Add a GS1 barcode and switch the passport on. The passport switch sits at the top of the barcode panel.
COMPLIANCE / DPP / DATA MATRIX
Digital Product Passport Data Matrix: The Smaller Carrier, and When It Fits
A Data Matrix can carry a digital product passport link in less space than a QR code. See the real size difference, when it fits, and how to print it.
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THESE IMAGES ARE REAL
Codes: LabelInn's own Zint engine
Page: LabelInn's passport renderer
Check: decoded back with ZXing
Sample product, fictional maker
A Data Matrix can carry a digital product passport just as a QR code can: the content is the same GS1 Digital Link, and the passport page it opens is the same. What changes is the symbol, and with it the size of the printed code, how it is read, and who reads it easily.
The Ecodesign Regulation defines a data carrier broadly, as a barcode or other symbol that a device can read (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781), and the exact carrier is set per product group. For batteries the Commission names a QR code (Commission page on the battery passport). So Data Matrix is the question for products whose rules do not say, and for small parts.
Want a Data Matrix of an element string instead? The GS1 DataMatrix generator encodes Application Identifiers with FNC1 separators. A passport uses the URL form described below.
SAME PASSPORT, TWO CARRIERS
Choose the symbol, keep the link.
A passport is a link. Data Matrix and QR are two ways to print it.
The same link as the QR label, as a 32 by 32 Data Matrix. Smaller, and the code of choice for small or marked parts.
Data Matrix is the default. One click switches the same passport to a QR code.
The carrier changes how the link is read, not what it points to.
01 / DPP DATA MATRIX
The same link, in less area
The two symbols above encode the identical 75-character link at the identical module size. The Data Matrix is 32 by 32 modules; the QR code (medium error correction) is 37 by 37, so it takes about 34% more area. On a 203 dpi printer at 3 dots per module, the Data Matrix with its quiet zone is 13.5 mm square and the QR code is 15.4 mm.
| Data Matrix | QR code | |
|---|---|---|
| Size for this link | 32 × 32 modules | 37 × 37 modules |
| Square area ratio | 1.0 | 1.34 |
| Phone camera | Not every camera app opens it. Test on the phones your audience uses | Opened by the camera app on current phones |
| Industrial imagers | Read it routinely | Read it routinely |
| Named for batteries | No | Yes, by the Commission |
02 / GS1 DIGITAL LINK
When Data Matrix is the better carrier
- Small items. A 13.5 mm code fits where 15.4 mm does not, and the difference grows with a longer link.
- Parts read by machines. Production and logistics lines already read Data Matrix, and it is the common choice for marked and healthcare parts.
- Your customer or standard names it. Ask before you choose.
It is the wrong choice when a person with a phone is the main reader, and for batteries, where the Commission names a QR code. LabelInn's panel says so on a battery design that is still on Data Matrix.
03 / CARRIER
Two ways to put a link in a Data Matrix
A GS1 DataMatrix normally carries an element string: Application Identifiers such as (01) and (21) with FNC1 separators. A phone shows that as raw text. A passport instead needs the URL, so the symbol is a plain Data Matrix that holds the Digital Link. LabelInn's passport option does this for you: with it switched on, the barcode encodes the link built from your GTIN, batch and serial.
04 / PRINTING
Print it from the label designer
Keep Data Matrix as the carrier (the default), or switch to QR code for the same link.
Bind GTIN and batch. A per-item serial is added automatically.
Print and register. One passport per item is registered alongside the print.
As with the QR code, we decoded the Data Matrix above with ZXing and it returned the link exactly. Scan a printed label on your own scanners before a batch.
05 / DPP DATA MATRIX
Where it stops
- Phones. If shoppers are the audience, prefer a QR code or test your phones first.
- The registry entry belongs to the operator. The Commission's registry keeps only the passport's identifier and where it is hosted; the full data stays with the economic operator or a service provider it designates (the Commission's registry page). Only a verified economic operator can register, and enrolling means its legal representative signs a declaration with a qualified electronic signature (the registry user guide). LabelInn hosts the passport and gives you the identifier; it does not enrol or register on your behalf.
- No GTINs, no certification. GTINs come from GS1, and LabelInn is not a certified solution.
ANY PRINTER
Design it, bind your data, print on the printer you already own.
Zebra, TSC, Toshiba, Epson and more — over USB, network or Bluetooth, with no driver to install.
PRICING
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QUESTIONS / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can a Data Matrix carry a digital product passport?
Yes, if it holds the passport's web address (a GS1 Digital Link). The symbol only carries the link; the passport is the page and data behind it. For batteries the Commission names a QR code, so use that there.
Is Data Matrix smaller than a QR code?
For this 75-character link, a 32 by 32 Data Matrix against a 37 by 37 QR code at medium error correction, about a quarter less area. The exact ratio depends on the link length and the error-correction level.
What is the difference between GS1 DataMatrix and a Data Matrix with a Digital Link?
A GS1 DataMatrix carries an element string with FNC1 separators and shows as raw text on a phone. A passport Data Matrix carries a URL that opens the passport page.
Can a phone scan a Data Matrix passport?
Some camera apps and scanner apps do, but not all open it directly. A QR code is opened by the camera app on current phones. Test the phones your audience uses.
Which should I choose for a battery?
A QR code. The European Commission says the battery passport is linked to the battery through a QR code.
KEEP GOING
Related
BUILDING A PASSPORT?
Tell us your product and your deadline.
Each product group has its own rules, and the first steps differ for a battery maker and a clothing brand. Send us your product group, how many items you label a year and where your product data lives today. A person replies within 24 hours with what LabelInn covers today and what it does not.