2-D barcodes are more complex and store data in the form of a matrix or stack. Stacked 2-D barcodes contain data in the form stacks of linear barcodes whereas matrix 2-D barcodes store data in the form of hexagonal, square or circular cells. They can store data in both vertical and horizontal direction.
Advantages of 2-D barcodes
· These barcodes can store much larger amount of data ranging up to thousands of alphanumeric characters.
· Error correction formula can be embedded into barcode which helps in the retrieval of data in case barcode is damaged up to 15 to 20%.
· Variety of data can be embedded into these barcodes such as numeric, binary, text and Unicode data.
Disadvantages of 2-D barcodes
· Specialized hardware and software scanners are required to generate and decode these barcodes which can be expensive.
· Complex algorithm needs to be designed for 2-D barcodes which make things much complex as compared linear barcodes.