2D
GS1 DataMatrix
A small, dense square code that holds the product number, lot, expiry and serial. The standard choice for pharmaceutical and health-product packs.
Capabilities · Codes & variable data
Every label, its own code.
Serial numbers, lot and expiry dates, QR codes and GS1 barcodes, printed label by label so every pack can be identified and traced. We’re building our coding work around what pharmaceutical and food customers need.
Setting up the studio…
Variable data
No two labels alike.
Each label on the roll is printed with its own data as it passes the print bar. Here, every one carries a GS1 Digital Link QR code holding a product number, lot, expiry date and its own serial.
Reading label
- (01) Product number GTIN
- –
- (17) Expiry date
- –
- (10) Lot
- –
- (21) Serial number
- –
Point your phone camera at the code: it reads as a GS1 Digital Link web address with all four values built in. Example data only, so the address isn’t live.
Codes we offer
2D
QR with GS1 Digital Link
One code that a checkout scanner reads as a product number and a phone opens as a web page: instructions, recalls, recipes or proof of origin.
2D
QR codes
Plain QR codes for marketing, product information, registrations and reorder links.
1D
UPC, EAN and GS1-128
The familiar linear barcodes: UPC and EAN for retail checkout, GS1-128 for cases, pallets and logistics data.
Text
Sequential numbering
Serial numbers that step on label by label, in the format and starting point you set.
Text
Lot and expiry
Batch numbers and dates printed with the rest of the label, so they can change from run to run without new plates.
Setting up the studio…
Code grading
Not just readable. Graded.
A verifier grades each code from A to F on how well it will scan, everywhere it will be scanned. Push the print out of spec and watch the grade fall.
A
- Decode
- A
- Symbol contrast
- A
- Modulation
- A
- Fixed pattern damage
- A
- Print growth
- A
Grades here are simulated to show the idea. Real grading uses a calibrated verifier and the ISO/IEC 15415 and 15416 methods.
How it works
01
Your data, or ours.
Send us a data file, such as a spreadsheet of serials and lots, or we generate the sequence for you to your numbering rules.
02
Agreed before we print.
We confirm the code type, size, data layout and quiet zones with you, and you approve a proof before the run.
03
Codes that scan.
A code is only useful if it reads every time. We’re building code verification and grading into our quality process.
Built for regulated work
What pharmaceutical and food customers need.
Pharmaceutical and health-product packs need codes that scan every time, data that matches the product exactly, and records showing what was printed on which run. Food brands need batch and date coding they can trace when it matters most.
We’re building our coding work toward those standards: verified codes, controlled handling of your data, and documented runs. It’s part of how we’re building toward GMP-compliant pharmaceutical packaging.
Sunrise 2027
The checkout is moving to 2D.
Under GS1’s Sunrise 2027 initiative, retailers are working toward checkout scanners that read 2D codes, such as QR codes with GS1 Digital Link and GS1 DataMatrix, by the end of 2027. GS1 Canada is working toward the same 2027 goal.
During the move, many packs will carry both the familiar barcode and a 2D code. If you’re planning new labels, it’s a good time to make room for one. We can help you plan the code, the data behind it and where it sits on the label.
Need codes on your labels?
Tell us what the code needs to hold and how it will be scanned, and we’ll help you set it up.