Problem matching Code128A Barcodes generated with iTextSharp vs. Barcode.4NET

Answer 1

Is it really necessary for them to look exactly the same? The different versions of Code 128 are all capable of encoding numbers, even if the barcodes themselves look completely different; the reader should sort it all out in the end.

I prefer the B variant, because it has the lower case letters in addition to the upper case. You can see a table detailing the differences at http://www.barcodeisland.com/code128.phtml

iTextSharp looks like it is generating variant C, which is the most compact if the text is only decimal digits. It encodes 2 digits in the same amount of space as a single character in the other encodings.

Answer 2

While I think balexandre has the generators mixed up, his advice is good.

Evidently Barcode.4NET is correctly generating the Code 128A barcode that I am trying to emulate.

iTextSharp is generating a Code 128C barcode which, according to Mark Ransom, should be OK except for the users and customer will probably look at it and say "It's too short and should look like the other ones!"

So, great advice, but I'm still back to "How do I generate a Code 128A barcode with iTextSharp?"