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Technical Fundamentals

GS1 & Traceability Coding: A Starting Guide

An introductory orientation to GS1-style traceability coding requirements.

Many industries increasingly require GS1-compliant barcodes or 2D codes (GS1 DataMatrix/QR) for traceability, carrying structured data such as GTIN, batch/lot number, and expiry date.

When evaluating a printing technology for GS1 compliance, confirm it can reliably print the required code density at your production speed, and that the code passes verification grading consistently. This guide is a starting orientation only — consult GS1's official documentation and your industry's specific compliance mandates for authoritative requirements.

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