Data Matrix labels: sizes, content and printing tips
Data Matrix is a 2D barcode made of square modules in a square or rectangle, with a solid L-shaped border on two sides. It holds more data per square millimetre than almost anything else, so it's the code of choice for small labels, circuit boards, surgical tools and medicine packs.
When to use Data Matrix instead of a QR code
| Data Matrix | QR code | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Industrial labels, parts marking, pharma | Consumers with phones |
| Smallest practical size | A few millimetres | About 1 cm |
| Read by phone cameras | Some phones; a scanner app is safer | Every modern phone |
| Used in standards | GS1 DataMatrix for healthcare and industry | GS1 Digital Link, marketing |
If people will scan the label with their own phones, use a QR code. If a warehouse scanner, production line camera or pharmacy system reads it, Data Matrix is usually the right choice.
What to put in the code
- A serial or part number for asset tags and parts tracking.
- GS1 data (product number, batch, expiry, serial) when a trading partner or regulation asks for GS1 DataMatrix. Use the application identifiers your partner specifies.
- A short URL only if phones need to read it; otherwise keep it to the data your scanner system expects.
Size and printing
- Size follows the module: on thermal label printers, aim for modules of at least 0.25 to 0.3 mm (two to three printer dots at 203 or 300 dpi).
- Leave a blank quiet zone of at least one module all round. More is safer.
- Rectangular Data Matrix fits narrow labels such as cable tags and vial labels.
- Black on white, or dark marks on a light surface, give the most reliable reads.
Make Data Matrix labels
Open the Data Matrix generator, type or paste the content, set the module size for your printer, and download. Every code is test-read as you type. For hundreds of labels, the Pro plan's bulk barcodes make up to 500 at a time from a list or a number sequence.
- Decide who scans it. Industrial scanners: Data Matrix. Customers' phones: a QR code.
- Enter the content your system expects. A serial, a part number, or GS1 data from your partner's spec.
- Set the module size for your printer. At least 0.25 mm, or two to three printer dots.
- Print a test label and scan it with the real scanner. Check the decoded data, not just that it beeps.