Code 39 Bar Code Fonts

Print Code 39 barcodes using C39Tools, barcode fonts from Azalea Software. Printing barcodes using barcode fonts is the best way to make Code 39 bar codes.

Code 39 barcodes (Code 3 of 9 barcodes) are some of the oldest and most popular barcodes. Code 39 bar codes are used extensively for ID, tracking, inventory, shipping, distribution, etc. All scanners (except most cash registers) can read and decode Code 39 symbols.

Code 39 is used for alphanumeric strings. The standard default Code 39 character set includes uppercase A-Z, the digits 0-9, a handful of math-oriented punctuation marks ( $ % + - . / ), and the space character.

The asterisk ( * ) is used as the Code 39 start bar and stop bar. All Code 39 bar codes begin and end with an asterisk. For example: *ELMER* scans as ELMER.

Full ASCII Code 39 barcode symbols use pairs of characters to encode the lower 128 ASCII characters outside of the default character set. The trade off is that Full ASCII Code 39 barcodes are wider than the same string in, say, Code 128 barcodes.

A Code 39 barcode rarely includes a check digit. When data integrity is a concern, Code 39 uses an optional mod 43 check digit. The Code 39 checksum is added to the end of the barcode.

Each character in the Code 39 character set is made up of 9 elements: 5 bars and 4 spaces. The bars and spaces are either wide or narrow. Three of nine elements are wide, hence the name Code 3 of 9 (Code 39). The ratio between the wide modules and the narrow modules can vary between 2:1 and 3:1. This is referred to as the wide:narrow ratio. The X-dimension is the width of a narrow element.

Several major inventory, shipping, and distribution industry standards employ Code 39 as part of the label.