MaxiCode — Barcode Format Guide & Generator
MaxiCode is a one-dimensional linear symbology in the Specialist family. UPS hexagonal matrix code for parcel sorting. Their natural habitats are parcel sortation, high-speed printing lines, binderies and reply-mail processing — wherever one specific machine is the only reader.
- Category
- Specialist
- Symbol
- Matrix (2D) modules
- Data
- Plain text within the symbology’s character set and length limits
- Example
- MaxiCode Message
Data format
Enter the payload as plain text. The encoder enforces each symbology’s character set and length rules, and rejects out-of-spec input with a clear message instead of silently producing a bad symbol.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Solves one specific industrial problem no mainstream symbology covers.
- Stores far more data than a 1D barcode — URLs, IDs or full text payloads.
- Built-in error correction keeps a partially damaged or obscured symbol readable.
Limitations
- Mainstream phones and retail scanners will not decode it — only the dedicated system that expects it.
- Needs a camera-based reader (imager or phone); red-laser-only checkouts cannot read it.
- Print quality and contrast matter more — poor prints fail more often than large 1D bars.
Generate one in QrDeco
- Open QrDeco and choose MaxiCode from the format list.
- Type or paste your data — for example MaxiCode Message.
- Adjust size, colours, quiet zone or human-readable text in the style panel if you need them.
- Export an SVG or PDF for print, or a PNG for screens — generated locally in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Options
- Mode: Mode 4 (standard) · Mode 5 (enhanced ECC)
- SCM version + 1 (0 = none): from 0 to 100 — set it to 0 to let the encoder choose automatically.
Scanning and printing tips
- Leave the quiet zones clear — blank space on both sides of the bars is part of the symbol.
- Print dark bars on a light background; red-only bars can vanish under red laser light.
- Keep the bars vertical to the scan direction and print at the symbol’s standard magnification.
- Verify one printed sample with a real scanner before committing to a full run.
Related formats
More from the Specialist family, plus the family overview: