Information to help you print Data Matrix barcodes.
Data Matrix (2-Dimensional) barcodes have been around for some time. They are used for tracking of parcels, mobile phones, or even engineering parts used in the aerospace industry. To date the main requirement has been that they can simply be read, but new legislation for their use within the pharmaceutical industry will require that they not only read, but also meet an exacting ISO standard.
To make a quality print a high resolution printer is going to be needed.
The top example opposite shows a print that has been made with a continuous ink jet (CIJ) printer. The ability of the printer to only represent each module with a single dot of ink means that, while the code will read, it cannot meet the ISO verification standard. Furthermore, in the case shown, the matrix cannot exceed 18 x 18, so the amount of information that can be encoded is severely restricted.
The THERMAL inkjet principal (TIJ) developed by Hewlett Packard prints at a resolution of up to 600 dots per inch by 600 dots per inch. or, in round numbers, 24 x 24 dots per millimetre. This means that a 0.5mm module can be printed using 12 x 12 dots and will therefore be square in shape rather than round and produce a barcode that will comfortably meet the ISO standard.
The middle sample was made by an APS Apsolute TIJ printer at a resolution of 600 x 600 dots per inch and a module width of 0.5mm, so a 12 x 12 matrix for each pixel. This gives a crisp, square image that will score highly when verified to the ISO standard. A further enhancement with this system is the ability to “shave” the pixel to compensate for the ink “bleeding” into the fibres of the material and so maintain the required tolerance
Finally, the lower image is of a Data Matrix code printed using a Bell-Mark Thermal Transfer printer with a resolution of 12 dots per millimetre. The combination of fixed-pitch pixels along with a pigmented ribbon gives a sharp, black, print that, again, will easily meet the ISO requirements.
Rotech are equipped to make on-site demonstrations of all of their coding technologies and are always available to discuss any particular requirements
