What is a Flattermarken barcode?
Flattermarken, a German term for collation marks, are simple bar marks printed on the spine edge of folded sheets or signatures. When the sections of a book or brochure are stacked in the right order, the marks form a visible step or diagonal line, so a missing or swapped section stands out.
Strictly speaking, Flattermarken are positional marks rather than a scanning symbology. Each digit you enter sets the position of a bar, and no human-readable text is printed. They are checked by eye or by camera systems on bindery equipment rather than by handheld barcode scanners.
Use Flattermarken only for print production and collation. If you need a machine-readable sequence number on each sheet, use a real barcode such as Code 128 or Interleaved 2 of 5.
What data can Flattermarken hold?
Digits 0-9 only. Spaces are removed. Each digit sets the position of a mark, and no text is printed under the marks.
Recommended size
Size the marks to fit the spine edge of your folded sheets, and place them at the same offset on every section so the step pattern lines up when the sections are gathered.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Generally no. Flattermarken are visual collation marks meant to be checked by eye or by bindery camera systems, not by standard barcode scanners.
On the area that becomes the spine fold of each signature, so the marks are visible on the back of the gathered book block.
Generate a mark for each section with a different digit or position so that, in the correct order, the marks form a continuous staircase.