Barcode Label Printers
Glossary M
Browse through our glossary to find out definitions for bar coding and RFID terms.
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| Glossary Term | Definition |
| MACHINE READABLE | A general term for printed material that is directly transferred to a data processing system. |
| MANUFACTURER | Organizations that actually produce or fabricate an item and may not necessarily be the supplier in a transaction. |
| MANUFACTURERS ID | The 6-digit number applied by the UCC to uniquely identify a manufacturer or company selling products under its own name; the first 6 digits of the 12-digit U.P.C. number. |
| MATRIX CODE | A classification of two dimensional codes composed of a matrix of shapes arranged according to the rules of a symbology. |
| MATRIX SYMBOLS | A 2-dimensional array of regular polygon shaped cells where the center-to-center distance of adjacent elements is uniform. The arrangement of the cells represents data and/or symbology functions. Matrix symbols may include recognition patterns that do not follow the same rule as the other elements within the symbol (i.e., Data Matrix and MaxiCode). |
| MEDIA | (1) The term which refers to the label, tag, and/or ticket and its respective ribbon combination. (2) The surface on which a bar code symbol is printed. Also, interchangeably, referred to as substrate. |
| MEDIA ROLL CAPACITY | Refers to the maximum/minimum media roll diameter that a thermal printer can accommodate, for example 5.0” O.D. (Outer Diameter) and 1.0” I.D. (Inner Diameter). |
| MEMORY | Thermal printers contain a variety of memory options, including RAM, ROM, DRAM, SRAM, and Flash. For detailed descriptions of each memory option, refer to each herein by abbreviated name. |
| MICROPDF417 | MicroPDF417 is a multi-row symbology, derived from and closely based on PDF417. It is more compact designed for applications that do not need PDF417s maximum data capacity. |
| MIDDLEWARE | Software used to enable one or more applications to communicate with each other or the outside world across a network. |
| MIFARE | Fully compliant with ISO 14443A, MIFARE is the industry standard for contact less and dual interface smart card schemes. |
| MINICODE | A proprietary 2d matrix code developed by Omniplanar, made up of square matrix symbols with a patented method of encoding both low and high resolution data. Used in tracking and shipping manifest applications. |
| MINIMUM REFLECTIVITY DIFFERENCE | The reflectivity difference is the least amount of light reflected by the narrowest white space minus the most amount of light reflected by the widest black bar. A scanner specification will indicate the Minimum Reflectivity Difference it is able to tolerate whilst still able to scan a code. |
| MISREAD | Occurs when the data output of a reader does not agree with the data encoded in the bar code symbol. |
| MMCX ANTENNA CONNECTOR | Miniature coaxial antenna connector in use by several major wireless vendors. |
| MOBILE UNIT MODE | In this mode, the WLAN adapter connects to an access point (AP) or another WLAN installed system, allowing the device to roam freely between AP cells in the network. Mobile units appear as network nodes to other devices. |
| MODIFIED PLESSEY CODE | Another name for MSI code (see also Plessey Code) |
| MODULE | (1) The narrowest nominal width unit of measure in a symbol. In certain symbologies, element widths are specified as multiples of 1 module. Equivalent to X dimension; or (2) a single cell in a matrix symbology used to encode 1 bit of data. In MaxiCode, the module shape is a regular hexagon. In Data Matrix, the module shape is nominally square. In PDF417, the module shape is a regular rectangle. In bar code symbologies, the module shape is a regular rectangle. |
| MODULO CHECK DIGIT OR CHARACTER | A character within the symbol data field calculated using modular arithmetic that is used for error detection. The calculated character is determined by applying a code algorithm to the data field contents (see check character). |
| MOVING BEAM BAR CODE READER | A device where scanning motion is achieved by mechanically moving the optical geometry. |
| MRD | Minimum reflectance difference: a formula that is used to determine if there is an adequate difference between absorbed and reflected light. |
| MULTIPLEXER | An electronic device used to support multiple scanners or antennas. Multiplexers essentially manage RFID traffic. Sometimes spelled “multiplexor". |
| MULTIREAD | The ability of a reader or other RFID device to read many individual tags at the same time. |
| MULTOS | A smart card operating system aimed at operating multiple applications off a single chip card. |