2D barcode labels: DataMatrix, QR and what they carry

A 2D barcode label is a label printed with a square or stacked-rectangle symbol that encodes data in both directions, so it holds far more than a product number and survives being scuffed. That is why logistics, healthcare and food packaging moved to them, and why retail is following.

What makes a label 2D?

A linear barcode encodes data across its width only. A 2D symbol encodes in both directions, so it carries more in less space and can be read after damage. Three appear on labels:

• GS1 DataMatrix, a square used on cartons, instruments and pharmaceutical packs
• QR code, a square used where a phone will scan it as well as a scanner
• PDF417, a stacked rectangle used on identity documents and shipping labels

DataMatrix is the default for industrial labelling. Error correction rebuilds the missing part when a printed square is scratched or partly covered.

How much can a 2D label carry?

A linear barcode carries a number. A 2D symbol carries a set of tagged fields: GTIN, batch or lot number, expiry date, and a serial number where the item is tracked individually.

That set makes a recall precise: a linear barcode tells you the product, a DataMatrix the batch.

How do you print a 2D label so it reads?

• Module size is the number that matters. The smaller the module, the more it asks of both the printer and the imager
• Keep a quiet zone of at least one module on all four sides of a DataMatrix and four modules around a QR code, the widths set in GS1's guideline for 2D barcodes at retail point-of-sale
• Print contrast matters more than size. A grey-on-white square fails where a smaller black one reads
• Direct thermal fades and takes the error correction with it. Use thermal transfer for anything stored
• Do not stretch the square. A DataMatrix scaled on one axis stops decoding

Laser scanners built for linear barcodes cannot read 2D symbols at all. Confirm your scanners are imagers before you change the label.

Where are 2D labels becoming mandatory?

Regulated sectors moved first, and retail is now moving. According to the same GS1 guideline, the goal is for retail tills worldwide to read 2D barcodes as well as linear ones by the end of 2027, and packs carry both during the transition. In the EU, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation brings in a digital product passport, which the European Commission describes as a digital identity card for products, components and materials. A 2D symbol on the item is the practical way to link to that record.

GS1 Digital Link is the bridge: it encodes the GTIN inside a web address, so one square serves the till, the warehouse scanner and the customer's phone. Our GS1 DataMatrix page covers the industrial square, the GTIN QR code page covers the Digital Link path, and the digital product passport page covers what the EU rules require. For a full label run, use bulk generation; ITF-14 still covers the outer carton.

What should you do first?

1. Confirm your scanners are imagers. This decides everything after it
2. Decide which fields the symbol carries: GTIN alone, or GTIN with batch, expiry and serial
3. Check the smallest module size your printer holds, then size the symbol to that, not to the space available
4. Generate the symbols against the GS1 application identifiers for those fields
5. Print on the real label stock and scan with the line imager
6. Scratch one across a corner and scan it again. If it fails, your module size is too small for your printer

We have not run our own print-and-scan test for this guide; the figures come from the GS1 and European Commission pages linked above.

Plan the artwork for two symbols: during the transition packs commonly carry a linear UPC-A or EAN-13 as well, because tills still expect it.