Bulk Data Matrix generator

Data Matrix is generated in bulk when parts are being marked: a run of serial numbers for components, instruments, boards or vials, each destined for a few square millimetres of surface. The batch question is therefore never “will it encode” — it will — but whether every symbol in the run survives being printed that small.

One value per line. A single line of comma- or semicolon-separated values works too. A header row (like “Value”) counts as a value and will be rejected — leave it out.

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Appearance
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Enter a value — the code appears here.

Specification

Character set
any data
Length
from 1 to 2335 characters
Check digit
not used by this symbology

Need the specification and use cases first? What is Data Matrix?

Where this code earns its place in a batch

  • Marking parts rather than packaging: Data Matrix needs the least area per character of any common symbology, which is what makes a 4 mm mark on a component possible at all.
  • Runs marked directly on the item — laser, dot peen, etch — where there is no label to print and the code must survive the surface it is written on.
  • Regulated serialisation at volume: pharmaceutical and medical device schemes specify it, so the batch has to be Data Matrix regardless of what else would fit.

Preparing the list

  • Keep the serials the same length across the run so the matrix stays the same size on every part; Data Matrix steps up in size as content grows, just as QR does.
  • Set the module width from the marking process rather than from the label: laser, dot peen and thermal transfer each have their own floor, and it is coarser than a printer's.
  • Prefer the square shape for a batch unless the surface demands otherwise — mixing square and rectangular symbols in one run gives parts that need two different reader setups.

What goes wrong in a batch

  • Encoding a long human-readable description instead of a serial: every extra character adds modules, and on a 6 mm mark the modules are already at the limit.
  • Reusing serials across the batch. Data Matrix is often the only identifier a small part carries, and a duplicate is unrecoverable once the parts are in a bin together.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the same size not fit every code in the run?
Because the matrix grows in discrete steps with the amount of data. A batch with serials of one length holds one size throughout; add a longer value and that row alone steps up, becoming denser at the same printed size.
Is Data Matrix better than QR for a bulk part-marking run?
For small marks, usually yes: it needs no quiet zone as large as QR's and packs numeric serials tightly. QR wins when a phone camera is the reader, which on a factory line it rarely is.