DataMatrix Technology

Data Matrix, the public domain code from RVSI Acuity CiMatrix, is a 2D matrix symbology designed to pack a lot of information into a very small space. The Data Matrix symbology employs Reed-Solomon error correction with data redundancy to guarantee a fast and accurate read. The symbol can store between one and 3116 numeric or 2335 alphanumeric characters. The symbol is also scalable between a 1-mil square to a 14-inch square. That means that a Data Matrix symbol has a maximum theoretical density of 500 million characters to the inch! The practical density will, of course, be limited by the resolution of the printing and reading technology used.

DataMatrix is one of the smallest and most dependable barcode symbologies.
Compared to other barcode types, Data Matrix is approximately 30 times smaller than a Code 39 barcode representing the same data.

DataMatrix is one of the smallest barcode symbologies

ECC200 error correction.
Because of the required Reed Solomon error correction built in to ECC200 Data Matrix, it is very dependable and can even be read in with a scanner when part of the symbol has been destroyed. With Data Matrix, the worst case chance of a misread is 1 error in 10.5 million scans. In a Code 39 barcode, the worst case chance of a misread is 1 error in 1.7 million*.

Data Matrix ECC200 error correction.

Rectangular symbols.
Six symbol formats are specified in a rectangular form.

DataMatrix Rectangular symbols

Reflectance reversal.
Symbols are intended to be read when marked so that the image is either dark on light or light on dark.

DataMatrix Reflectance reversal

Data Matrix Formats.
Our DataMatrix ActiveX Control supports all data matrix formats. The following table contains the size, the capacity and the correction error features of each format. By default, the encoding mode is BASE256 (or binary) for compatibility reasons. If you are encoding text or numbers only, you will want to change the encoding mode if size is a concern. Using the appropriate encoding mode, you should be able to achieve the sized specified here.

Size	Max Numeric Capacity	Max Alphanumeric capacity	Max Binary capacity	Max Correctable Error/Erasure
10 x 10	6	3	1	2
12 x 12	10	6	3	3
14 x 14	16	10	6	5/7
16 x 16	24	16	10	6/9
18 x 18	36	25	16	7/11
20 x 20	44	31	20	9/15
22 x 22	60	43	28	10/17
24 x 24	72	52	34	12/21
26 x 26	88	64	42	14/25
32 x 32	124	91	60	18/33
36 x 36	172	127	84	21/39
40 x 40	228	169	112	24/45
44 x 44	288	214	142	28/53
48 x 48	348	259	172	34/65
52 x 52	408	304	202	42/78
64 x 64	560	418	278	56/106
72 x 72	736	550	366	72/132
80 x 80	912	682	454	96/180
88 x 88	1152	862	574	112/212
96 x 96	1392	1042	694	136/260
104 x 104	1632	1222	814	168/318
120 x 120	2100	1573	1048	204/390
132 x 132	2608	1954	1302	248/472
144 x 144	3116	2335	1556	310/590
8 x 18	10	6	3	3
8 x 32	20	13	8	5
12 x 26	32	22	14	7/11
12 x 36	44	31	20	9/15
16 x 36	64	46	30	12/21
16 x 48	98	72	47	14/25

DataMatrix Encoding Modes.
The DataMatrix ActiveX control supports the encoding modes listed below. By default, the encoding mode is BASE256 for compatibility. If you are encoding text or numbers only, you will want to change the encoding mode, if size is a concern. Using the appropriate encoding mode, you should be able to achieve the sizes specified in the DataMatrix formats table. The data represented in the symbol can be compressed using one or several of the following algorithms:

Encodation Scheme	Characters	Bits per Data Character
ASCII	double digit numerics (00-99) ASCII values (0-127) Extended ASCII values (128-255)	4 8 16
C40	Primarily upper-case alphanumeric	5.33
TEXT	Primarily lower-case alphanumeric	5.33
BASE 256	All byte values (0-255)	8

As a general rule, you should use ASCII to encode text that includes uppercase and lowercase letters with or without numbers and punctuation. All encoding systems can be used to encode any type of data, however, encoding binary data with C40 generates much more overhead (a larger symbol) than with BASE256.