What Is Coding and Marking?
Understanding Coding and Marking
Almost every pack carries a code applied at the line. A best-before date, a batch number, a barcode, or a serial number is printed or marked as the product moves past a coder. The job is small but constant: every unit needs its mark, and the mark has to be legible and in the right place.
Several technologies do this work. Continuous inkjet sprays characters without touching the surface. Thermal transfer printing presses ink from a ribbon onto labels and films. Laser marking burns the code into the surface. Print-and-apply prints a label and places it. The right one depends on the substrate, the speed, and whether the code is fixed or different for every unit.
Key Components of Coding and Marking
Why Coding and Marking Matters
Coding and marking is where a physical product picks up the data that lets it be traced, recalled, and authenticated. A missing or unreadable code breaks that chain, so accuracy and verification at the coder matter as much as the print itself.
- Applies dates, batches, and codes at line speed
- Supports fixed and unique variable data
- Works across many surfaces and materials
- Foundation for traceability and recall
- Verifiable in line with a camera or scanner
- Carries authentication codes onto every unit
How Acviss Supports Coding and Marking
Acviss works at the same point on the line. Certify generates a unique, non-clonable code for every unit, which is then marked or applied as a label and verified as it passes.
Those codes feed Origin track-and-trace, so coding and marking becomes the start of an authentication trail rather than just a date stamp. It connects to inline printing and the label applicator.
Make every code count
Talk to Acviss about turning the codes you already apply into a verifiable authentication trail.
Book a Free DemoFrequently Asked Questions
Coding and marking applies data such as dates and codes directly to a product or pack, often by inkjet or laser. Labelling applies a separate printed label. The two overlap in print-and-apply, which prints and applies a coded label.
It depends on the surface and speed. Continuous inkjet suits fast non-contact coding, thermal transfer suits labels and films, and laser suits permanent marks on hard surfaces.
Yes. Connected to a data source, a coder can print a different serial or authentication code on every unit, which is the basis of serialization and track-and-trace.
A camera or scanner reads each code in line and confirms it is present, legible, and correct, rejecting any unit that fails.
