How to Generate MSI, Plessey, and Standard 2 of 5 Barcodes for Inventory and Warehouse Labels in .NET

What Are MSI, Plessey, and Standard 2 of 5 Barcodes?

MSI (Modified Plessey), Plessey, and Standard 2 of 5 are numeric-only 1D barcodes used for warehouse, inventory, library, and industrial tracking. They are valued for their simplicity and compatibility with legacy and modern systems.

Quick Start (Minimal Example)

using Aspose.BarCode.Generation;
var generator = new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.MSI, "1234567890");
generator.Save("msi-barcode.png", BarCodeImageFormat.Png);

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What Are MSI, Plessey, and Standard 2 of 5 Barcodes?
3. Quick Start (Minimal Example)
4. Prerequisites
5. Step-by-Step Implementation
6. Checksum and Customization Options
7. Customizing Barcode Appearance
8. Supported Output Formats
9. Troubleshooting & Common Issues
10. FAQs
11. Use Cases and Applications
12. Best Practices
13. Related Articles
14. Conclusion

Introduction

This article covers generating MSI, Plessey, and Standard 2 of 5 barcodes for bulk inventory, library, and warehouse labeling using Aspose.BarCode for .NET. C# code samples and warehouse workflow tips are included.

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2019 or later
• .NET 6.0+ or .NET Framework 4.6.2+
• Aspose.BarCode for .NET (NuGet)
• Basic C# knowledge

PM> Install-Package Aspose.BarCode 

Step-by-Step Implementation

MSI Example:

using Aspose.BarCode.Generation;
BarcodeGenerator gen = new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.MSI, "1234567890");
gen.Save("msi-barcode.png", BarCodeImageFormat.Png);

Plessey Example:

BarcodeGenerator gen = new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.Plessey, "987654321");
gen.Save("plessey-barcode.png", BarCodeImageFormat.Png);

Standard 2 of 5 Example:

BarcodeGenerator gen = new BarcodeGenerator(EncodeTypes.Standard2of5, "123456");
gen.Save("standard2of5-barcode.png", BarCodeImageFormat.Png);

Checksum and Customization Options

• MSI Checksum: ```csgen.Parameters.Barcode.Msi.EnableChecksum = true; gen.Parameters.Barcode.Msi.ChecksumMode = MsiChecksumMode.Mod10;

• Bar Height/Width: csgen.Parameters.Barcode.BarHeight.Pixels = 80; gen.Parameters.Barcode.XDimension.Pixels = 2;

• Color/Background: csgen.Parameters.Barcode.BarColor = Color.DarkSlateGray; gen.Parameters.Barcode.BackColor = Color.WhiteSmoke;

• Caption: csgen.Parameters.CaptionBelow\.Visible = true;

Customizing Barcode Appearance

• See above for bar height, width, and color
• Adjust XDimension and BarHeight for different label sizes
• Use SVG for scalable, crisp printing

Supported Output Formats

• PNG, JPEG, BMP – Print and digital
• TIFF – High-res warehouse printers
• SVG, EMF – Large-scale or archival

Troubleshooting & Common Issues

• Barcode not scanning?

  • Ensure only numeric input, valid length for your scanner, proper contrast.

• Checksum errors?

  • Enable/disable checksum to match your scanner settings.

• Labels too small?

  • Use smaller XDimension and lower BarHeight.

FAQs

Q: Are these barcodes supported by all scanners? A: Most industrial and warehouse scanners support MSI, Plessey, and Standard 2 of 5, but check your hardware documentation.

Q: Can I batch-generate thousands of labels? A: Yes, loop through inventory data and generate images programmatically.

Use Cases and Applications

• Bulk warehouse and inventory labeling
• Library and archive systems
• Industrial equipment tracking
• Shipping container and bin labels

Best Practices: Quick Reference Table

Conclusion

MSI, Plessey, and Standard 2 of 5 barcodes remain vital for inventory and warehouse operations. Aspose.BarCode for .NET enables rapid, high-volume generation for every industrial workflow. See the Aspose.BarCode API Reference for more details.