Barcode labels are a ubiquitous part of everyday life. Almost all product packages, important documents, passports, tickets, and other items are stamped with a small square containing a series of wide and narrow lines. Barcodes are used to keep track of information, to inventory items, and for security purposes. Almost all modern consumer goods have a barcode attached to them, making the barcode one of the most familiar pieces of technology known to man.

Barcode labels are used throughout the world today to keep track of objects. For example, freight companies use barcodes to provide information about the location and delivery of packages. Scientist use encoded labels to keep track of specimens and samples. Bar codes have even been implanted in humans and pets. Perhaps the most widespread use of the barcode label is the Universal Product Code or UPC, a system of tracking inventories and prices.

In a relatively short period of time, barcode labels have gone from an application used by a niche market to having universal, worldwide use. They permeate everyday life and are now an integral part of our society. As printing and scanning technologies become more advanced and developed, the amount of data stored in a barcode label is likely to increase by orders of magnitude, which is sure to have long lasting implications for industry and consumers throughout the world.