HIBC LIC Data Matrix Generator
Data Matrix symbol carrying HIBC LIC data for primary and secondary medical product identification.
How HIBC LIC Data Matrix is structured
HIBC LIC data is a fixed-order text string carried in a Data Matrix ECC 200 symbol. It opens with the HIBC flag character +, then the labeler identification code — a LIC prefix character plus a four-character labeler number — followed by the product or catalogue number and a unit-of-measure digit. The whole string ends in a modulo-43 check character drawn from the same 43-character value set Code 39 uses.
HIBC LIC Data Matrix check digit
There are two layers. The data string carries its own mod-43 check character, and the Data Matrix symbol around it adds Reed-Solomon error correction codewords, so a partially damaged module grid can still decode. Both have to be right: a symbol that decodes cleanly can still be rejected by the receiving system if the trailing check character is wrong.
HIBC LIC Data Matrix compared with HIBC LIC Code 128
HIBC LIC Code 128 carries the same data string in a linear symbol for labels that a 2D imager cannot read. GS1 DataMatrix is the neighbouring standard in healthcare and uses application identifier syntax rather than the HIBC flag and labeler code, so the two are not interchangeable on a label. Compare the HIBC LIC Code 128 generator page for the same breakdown of structure, check digit and use cases.
Common HIBC LIC Data Matrix problems
A test string was printed on a production label
A shortened string is fine for checking a layout, but a label destined for hospital scanning must carry the flag character, labeler identification code, product number, unit-of-measure digit and check character in that order.
GS1 application identifiers were put in an HIBC symbol
(01) and (17) syntax belongs to GS1 standards. Mixing the two produces a symbol that decodes into text no HIBC parser recognises, so pick the standard first and then the data format that goes with it.
The reader returns raw text instead of parsed fields
Many healthcare readers need HIBC parsing enabled on top of Data Matrix decoding. Without it, the operator sees the raw string including the flag and check character, which is easy to mistake for a bad symbol.
Where HIBC LIC Data Matrix is used
- Primary and secondary medical product identification under HIBCC
- Surgical instrument and tray labelling in hospital supply chains
- Medical device labels read by 2D imagers rather than linear scanners
Not sure this is the right symbology? The barcode format guide groups every supported 1D and 2D format by industry with its character set and limits.