	Barcode Readers

What is ITF?

ITF is an abbreviation for "Interleaved Two of Five".
It is mainly used as a standard distribution code printed on corrugated cardboard boxes.

Configuration of ITF

	Five bars (spaces) express one character. The name "two of five" means that two of five bars (spaces) are wider than the others.
	As the figure below shows, an ITF code consists of characters expressed with bars and characters expressed with spaces that are "interleaved".

Character	Bar pattern
START
2
3
5
8
STOP

	An ITF code consists of the first character expressed with six bars, the second characters expressed with five spaces, and so on. Consequently, a code always has an even number of digits.
	Since both bars and spaces have information, a large amount of information can be fit into a narrower code.
	The code uses bar patterns instead of start/stop characters to express its start and stop.

Characteristics of ITF

ITF is a barcode which can store a large amount of information and has the following characteristics:

	With the same number of digits, the size of barcodes can be made smaller compared with other codes. It is effective in fitting barcodes in tight spaces.
	With the same size, more information can be stored (the number of digits can be increased) compared with other codes.
	With the same size and the same number of digits, the bar width can be increased. Wider bars allow barcode readers to read the barcodes much more easily, enabling reading from long distances.

Comparison of barcode length

The following figures show the different lengths of barcode types storing the same information using the same narrow bar width.



ITF	CODE38	NW-7 (Codabar)

Problems with ITF

Although ITF has many advantages, it is prone to "digit-skipping"
due to its configuration. Digit-skipping is a phenomenon
where a barcode reader erroneously reads barcode data incorrectly by skipping some digits.

As seen below, "3852" is incorrectly read as "38".

Point

To prevent "digit-skipping" when using ITF, it is necessary to set "a digit specification function" on the barcode reader to disable reading codes other than those having a specified number of digits.

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