Data Matrix, GS1 DataMatrix, PDF417, Aztec. Two-dimensional codes hold far more than a row of bars and still read when tiny or partly damaged. Data Matrix is the industrial choice for electronics and small parts, and GS1 DataMatrix the same symbol with the application identifiers required on medicine packs. PDF417 is the stacked code on driving licences and boarding passes; Aztec is the bullseye code on rail and airline tickets and needs no quiet zone. For anything a phone should read, make a QR code instead.
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SVG, PNG at 600 dpi, PDF, label sheets
2 · Content · Data Matrix
Any text. Keep it short for a small symbol.
3 · Size and print
At 300 dpi each bar is 6 printer dots = 0.508 mm. The PNG uses exactly that.
4 · Download
SVG and PDF are vectors at the exact millimetre size shown. The PNG uses a whole number of printer dots per bar so nothing blurs. Generated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Click a name to read its notes; it is selected in the generator above at the same time.
| Symbology | Typical use | Encodes | Check digit | Kind | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Matrix | Small parts, electronics, tiny labels. | Any text. Keep it short for a small symbol. | Error correction | 2D | Reads at a few millimetres across; for industrial scanners, not phones. |
| GS1 DataMatrix | Pharma and healthcare packs with batch and expiry. | (AI)value pairs, as for GS1-128. | Error correction | 2D · GS1 | Data Matrix with a leading FNC1; the pharma serialisation format. |
| PDF417 | IDs, boarding passes, forms. | Up to about 1,800 characters. | Error correction | 2D | Large and stacked; holds up to about 1,800 characters. |
| Aztec | Rail and airline tickets. | Any text. | Error correction | 2D | Needs no quiet zone; most phone cameras read it. |
The tiny 2D code used on electronics, instruments and small parts, readable even when very small or partly damaged. Any text; the code grows in steps as the text does.
Data Matrix for small industrial labels read by dedicated scanners; QR for anything a phone should read.
Down to about 2.5 mm across on a laser marker; on a label printer keep each cell at least 0.25 mm, which the generator shows.
Some can, most cannot. Use QR for phones.
Data Matrix carrying GS1 application identifiers, as required on medicine packs and medical devices in most markets. GTIN, expiry, batch and serial in one small square; every field is validated.
Yes. GS1 DataMatrix with GTIN, expiry, batch and serial is the format required by serialisation rules in the EU, US and many other markets.
Same symbol with a leading FNC1 character that tells scanners the data follows GS1 rules.
Yes, the GTIN inside it comes from GS1.
The stacked barcode on driving licences, boarding passes and government forms. Holds far more than a linear code and survives damage through error correction.
Driving licences in the US and Canada, boarding passes, postage, shipping labels and many government forms.
Some scanner apps can; built-in cameras generally cannot. It is meant for dedicated scanners.
Up to about 1,800 characters, though the symbol gets large. Keep it to what the reader needs.
The bullseye-centred 2D code on rail and airline tickets. It needs no quiet zone, so it fits where other codes cannot.
Mostly on transport tickets: many railways, Eurostar, airline boarding passes in the IATA format.
No. Aztec is the one common code that does not require a quiet zone.
Most camera apps do, and all scanner apps.
Other barcode families