Code 39 Font Names & Application Data

IDAutomation barcode fonts use short names for many reasons, including cross-platform compatibility. This may cause confusion for some users because it may not be evident which font to use. Below IDAutomation has outlined the font names and purpose.

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Code 39 Barcode Specifications

The X dimension (width of the narrow bar) is listed below for various point sizes. The N Dimension (narrow to wide ratio) is 3:1, and is recommended by international standards. If an N dimension of 2 or 2.5 is preferred, consider the Universal Barcode Fonts which offers additional N Dimensions of 2:1 and 2.5:1, and is designed to create multiple barcode types from a single font.

IDAutomation’s advanced Code 39 barcode fonts have been designed to print dependably at six points or greater, provided that the scanner can read the symbol. IDAutomation dependably scans this Code 39 font with the IDAutomation USB Barcode Scanner when printed at six points on a 600 DPI laser printer.

Low-Resolution Printer Support:
When using a printer with less than 600 DPI, the following point sizes should be used to create accurate barcodes:

Code 39 Font Names and Purpose

Forty-eight different versions of the Code 39 barcode fonts are provided to support human readable, non-human readable versions as well as different width and height requirements. The last character in the Code 39 font name determines the height of the barcode with the shortest being "XS" and the tallest being "XXL". Because each font can be printed at various point sizes, there are several combinations of heights and widths that can be produced.

The Symbol Encoded Fonts with the Barcode in the Space Character, which are included in this package are a set of specially encoded fonts to encode the space character without a substitution character. For example, *BARCODE 39* encodes a space between BARCODE and 39. In contrast, encoding the space character in the standard font requires the use of the underscore character, for example *BARCODE_39*. After installation, these fonts are identified by the "Y" character in the font name, for example IDAutomationYHC39S.

The length of any barcode can be determined by multiplying the X dimension by the number of characters and then by 16. For example, 10 characters at 12 points should be about 1.28" long because .008 * 10 * 16 = 1.28. The start and stop characters should be included in these calculations.

Code 39 Font Names Prior to July 2003

Twenty different versions of the Code 39 barcode fonts are provided to support human-readable versions and different width and height requirements. The last character in the Code 39 barcode font name determines the height of the barcode with the shortest being "a" and the tallest being "f". Because each font can be printed at various point sizes, there are several height-width combinations that can be produced. The length of any barcode can be determined by multiplying the X dimension by the number of characters and then by 16. For example, 10 characters at 12 points should be about 1.28" long because .008 * 10 * 16 = 1.28. The start and stop characters should be included in these calculations.