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PosiCode

PosiCode was developed in the late 1990s for use in direct parts marking processes (such as laser engraving, chemical etching, and dot peen marking), where it is difficult to control the width of the bars in a barcode (and therefore where multiple-width symbols, such as Code 128, are less practical). It is a continuous, position-based, one-dimensional symbology.

"Position-based" means that all bars are the same width, and the encoded data is determined by the position of the bars relative to one another. The centers of the bars can be thought of as being laid out on a grid of equally spaced parallel lines. The distance between these lines is called the G dimension (similar to the X dimension of other barcodes).

The standard PosiCode symbology has two variations, PosiCode A and PosiCode B. An older version of PosiCode, now called Limited PosiCode, is still in use; it also has A and B versions. Stacked versions of both PosiCode and Limited PosiCode are also supported.

PosiCode is defined in the AIM ITS/02-001 International Symbology Specification - PosiCode standard.

Symbol Structure

The symbol comprises the following elements:

Leading quiet zone
Start character
One or more data characters
Check digit
Stop character
Trailing quiet zone

Each encoded character is composed of three bars and three spaces. Each bar is the same width, and the distance between bars (that is, each space) is a multiple of the bar width. The distance between bar centers varies from 2G to 9G for PosiCode A and from 3G to 10G for PosiCode B (where "G" is the current G dimension).

A quiet zone of 12G is required on either side, except for Limited PosiCode B, which requires a 13G quiet zone.

Character Set

Check Digit

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