Barcodes that go from ink to beep

The standard retail barcode in Europe and most of the world. 12 data digits plus a check digit.

Compact EAN variant for small packages where an EAN-13 will not fit. 7 data digits plus a check digit.

The North American counterpart of EAN-13. 11 data digits plus a check digit.

Compressed UPC for small packages — 6 visible digits that expand to a full UPC-A.

The barcode for books — the ISBN encoded as an EAN-13 with prefix 978/979.

The most compact one-dimensional code for arbitrary text/digits — the workhorse of logistics and internal systems.

Code 128 with GS1 application identifiers — the standard for pallets, parcels and supply-chain traceability.

Older alphanumeric code still required by some defense, automotive and government systems.

A denser successor to Code 39 with two check characters — niche but robust.

The outer-case code — GTIN-14 for cartons and trays, robust enough to print directly on corrugated board.

The dominant 2D code — URLs, payments, tickets. Up to ~3 kB of data with built-in error correction.

The smallest 2D code — the standard for pharmaceuticals (GS1), electronics and direct part marking on metal.

Stacked 2D code for documents and IDs — driver’s licenses, boarding passes and waybills.

The miniature QR variant for tiny surfaces — a single position marker and very short content.

Compact stacked variant of PDF417 — for ID and logistics applications where the full format is too wide.

The travel industry’s 2D code — train tickets and mobile boarding passes, readable even without a quiet zone.

Classic code in blood banks, libraries and air cargo — easy to print even on dot-matrix printers.

Shelf-edge and warehouse code from the 1970s — still used for retail shelf labeling.

The pharmaceutical industry's packaging-control code — read at high speed on packaging lines, not by regular scanners.