The Code 39 specification defines 43 characters, consisting of uppercase letters (A through Z), numeric digits (0 through 9) and a number of special characters (., $, /, +,%, and space). An additional character (denoted '.') is used for both start and stop delimiters. Each character is composed of nine elements: five bars and four spaces. Although the Code 39 barcode only supports 43 characters, it is possible to employ a substitution mechanism based on industry specifications to encode all the 128 ASCII characters. The Code 39 barcode that employs this mechanism is known as the Code 39 Extended barcode or Code 39 ASCII barcode. ConnectCode Code 39 barcode font is able to.
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Example:
Code 3 of 9 is the most popular barcode for encoding alpha-numeric characters.
'The Code 39 Barcode Font provided by IDAutomation enabled us to ship resources quicker, with less errors and less human intervention. The process is largely due to the 'scanable' Packing Slip ID merged to a MS Word document with the Code 39 Font for the ID Bar Code. Code 39 (also known as 'USS Code 39', 'Code 3/9', 'Code 3 of 9', 'USD-3', 'Alpha39', 'Type 39') is a barcode symbology that can encode uppercase letters (A through Z), digits (0 through 9) and a handful of special characters like the $ sign. Code 39 is restricted to 44 characters. In Full ASCII Code 39 Symbols 0-9, A-Z, '.' The following data value, 123/AB, would be encoded in a Code 39 (Full ASCII) barcode as 123/OAB. Note: The table below indicates the ASCII representation of a forward slash character, /, would be seen as the /O characters in the Code 39 (Full ASCII) barcode.
Key features:
- 2 different width of bar/space.
- Symbol set contains 43 characters: A-Z, 0-9, and -, ., *, $, /, +, %, SPACE.
- Each character is made up of 5 bars and 4 spaces with 3 wide bars/spaces and 6 narrow bars/spaces.
- There is a space between each character.
- The first and last character should always be the same (the * character)
- The first and last 5 black bars should always follow the pattern: narrow, narrow, wide, wide, narrow.
- The number of black bars should be divisible by 5.
- Optional checksum character modulus 43.
- Extended Code 39 uses 2 normal characters to represent one extended character, giving a 128-character symbol set.
Specification:
| Symbol | Narrow/Wide Pattern | Visual Pattern | Checksum Value |
| * | NWNNWNWNN | N/A | |
| 0 | NNNWWNWNN | 0 | |
| 1 | WNNWNNNNW | 1 | |
| 2 | NNWWNNNNW | 2 | |
| 3 | WNWWNNNNN | 3 | |
| 4 | NNNWWNNNW | 4 | |
| 5 | WNNWWNNNN | 5 | |
| 6 | NNWWWNNNN | 6 | |
| 7 | NNNWNNWNW | 7 | |
| 8 | WNNWNNWNN | 8 | |
| 9 | NNWWNNWNN | 9 | |
| A | WNNNNWNNW | 10 | |
| B | NNWNNWNNW | 11 | |
| C | WNWNNWNNN | 12 | |
| D | NNNNWWNNW | 13 | |
| E | WNNNWWNNN | 14 | |
| F | NNWNWWNNN | 15 | |
| G | NNNNNWWNW | 16 | |
| H | WNNNNWWNN | 17 | |
| I | NNWNNWWNN | 18 | |
| J | NNNNWWWNN | 19 | |
| K | WNNNNNNWW | 20 | |
| L | NNWNNNNWW | 21 | |
| M | WNWNNNNWN | 22 | |
| N | NNNNWNNWW | 23 | |
| O | WNNNWNNWN | 24 | |
| P | NNWNWNNWN | 25 | |
| Q | NNNNNNWWW | 26 | |
| R | WNNNNNWWN | 27 | |
| S | NNWNNNWWN | 28 | |
| T | NNNNWNWWN | 29 | |
| U | WWNNNNNNW | 30 | |
| V | NWWNNNNNW | 31 | |
| W | WWWNNNNNN | 32 | |
| X | NWNNWNNNW | 33 | |
| Y | WWNNWNNNN | 34 | |
| Z | NWWNWNNNN | 35 | |
| – | NWNNNNWNW | 36 | |
| . | WWNNNNWNN | 37 | |
| SPACE | NWWNNNWNN | 38 | |
| $ | NWNWNWNNN | 39 | |
| / | NWNWNNNWN | 40 | |
| + | NWNNNWNWN | 41 | |
| % | NNNWNWNWN | 42 |
Checksum Calculation:
The checksum is modulus 43 sum of all the checksum values from the table above.
For example, if you are encoding the string ABCD1234 then the checksum values will be 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 56.
56 mod 43 = 13. So the checksum character should be D.
Extended Code 39
The Code 39 character set can be extended to a full set of ASCII characters by using 1 or 2 normal characters for each character in the extended set.
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Note that a barcode reader cannot automatically determine whether a barcode is encoded normally or in the extended set.
The following table shows how to encode the full set of ASCII characters:
| NUL | %U | SUB | $Z | 4 | 4 | N | N | h | +H |
| SOH | $A | ESC | %A | 5 | 5 | O | O | i | +I |
| STX | $B | FS | %B | 6 | 6 | P | P | j | +J |
| ETX | $C | GS | %C | 7 | 7 | Q | Q | k | +K |
| EOT | $D | RS | %D | 8 | 8 | R | R | l | +L |
| ENQ | $E | US | %E | 9 | 9 | S | S | m | +M |
| ACK | $F | SPACE | SPACE | : | /Z | T | T | n | +N |
| BEL | $G | ! | /A | ; | %F | U | U | o | +O |
| BS | $H | “ | /B | < | %G | V | V | p | +P |
| HT | $I | # | /C | = | %H | W | W | q | +Q |
| LF | $J | $ | /D | > | %I | X | X | r | +R |
| VT | $K | % | /E | ? | %J | Y | Y | s | +S |
| FF | $L | & | /F | ? | %V | Z | Z | t | +T |
| CR | $M | ‘ | /G | A | A | [ | %K | u | +U |
| SO | $N | ( | /H | B | B | %L | v | +V | |
| SI | $O | ) | /I | C | C | ] | %M | w | +W |
| DLE | $P | * | /J | D | D | ^ | %N | x | +X |
| DC1 | $Q | + | /K | E | E | _ | %O | y | +Y |
| DC2 | $R | , | /L | F | F | ‘ | %W | z | +Z |
| DC3 | $S | – | – | G | G | a | +A | { | %P |
| DC4 | $T | . | . | H | H | b | +B | | | %Q |
| NAK | $U | / | /O | I | I | c | +C | } | %R |
| SYN | $V | 0 | 0 | J | J | d | +D | ~ | %S |
| ETB | $W | 1 | 1 | K | K | e | +E | DEL | %T |
| CAN | $X | 2 | 2 | L | L | f | +F | DEL | %X |
| EM | $Y | 3 | 3 | M | M | g | +G | DEL | %Z |