DotCode is a 2D barcode made of separate dots, built to be printed by high-speed inkjet and laser coders on cigarette packs, beverages and parcels. barKoder reads DotCode with the phone and tablet cameras in your iOS, Android and web apps. For tobacco track and trace, see the DotCode Barcode Scanner SDK.
| Type | 2D matrix symbology of separate round dots, set like the dark squares of a checkerboard in a rectangular grid |
| Character set and data | All 128 ASCII characters, extended ASCII (128-255) and binary data. Other character sets through ECI. GS1 data when the symbol starts with two digits. |
| Capacity and size | No fixed maximum: the encoder sets the number of rows and columns, and their sum is always odd. Codes are typically at least 7 dots high, and about 124 dots in either direction is the practical limit of most printers. |
| Error correction | Reed-Solomon |
| Standard | AIM International Symbology Specification DotCode, revision 4.0 (2019). GS1 DotCode is defined in the GS1 General Specifications. |
| Typical uses | Cigarette and tobacco packs for EU traceability, high-speed beverage lines, shipping labels |
DotCode was introduced in 2009 for high-speed marking, where printers can't reliably place touching or connected dots. Industrial inkjet and laser coders print each module as a single dot, so a DotCode can be applied to every pack on a fast production line. AIM publishes the specification, and revision 4.0 dates from 2019.
Every symbol has these parts:
DotCode packs ASCII text, serial numbers with variable length, expiry dates and unique identifiers into a small area. That is why it fits the narrow print area on a cigarette pack. A symbol that starts with two digits carries GS1 data.
There is one DotCode symbology. What changes is the data it carries and how it is marked.
| Variant | What it is | Scanning notes |
|---|---|---|
| DotCode | The AIM symbology, current revision 4.0, carrying ASCII, extended ASCII or binary data | Decoder constant Dotcode |
| GS1 DotCode | DotCode that starts with two digits and carries GS1 Application Identifiers. GS1 uses it only to meet the EU tobacco traceability regulation, EU 2018/574. | Read with the same DotCode decoder. FNC1 is the default mode. |
| Inkjet and laser printed | Printed at line speed by industrial inkjet or by CO2 and fiber laser coders | Use the recommended DotCode configuration for your platform |
| Direct-marked DotCode | DotCode marked on the item itself in industrial track-and-trace | barKoder reads direct-marked DotCode alongside DPM Data Matrix and QR |
DotCode shows up wherever products are coded at high speed and each item needs its own identity.
Under the EU Tobacco Products Directive and the EU tobacco traceability regulation, DotCode is printed across the tobacco supply chain, mostly at pack level. GS1 DotCode exists only to meet that regulation.
Barcode scanning for manufacturing →Fast beverage lines, alcohol in particular, use DotCode for serialization: tracking and authenticating products, tracing raw materials and batches, and food safety compliance.
Barcode scanning for food and beverage →Shipping and postal organizations use DotCode on labels to track packages, pallets and containers, because it stays readable after rough handling in transit.
Barcode scanning for logistics →The barKoder Barcode Scanner SDK reads DotCode on iOS, Android, the web, Windows and Linux, and in Flutter, React Native, .NET MAUI, Capacitor, Cordova, NativeScript and Python apps. The full product story, including tobacco track and trace and reading tests, is on the DotCode Barcode Scanner SDK page.
How barKoder reads DotCode on tobacco packs, beverages and shipping labels, the reading performance tests, supported platforms and a testing sheet.
DotCode Barcode Scanner SDK →The docs give a recommended DotCode setup for every SDK: a wide, short region of interest that matches the code's shape, plus decoding speed and camera resolution settings for best performance.
DotCode docs example →barKoder reads direct-marked DotCode as well as printed codes. inexto uses it in factory and logistics track-and-trace, where it reads DPM Data Matrix, DotCode and QR codes.
inexto customer story →The web demo has a DotCode scanning template, and the free barcode generator creates DotCode images you can print or show on screen to test your app.
Free barcode generator →Enable only the decoders you need. This Web SDK example from the barKoder docs enables DotCode with the recommended settings.
Barkoder.setEnabledDecoders(Barkoder.constants.Decoders.Dotcode);
Barkoder.setRegionOfInterest(30, 40, 40, 9);
Barkoder.setDecodingSpeed(Barkoder.constants.DecodingSpeed.Slow);
Barkoder.setCameraResolution(Barkoder.constants.CameraResolution.FHD);The first line enables the DotCode decoder. The others set a wide, short region of interest, slow decoding and Full HD resolution, as the docs recommend for DotCode.
DotCode examples for other platforms: Android, iOS, Flutter, React Native, Capacitor, Cordova, .NET MAUI, NativeScript and Python.
Install the free barKoder demo app, or open the web demo, and scan your own DotCode packs and labels before you integrate the SDK. The web demo includes a DotCode scanning template.
iPhone and iPad
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open the App Store.
Android phones and tablets
Scan with your camera, or point it at the QR code to open Google Play.
Any modern browser
Runs the Web SDK in your browser, on desktop or mobile, with nothing to install.
Test with known samples. Print or display the testing sheet and scan each 1D and 2D barcode with the demo app. The data sheet summarizes the SDK for your team. Need DotCode samples of your own? Create them with the free barcode generator.
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DotCode is a 2D matrix barcode made of separate round dots on a rectangular grid. It was introduced in 2009 for high-speed industrial inkjet and laser printing, where printers can't reliably produce connected bars or squares. It encodes ASCII, extended ASCII and binary data with Reed-Solomon error correction, and its size grows with the data. AIM publishes the specification, now at revision 4.0.
The one that reads your real packs and labels on your target devices, so test candidates on your own samples, including worn and badly printed codes. barKoder reads printed and direct-marked DotCode on iOS, Android and the web, and in Flutter, React Native, .NET MAUI and other frameworks. See the DotCode Barcode Scanner SDK page for the reading tests, and start a free 30-day trial on up to 25 devices.
Use an app with a DotCode decoder. To try it now, install the free barKoder demo app, or open the web demo and pick the DotCode template. In your own app, enable the decoder with Barkoder.setEnabledDecoders(Barkoder.constants.Decoders.Dotcode); and apply the recommended settings from the DotCode docs example.
The free barKoder barcode generator creates DotCode images in your browser and downloads them as PNG files. Use them to test your scanning app. Production lines print DotCode with industrial inkjet or laser coders.
No. "Dot matrix" usually refers to dot-matrix printing, or to Data Matrix codes marked as separate dots by dot peening. DotCode is its own symbology with its own specification and decoder. barKoder reads both: DotCode with the DotCode decoder, and dot-peened Data Matrix with DPM mode.
GS1 DotCode is a DotCode that starts with two digits and carries GS1 Application Identifiers. FNC1 is its default mode. GS1 says it is used only to meet the requirements of the EU tobacco traceability regulation, EU 2018/574, which is why it appears mostly on cigarette and tobacco packs.
Test the SDK on your own packs, bottles and labels with a free 30-day trial, or talk to an SDK expert about your project.
