio of the bar code height to bar code width.

Character string:

A sequence of characters stored in a computer and treated as a single data item.

Checksum:

A number that accompanies data transferred from one place to another that helps to ensure the data was transferred correctly.

Clipboard:

A holding area in Windows to which information can be copied in order to transfer it from one application to another.

CPI:

Characters Per Inch: the number of characters a fixed width font will print per inch.

DPI:

Dots Per Inch: the number of pixels or printer dots per linear inch.

Font:

A complete collection of characters, in a consistent style and size. This includes upper and lower case letters, numerals, punctuation, ligatures, and reference marks.

Modulo:

A mathematical operation that gives a remainder when one number is divided by another.

Parity pattern:

A clever way of encoding extra data, like a checksum, in the individual characters of a bar code.

Scalable font:

A font that can be used to print characters of any size. Many newer laser printers include scalable fonts.

Symbology:

A method of representing information by printed characters.

TrueType Font:

An outline typeface that can be scaled or sized to practically any size.

Start Code:

The leading character of a bar code that identifies what kind of bar code it is.

Stop Code:

The last character of a bar code that tells the bar code reader when it has reached the end of the code.

Utility:

A program that assists in the operation of a computer but does not do the main work for which the computer was bought.

Visual Basic Function:

A small program written in Visual Basic and used in products like Excel, Access, or Word to help create bar codes.