<P> The most commonly used EAN standard is the thirteen - digit EAN - 13 , a superset of the original 12 - digit Universal Product Code ( UPC - A ) standard developed in 1970 by George J. Laurer . An EAN - 13 number includes a 3 - digit GS1 prefix ( indicating country of registration or special type of product ) . A prefix with a first digit of `` 0 '' indicates a 12 - digit UPC - A code follows . A prefix with the first two digits of `` 45 '' or `` 49 '' indicates a Japanese Article Number ( JAN ) follows . </P>
<P> The most commonly used EAN standard is the thirteen - digit EAN - 13 , a superset of the original 12 - digit Universal Product Code ( UPC - A ) standard developed in 1970 by George J. Laurer . An EAN - 13 number includes a 3 - digit GS1 prefix ( indicating country of registration or special type of product ) . A prefix with a first digit of `` 0 '' indicates a 12 - digit UPC - A code follows . A prefix with the first two digits of `` 45 '' or `` 49 '' indicates a Japanese Article Number ( JAN ) follows . </P>
what do the first 3 digits of a barcode mean
what do the first 3 digits of a barcode mean
country of registration or special type of product
country of registration or special type of product