Introduction of Data Matrix Barcode Add-In for Word
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Data Matrix Barcode Add-In for Word is a mature barcode generator used in Microsoft Office Word. It is designed to create and insert high quality Data Matrix barcode in Word documents easily and quickly without any barcode fonts.
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Besides OnBarcode Word Barcode Add-In, many other linear and 2D barcode add-ins for Word are also provided by OnBarcode.com, such as Code 39 Barcode Add-In, Code 128 Barcode Add-In, UPC-A Barcode Add-In, QR Code Barcode Add-In, PDF417 Barcode Add-In, etc. |
- Insert high quality barcodes according to the latest Data Matrix barcode specification.
- Be able to generate and create GS1 compatible Data Matrix barcodes.
- Allow users to insert Data Matrix barcodes into serial letters in Word documents.
- Capable of drawing Data Matrix barcode labels in Microsoft Office Word documents.
- Various barcode settings are available for users to customize their created barcodes.
- Users have four choices of barcode image rotation: 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees.
- Automatically add the quiet zones for the created Data Matrix barcodes.
- Generated barcodes can be printed by either high-resolution printers or low-resolution printers.
Insert Data Matrix Barcodes in Word
TopHow to Create a Data Matrix Barcode in Word
Start a new Word document and switch to "Add-Ins" tab. Then, click "Create Barcode" and "Barcode Settings" panel appears on the right. Next, select "DATAMATRIX" in "Barcode Type" and input valid data in the text box of "Data". Lastly, click "Generate" button.
How to Adjust Data Matrix in Word Add-In Setting Panel
In "2D Barcode" under "Barcode Settings" panel, "Apply Tilde (~)" is used to enable GS1 Application Identifiers and some special characters to be encoded when it is checked. Users can check "GS1 Compatible Barcode" to draw Data Matrix barcodes which are compatible with GS1 standard. Additionally, "Data mode" and "Format mode" of the inserted barcodes are provided for users to choose according to their demand.
If you want to see more detail, please go to Integration Tutorial for Office Word Barcode Generator.
Data Matrix Characters Encoding in Microsoft Office Word Application
Here we will guide you through encoding character sets, adjusting dimensions, and understanding basic properties of Data Matrix (a 2D matrix barcode symbology) in the Microsoft Office Word Application using a professional barcode generator add-in. It follows standardized Word document workflows and maintains consistent barcode terminology.
Data Matrix Encode ASCII Printable Characters
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) code values from 32 to 126 represent printable characters.
These characters include letters, digits, punctuation marks, and miscellaneous symbols.
- Open the Barcode Generator settings pane embedded in the Microsoft Office Word Application.
- Locate the Data text box within the pane.
- Enter ASCII printable characters directly into the text box.
Data Matrix Encode Unicode Characters
Data Matrix symbology supports Unicode (universal character encoding standard) text encoding. You can generate Data Matrix barcodes from Unicode text in the Microsoft Office Word Application with the barcode add-in.
- In the barcode settings pane, set the Data mode property to BASE256.
- Find the Encode for bytes property and select your preferred byte encoding mode.
- The default byte encoding mode is UTF-8 (8-bit Unicode Transformation Format).
- Input Unicode text into the Data property field or a linked Word document field.
Note: Selecting an incorrect byte encoding may cause garbled or unreadable barcode data. Always verify after updating.
Data Matrix Encode GS1 Data Message
Data Matrix symbology is an official GS1-compliant data carrier (Others includes QR Code, Code 128, EAN/UPC, DataBar, ITF-14).
You can easily encode GS1 data elements using the Barcode Generator add-in in the Microsoft Office Word Application.
For step-by-step implementation, view the guide: How to encode GS1 data in barcodes in Microsoft Office Word 365?
Adjust Data Matrix Width and Height Using Word Barcode Add-in
Most Data Matrix barcodes are square symbols. Some Data Matrix formats are rectangular.
Square Data Matrix
- Click to select the target Data Matrix barcode in your Word document.
- Navigate to the Barcode Size tab in the Barcode Settings pane.
- Locate the Width & Height property group.
- Modify values in the Image width and Image height fields.
- Click the Update button to re-render the Data Matrix.
- Confirm the barcode appears with the new dimensions in the Word document.
Note: For standard square Data Matrix, set identical values for Image width and Image Height. Mis-matched values may cause scanning failure.
Rectangular Data Matrix
The Data Matrix specification defines 6 official rectangular formats.
- Open the 2D Barcode tab in the Barcode Settings pane of the Word Application.
- Set the Format mode property to your desired rectangular Data Matrix type.
- Maintain the aspect ratio matching the module column‑to‑row ratio of the selected format.
- Column modules are 3 times the number of row modules.
- Image width must be 3 times the image height.
- Example pixel size: 1536 pixels (width) × 512 pixels (height).
Note: Incorrect aspect ratio will distort the barcode and prevent successful scanning.
Data Matrix Barcode Basic Characteristics
Data Matrix Encodable Characters
Data Matrix symbology supports full ASCII and extended ASCII encoding in the Microsoft Office Word Application.
Supported character sets:
Supported character sets:
- ASCII values 0 - 127, compliant with ISO/IEC 646 (US version)
- Extended ASCII values 128 - 255, compliant with ISO 8859‑1
- Additional language sets (Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew) via binary data or ECI (Extended Channel Interpretation) protocol or byte mode
Data Matrix Data Mode
Data Matrix supports multiple optimized data modes in the Word barcode add-in:
In AUTO mode, the add-in automatically selects the optimal data mode based on your input characters in the Word document.
- ASCII: double‑digit numerics, ASCII 0 - 127, extended ASCII 128 - 255
- C40: upper‑case alphanumeric, lowercase and special characters
- Text: lower‑case alphanumeric, upper‑case and special characters
- X12: ANSI X12 EDI data set
- EDIFACT: ASCII values 32 - 94
- Base 256: all byte values 0 - 255
In AUTO mode, the add-in automatically selects the optimal data mode based on your input characters in the Word document.
Data Matrix Maximum Character Size
Maximum character capacity varies by data type in a single Data Matrix symbol:
- Numeric data: up to 3,116 digits
- Alphanumeric data: up to 2,335 characters
- Byte (8‑bit) data: up to 1,555 characters
- The barcode generator addin will create an error image.
- The image displays the message: Invalid Barcode Settings.
Note: Note: Excessively long data will result in non‑scannable barcodes. Reduce data length before generation.
Common Asked Questions
What is data matrix?
Data Matrix barcode is one of the 2d or matrix barcode symbologies that is made of black (bar) and white (space) modules that are usually arranged in a square pattern.
Data Matrix barcodes are capable of storage of both text and binary data, and are smaller and more compact than QR codes.
Using OnBarcode Word Barcode Generator freeware, you can easily create, encode, print and insert Data Matrix barcodes into Microsoft Word documents.
How much data can a Data Matrix barcode hold?
A Data Matrix barcode can hold a maximum of data:
- Alphanumeric data: up to 2,335 characters
- Byte data (8-bit): 1,555 characters
- Numeric data: 3,116 digits
What is the minimum and maximum size of Data Matrix barcode?
In Data Matrix ISO standard, ECC200 Data Matrix minimum dimension size is 10 x 10 modules. And the maximum dimension size of Data Matrix is 144 x 144 modules.
Each modules are in squares.
OnBarcode Word Barcode add-in supports all formats defined in Data Matrix ISO standard.
What is the ISO standard for Data Matrix barcode?
Data Matrix ISO specification is ISO/IEC 16022, and the latest standard version is ISO/IEC 16022:2024.
Data Matrix barcode is a 2D barcode symbology, which is also supporting ISO 15415 for 2D label-based barcodes.
Word Barcode Generator freeware fully supports ISO compatible Data Matrix generations in Microsoft Office Word applications.
What are the different types of Data Matrix?
According to Data Matrix latest ISO standard (ISO/IEC 16022), there are two versions of Data Matrix
OnBarcode Word Barcode add-in freeware supports Data Matrix ECC200 in square or in rectangle, which uses the Reed-Solomon error correction.
- ECC 000-140
- ECC 200 (Recommended by ISO/IEC 16022)
OnBarcode Word Barcode add-in freeware supports Data Matrix ECC200 in square or in rectangle, which uses the Reed-Solomon error correction.
Can a phone scan a Data Matrix barcode?
Of course you can.
Data Matrix codes can be easily scanned using barcode scanners or your smartphone (iPhone or Android phone) equipped with barcode scanning apps.
What is the difference between Data Matrix and QR Code?
Data Matrix and QR Code have lot of same features. They are both 2 dimensional (matrix) barcodes, and enable to encode plain text, Unicode text, binary data.
Both of them are encoding GS1 business data messages. Both of Data Matrix and QR Code support Macro, which allows storing large data into multiple Data Matrixs or QR Codes.
Word Barcode Generator add-in fully supports both Data Matrix and QR Code 2d barcodes generation in Word documents in Microsoft Office 365, 2024, 2021, 2019, 2016 applications.
