Practical guides
A Practical GS1 2D Readiness Checklist for Manufacturers
A step-by-step checklist for moving packaging to GS1 2D barcodes: GTIN data, artwork, print quality, landing content, retailer talks and pilots.
Intermediate8 min read
AIQR Learning Centre
What are you trying to understand?
Clear, practical explanations of product identity — from GS1 barcodes and 2D codes to serialization on the packaging line, traceability events and what happens when a consumer scans. Written for brand, packaging, operations, IT and marketing teams. No standards background needed.
New to GS1? Start with these 5 guides.
Then follow the path for your role
- Factory & operationsCoders, cameras, edge software and exactly-once printing.
- Retail & marketplacesWhat POS, retailers and marketplaces do with your identifiers.
- Traceability & EPCISCartons, pallets, SSCC and event histories.
- Marketing & loyaltyResolvers, consumer scans, loyalty and warranty.
- IndiaWhat the 2D transition means for Indian manufacturers.
Browse by topic
GS1 basics
What GS1 is, and the identifiers it gives brands.
Start with: What Is GS1? A Plain-English Guide for Businesses
7 guides
GS1 Digital Link & Sunrise 2027
Web-ready product identity and the move to 2D at checkout.
Start with: What Is GS1 Digital Link?
5 guides
2D barcodes
QR codes, GS1 Digital Link and GS1 DataMatrix — and why 1D will not vanish overnight.
Start with: QR Code vs GS1 DataMatrix: When Does Each Make Sense?
4 guides
Serialization
Giving each individual unit its own identity.
Start with: What Is Product Serialization?
5 guides
Factory & packaging line
How serial numbers get printed, checked and recorded at line speed.
Start with: The Journey of a Serialized Product Through a Packaging Line
9 guides
Traceability & logistics
What traceability means, and how units, cartons and pallets are tracked.
Start with: What Is Product Traceability?
6 guides
EPCIS & traceability events
The shared language for recording what happened to a product.
Start with: What Is EPCIS? A Plain-English Business Guide
6 guides
Resolver & connected experiences
How one product identity leads to the right digital service.
Start with: What Is a GS1 Resolver?
5 guides
Retail, marketplaces & consumers
What happens at checkout, online, and on the consumer's phone.
Start with: What Happens When a Product Is Scanned at the Checkout?
6 guides
Authentication & engagement
Verification, anti-counterfeit, loyalty and warranty — honestly explained.
Start with: Product Verification vs Authentication: What Is the Difference?
5 guides
India
What the 2D transition means for Indian manufacturers, sector by sector.
Start with: What Sunrise 2027 Means for Indian Brands
8 guides
Connected packaging strategy
From one-off marketing QR codes to durable product infrastructure.
Start with: What Is Connected Packaging?
6 guides
Practical guides
Checklists and evaluations you can use with your team this week.
Start with: A Practical GS1 2D Readiness Checklist for Manufacturers
3 guides
Product stories
Follow real-world journeys from factory to consumer, step by step.
Start with: The Journey of a Perfume Bottle, from Brand to Consumer
3 guides
Most useful guides
Authentication & engagement
Product Verification vs Authentication: What Is the Difference?
Verification checks a code or identifier; authentication asks if the item in hand is genuine. Learn the levels of assurance in between and what each one shows.
Beginner8 min read
2D barcodes
QR Code vs GS1 DataMatrix: When Does Each Make Sense?
QR Code or GS1 DataMatrix? How the two 2D barcodes differ, which ones work at retail checkout, and how to choose for consumer, healthcare or small packs.
Beginner7 min read
Product stories
The Journey of a Perfume Bottle, from Brand to Consumer
Follow one bottle of a fictional perfume from product launch to a shopper's phone: GTIN, ERP, batch, serial, coder, camera, carton, pallet, store and resolver.
Beginner8 min read
Factory & packaging line
The Journey of a Serialized Product Through a Packaging Line
Follow one serialized perfume box from ERP to pallet: what the gateway, coder, camera, reject station, carton and ERP registration each prove.
Beginner10 min read
Retail, marketplaces & consumers
What Happens When a Product Is Scanned at the Checkout?
Follow a checkout scan step by step: how laser and imaging scanners read 1D and 2D barcodes, extract the GTIN offline and find the retailer's own price.
Beginner8 min read
Myths vs facts
- “A barcode and GTIN are the same thing.”
- “GS1 stores every serial number in one global database.”
- “GS1 QR automatically proves authenticity.”
Glossary
GTIN, SSCC, GLN, EPCIS, resolver, commissioning, aggregation — every term used in these guides, explained in plain English with why it matters.
Open the glossary