Packaging control
Pharmacode on the Packaging Line: Binary Bars, Not a GTIN
One-track Pharmacode (often associated with Laetus packaging control) encodes a small integer as thick and thin bars so a packaging line can confirm that the correct leaflet, carton, or label variant is running.
Generate PharmacodeWhat it is -- and is not
What it is
Compact numeric control code for packaging equipment. Binary-weighted narrow/wide bars collapse to one integer. Read by dedicated sensors / machine vision at line speed.
What it is not
Not a GTIN. Not anti-counterfeit serialization. Not a substitute for GS1 healthcare DataMatrix / regulatory UID schemes. Not for consumer phone scans.
Binary bar construction
Think of each bar position as a place value rather than a digit glyph. In the common one-track model, a narrow bar contributes one times its place weight and a wide bar contributes two times that weight. Place weights double across the symbol (1, 2, 4, 8, ...), so the pattern collapses to a single integer.
Integer only
No human-readable SKU alphabet inside the bars -- the recipe maps integer to material variant.
Line speed
Short, orientation-tolerant mark for "is this the expected control number?"
Not open data
Not for marketing text, URLs, or warehouse alphanumeric IDs.
Value range on Qrivio
Typical one-track Pharmacode integers run from 3 to 131070. Values outside that range are rejected -- including by Qrivio.
3
1234
1235
131070
Assign integers from your packaging-control SOP. Do not recycle retail GTINs, hash leaflet titles, or copy a lot number into the Pharmacode field. Keep recipe IDs in the same system that drives the camera expected-value table.
Insert vs carton placement
Leaflet / insert Often sits in a fixed camera window so the line rejects a wrong leaflet before fold-in.
Folding carton Same idea for strength, language, or market artwork variants that look similar to operators.
Pairing Carton and leaflet integers must each match their recipe. A correct carton with a wrong-language leaflet is still a failed pack.
Contrast Vision systems use fixed thresholds. Low contrast, varnish glare, or decorative colour under line lighting causes false rejects or unstable accepts.
Failure modes
| Failure | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Wrong leaflet | Language variants share similar carton art; insert Pharmacode differs but inspection is bypassed |
| Recipe drift | Artwork uses a new integer while the camera still expects yesterday's value |
| Shared integer | Unrelated SKUs collide -- vision "passes" the wrong material |
| Fake serial | Repeating one control number on every unit does not create unit-level traceability |
| Placement | Mark outside the camera FOV after a format change, or across score lines |
Boundaries with MSI and inventory IDs
Pharmacode answers a packaging-line control question. Broader inventory, lot tracking, and healthcare identification live on the inventory & pharma barcoding guide.
MSI is a different numeric linear family for some legacy shelf stacks. Do not substitute MSI for Pharmacode on a vision job, and do not expect a Pharmacode integer to behave like an MSI shelf key in a WMS.