Glossary: the vocabulary of the 2D barcode transition
Short, plain-language definitions of the terms you’ll run into when reading about GS1 Digital Link and Sunrise 2027.
- GTIN (Global Trade Item Number)
- The number that identifies a product worldwide — the digits printed under a UPC or EAN barcode. GTINs are 8, 12, 13, or 14 digits long and are licensed from a GS1 member organization. A GS1 Digital Link carries the same GTIN your existing barcode already uses.
- UPC (Universal Product Code)
- The familiar 1D barcode used on products in North America. It encodes a 12-digit GTIN as vertical stripes readable by checkout scanners, and nothing else.
- EAN (European Article Number)
- The international counterpart of the UPC, most commonly encoding a 13-digit GTIN. UPC and EAN are both 1D barcode formats administered under the GS1 system.
- 1D barcode (linear barcode)
- A barcode made of vertical lines of varying widths, such as a UPC or EAN. It stores a short string of digits in one dimension and requires a laser or imager scanner aligned to the stripes.
- 2D barcode
- A barcode that stores data in two dimensions as a pattern of squares or dots, such as a QR code or GS1 DataMatrix. It holds far more data than a 1D barcode and can be scanned by any phone camera.
- QR code
- The most common type of 2D barcode — a square grid of black and white modules with three larger positioning squares in the corners. A QR code can encode any text, most often a URL. When the URL follows the GS1 Digital Link structure, the same QR code can serve both checkout scanners and consumers.
- GS1 DataMatrix
- A compact 2D barcode format widely used for small items and in healthcare and manufacturing. Alongside QR codes, it is one of the 2D formats the retail industry is preparing to scan at checkout under Sunrise 2027.
- GS1 Digital Link
- A GS1 standard that expresses product identifiers as a web URL — for example a domain followed by /01/ and the GTIN. Because the identifier is now a URL, one printed 2D code can identify the product at checkout and open online content for consumers.
- Application Identifier (AI)
- A short numeric prefix defined by GS1 that says what the data after it means. Common examples: (01) is the GTIN, (10) is a lot or batch code, (17) is an expiration date, (15) is a best-by date, and (21) is a serial number. In a GS1 Digital Link, AIs appear as the numbered segments of the URL.
- GS1 Company Prefix
- The licensed starting digits of your GTINs, issued by a GS1 member organization such as GS1 US. A prefix lets you assign your own product numbers; very small catalogs can also license individual GTINs.
- Lot code (batch code)
- A code your operation assigns to a group of units produced together under similar conditions. Lot codes are what make targeted recalls possible: they let you identify which specific units are affected rather than pulling an entire product line.
- Expiration date / best-by date
- The date after which a product should not be used (expiration) or is no longer at peak quality (best-by). In GS1 terms these travel as Application Identifiers (17) and (15), and in a GS1 Digital Link they can be carried in the code itself.
- Resolver
- The service that answers a GS1 Digital Link when it is scanned. The resolver reads the identifiers in the URL and returns or redirects to the appropriate content — a product page, lot details, or a recall notice. A resolver is what lets you change where a printed code leads without reprinting it.
- Batch/lot tracking
- The practice of recording which lot each unit came from, along with dates and quantities, so you can trace product forward to customers and backward to production runs. It is the operational backbone of recalls and of food-traceability record-keeping.
- Recall notice
- A public warning that a specific product or lot should not be consumed or used. When a GS1 Digital Link carries lot-level data, a scan of the affected package can surface the recall notice directly to the person holding it.
- Dual marking
- Printing both the existing 1D barcode and a new 2D code on the same package during the transition period, so the product keeps scanning everywhere while 2D capability rolls out at checkout.
- Sunrise 2027
- A retail-industry initiative led by GS1 US with retailers and brands, aiming for point-of-sale scanners to be capable of reading 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. It is an industry ambition, not a law, and 1D barcodes keep working during the transition.
- Point of sale (POS)
- The checkout environment — scanners, registers, and store software — where a barcode is read to identify a product and ring up a price. POS scanner capability is what Sunrise 2027 is upgrading.
Part of the OriginQR learning hub: What is a GS1 Digital Link? · Sunrise 2027 explained · Getting started · FAQ