SDK Documentation Help

MSI Plessey

MSI Plessey is a variable-length linear barcode symbology developed around 1970.

STRICH implements Rationalized Codabar, which uses a fixed ratio of 3:1 for the wide and narrow elements, as recommended in the AIM-BC3-2000 specification. Previous specifications such as the original Pitney-Bowes specification used a fixed character width and varying wide-narrow ratios.

MSI Plessey is not used widely anymore, but can still be found in inventory control applications and on shelf tags.

A sample MSI Plessey barcode is shown below.

Sample MSI Plessey barcode

Symbology Characteristics

Configuration name

msi-plessey

Encodable character set

Numeric (0-9)

Integrity protection

Modulo 10 check digit (optional, but highly recommended)

Quiet zone

Leading and trailing quiet zone of at least ten modules (10X) is recommended

Optional Check Digit

MSI Plessey supports an optional check character for more reliable scanning. The check digit is placed immediately after the final data character and before the stop character.

By default, check digit verification is enabled and the check digit is stripped from the returned data (checksumMode is set to 1).

Restricting Minimum and Maximum Length

In addition to using a check digit, we also strongly recommend to configure minLen and maxLen to your use case.

Most applications of MSI Plessey use fixed-length barcodes. For example, if all your barcodes encode eight digits, setting minLen and maxLen to 8 is recommended to prevent misreads and improve decoding efficiency.

Configuration Options

Option

Description

Sample Configuration

Default

minLen

The minimum length of scanned codes

const config = { engine: { symbologies: [ { name: "msi-plessey", minLen: 8 } ] } }

6

maxLen

The maximum length of scanned codes

const config = { engine: { symbologies: [ { name: "msi-plessey", maxLen: 8 } ] } }

12

qz

The minimum size of the quiet zone, in modules (X)

const config = { engine: { symbologies: [ { name: "msi-plessey", qz: 10 } ] } }

10

checksumMode

0: no check digit expected

1: single Modulo 10 check digit validated and stripped

2: single Modulo 10 check digit validated and transmitted

const config = { engine: { symbologies: [{name: "msi-plessey", checksumMode: 1}] } }

0

09 January 2026