A Data Matrix Bar Code with ECC Level of 000 - 140 cannot be Scanned

Symptom

A Data Matrix Bar Code with ECC Level of 000 - 140 cannot be Scanned

Facts

Scanner model VS4004, P304IMG, DS660X, DS670X, DS6878, DS34X8, DS35X8, DS9808, MS440X or MT20X0 is unable to decode Data Matrix (Error Checking and Correcting) ECC 000-140.

Root Cause

There are 2 types of Data Matrix bar codes. Data Matrix ECC 000 - 140 has several available levels of convoluted error correction. ECC 200 uses Reed-Solomon error correction. Symbol has decided to support the more robust ECC200 variant only. You can identify the type of Data Matrix bar code that you have by looking at the upper right corner (opposite the “L”). An ECC 000-140 code will have a dot in the upper right corner. ECC200 will not have this dot. Examples of both types are shown below.

Resolution