Overview

When a barcode is scanned it may appear there are extra characters added such as +'s or 0's in between the characters in your barcode.

Symbologies like the code 39 family of barcodes encode in the ascii character set. If your scanner is not configured to properly handle or depict full ascii characters, then you will see extra characters. 

Character Encoding

The +'s and 0's are part of how each character is encoded within certain barcode symbologies.  

For example, the Code 39 - Full Ascii symbology encodes capital letters with just the letter, but lowercase characters are encoded with the + symbol preceding the letter.

• A encodes as A
• a encodes as +A

Configuring the scanner

The scanner needs to be configured to interpret the ascii characters into their character values, rather than output the literal contents of the barcode.  

Setting your scanner up to decode properly will allow you to successfully scan your barcodes.  Please consult your scanner user manual or contact the scanner manufacturer for assistence configuring your scanner.