Please read the information below thoroughly before commencing Registration.

Company Registration is necessary to coordinate your company’s 2D barcode certification needs with the specific requirements of your major distribution trading partners. During registration you will need to identify:

• Distributors - Suppliers will be provided a list of participating distributors and denote which currently distributes their products. Distributors include; Allied Electronics, Arrow Electronics, Avnet, Digi-Key, Future Electronics, Mouser, Newark, Sager and TTI. Suppliers will also be required to provide respective vendor numbers for each trading partner. It is likely that a supplier may enter multiple vendor numbers for the same distributor.
  
  Note: Information provided will ONLY be shared with distributors selected.
• Ship Locations - Since many suppliers ship product from multiple ship point locations, suppliers will enter all active shipping locations. Certification status will be identified to distributors by Ship Point.
• Contacts - A primary contact will need to be designated for each ship location, if applicable.

Based on the distributors selected, a matrix of label formats required for certification will be displayed. Likewise, suppliers will also be presented with any distributor specific instructions and details.

• DIGITAL Submission. (optional) - Digital samples are evaluated solely for format and data encodation. Suppliers may elect to first provide DIGITAL samples prior to PHYSICAL sample submissions when first programming labels and formats. The option is commonly used by overseas suppliers. The cost for DIGITAL tests is $50 ECIA members and $75 for non-ECIA members.
• PHYSICAL Submission. - Required for certification of label and pack slip formats. The cost for PHYSICAL tests is $100 ECIA members and $150 for non-ECIA members.

Bar Code Graphics’ testing division, Identification Labs, will evaluate submitted label samples against the ECIA 2D Barcode Specifications, applicable ISO standards, and provided distributor instructions. Please note DIGITAL submission can only be evaluated for format and data encodation. Upon passing DIGITAL testing, a supplier must still register and submit a PHYSICAL sample. If sample does not pass certification, digital pictures, scan reports and corrective actions will be provided. Suppliers are required to correct and resubmit samples for failed tests.

All testing results and supplier ship point certification statuses will be viewable and archived on the testing portal.

A supplier ship point will be deemed APPROVED when all of the formats used by their designated distributors have passed PHYSICAL certification. A supplier will be deemed APPROVED when all of their registered ship points have been approved.

Once 2D formats are certified, you will need to move the certified formats into production. Suppliers are responsible for maintaining acceptable print quality and should implement quality control processes to ensure ongoing label compliance.

Please consult the Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) for additional information.

The ECIA 2D barcode certification program is based on a collaborative effort by the major distributors to facilitate supplier implementation. By creating a unified specification and a relying on a single testing source, the distributors have reduced the time and expense suppliers need to become universally compliant.

Barcode certification should be considered the ground floor for compliance and suppliers are encouraged to establish quality protocols to maintain barcodes which can be consistently used by all of their trading partners.

In order to comply with the ECIA 2D barcode labeling specifications, suppliers will need the following:

• On-demand printer - laser or thermal (direct or thermal transfer) printers are best suited for this type of labeling.
• Barcode software - software capable of creating 2D and linear barcodes. Software solutions can be integrated into existing applications or stand-alone programs requiring user data entry.
• Barcode imager - a 2D barcode scanning device configured to read 2D and linear barcodes. This is necessary to validate barcode content. To help suppliers pre-test barcodes before submitting for certification, Bar Code Graphics provides an ECIA 2D barcode decoder which will evaluate 2D barcode data and validate format compliance.

If your company is already printing linear barcode labels in-house, there is a good chance your existing printer and software can generate 2D barcodes. Bar Code Graphics does provide complimentary premade sets of templates for the current version of the Bartender labeling software program.