One line, or a whole square.
A 1D barcode is read across. A 2D code is read across and down. That one difference decides what each one holds, what can scan it, and what it opens.
Both codes are real. The barcode is GS1's own example number. The QR opens this page.
Bars across. Squares across and down.
The pattern is the whole story. Everything else follows from it.
1D: a row of bars
Black bars and white gaps of different widths. A scanner reads one line straight across, so the height is only there to give it room to aim.
- Holds a short number, usually 8 to 14 digits.
- The number means nothing on its own. The till looks it up in the shop's own system to find the price.
- Read by laser and camera scanners at every checkout.
- A phone needs an app to read it, and then only gets the number.
2D: a grid of squares
Small squares, called modules, in a grid. A camera reads the whole square at once. The three big corner squares let a phone find it at any angle, upside down included.
- Holds text: a web address, a batch, an expiry date, a serial number.
- Carries spare data, so a scratched or torn code still reads.
- Every phone camera opens it, no app needed.
- Checkout scanners are being upgraded to read it too.
Type a number. Watch the bars.
An EAN-13 is 12 digits you choose and a 13th the maths chooses. That last one is the check digit: if a scanner misreads one bar, the sum no longer works and the till asks again.
Point at a digit to see its bars. Real barcode numbers come from GS1. DeStore never issues them.
A number, or a whole address.
Most characters each code can carry, on a scale where every step is ten times the last.
Upper limits from each symbol's standard. Real codes hold far less so they stay small and quick to read.
Spill on it. It still scans.
A QR code carries spare data and can rebuild the squares it has lost. How much it can lose is set when it is made, from level L to level H.
An illustration of level H, the level this code is made at. A 1D barcode has no spare data: a scuff along the bars can be read past on another line, a cut down through them cannot.
1D and 2D, line by line.
| 1D barcode | 2D code | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks like | A row of bars | A square of small squares |
| Read | Along one line | Across and down, all at once |
| Holds | A number | A number, batch, expiry, serial and a web address |
| Scanned by | Checkout scanners | Every phone camera, and new checkout scanners |
| Opens | A price in the shop's own system | A page you can change any time |
| Damage | Little room for error | Rebuilds up to 30% of itself |
| Space on the pack | Wide: about 37 mm at full size | Square: readable from about 12 mm |
| Common kinds | EAN-13, UPC-A, GS1-128, Code 128 | QR code, GS1 DataMatrix |
Why your pack needs both, for now.
Shops are moving their tills to 2D. GS1, which runs the world's barcode numbers, calls the change the sunrise, and retailers are aiming to read 2D codes at checkout by the end of 2027. Until every till can, one code can't do both jobs.
Before
The barcode serves the till. Shoppers get nothing from it, so packs added a separate QR for them.
Now: the sunrise
Some tills read 2D, most still read only 1D. The barcode keeps every checkout working. The QR gives shoppers the page.
After
One 2D code does both: the till reads the product number inside it, the phone opens the page. That code is a GS1 Digital Link, and it is coming to DeStore.
Chilli Sauce250 ml · Byron Bay
Link Studio's Label tab draws your label with the QR on top and a barcode under it, carrying the number already on your pack.
The QR on this label opens DeStore's example page.
Asked often.
What is the difference between a 1D and a 2D barcode?
A 1D barcode is a row of bars read along one line, and holds a short number. A 2D code, like a QR code, is a grid of squares read across and down at once, and holds much more: a web address, a batch, an expiry and a serial number.
Is a QR code a barcode?
Yes. A QR code is a 2D barcode. "Barcode" on its own usually means the 1D kind printed above the number on a pack.
Can a phone read a 1D barcode?
Only with an app, and then it gets the number and nothing else. Every phone camera reads a QR code and opens what is inside it.
Do I still need a 1D barcode if I have a QR code?
If you sell through shops, yes, for now. Most tills read only 1D barcodes. Keep the barcode for the checkout and the QR for the shopper until the tills catch up.
What is the 2D sunrise?
GS1's move from 1D barcodes to 2D codes at checkout. Retailers are aiming to read 2D codes at the till by the end of 2027. Packs carry both until then.
Does DeStore make barcodes?
It draws them. Link Studio's Label tab puts your QR on top and your own barcode number underneath, as EAN-13, UPC-A or Code 128. DeStore does not issue barcode numbers. Those come from GS1.
How small can each one be?
An EAN-13 is about 37 mm wide at full size, and many tills struggle below about 80% of that. A QR code with a short address reads from about 12 mm across.
Both codes. One label.
Your QR on top, your barcode underneath, and a page you can change after it is printed.