What GS1 DataBar Limited Composite is
GS1 DataBar Limited Composite pairs the narrower GS1 DataBar Limited linear component (for small items with limited label space) with a linked 2D composite component. bwip-js draws this by parsing the pipe-delimited "<linear>|<composite-component>" payload, delegating linear-component drawing to the already-covered GS1 DataBar Limited encoder and composite-component drawing to its own internal GS1 Composite Component encoder -- confirmed directly, the same pairing shape as this catalog's other composite capabilities.
Generate it now
Enter a value in the form "<linear AI data>|<composite AI data>" -- for example "(01)09521234543213|(21)abcdefghijklmnopqrst" -- to see a live preview.
Valid input
A pipe character must separate the linear component from the composite component (bwipp.missingCompositeComponent rejects a value with no pipe). The linear half must be valid GS1 DataBar Limited data -- a 14-digit GTIN with AI (01), where the first digit of the item reference must be 0 or 1 (the same start-digit restriction the plain GS1 DataBar Limited encoder already enforces).
Key options
Supported options include height. Real, literal default is -1 (bwip-js auto-computes a bar height). A fixed height in millimetres genuinely changes the rendered geometry, since the caller's original value has already shaped the linear component's own combined pixel grid before this bcid's own final render step recomputes the overall height.
Output and printing
Export SVG for vector-precise label artwork or PNG for a quick proof.
Common uses
GS1 DataBar Limited Composite is used on small retail items (limited label space) that also need to carry supplementary GS1 data such as a batch/lot number or expiry date via the linked composite component.
Example
See the live preview above, seeded with a bwip-js-verified valid value.
Size guidance
The composite component's own row count scales with the data supplied; a fixed height only affects the linear component's own bar height.
Troubleshooting
A rejected value usually means the pipe separator is missing, the linear half is not a valid GS1 DataBar Limited GTIN, or the item reference's first digit is not 0 or 1.
Related formats
Related formats: the separately-covered plain GS1 DataBar Limited generator (no linked composite component) for when only the linear component's own data is needed.
FAQ
What GTINs are valid for the linear component?
A 14-digit GTIN under AI (01) whose item reference starts with 0 or 1 -- the same real start-digit restriction the plain GS1 DataBar Limited encoder already enforces.