Understanding 2D Barcodes Barcodes have come a long way from the simple black-and-white stripes once seen on every retail product. Today, 2D barcodes—short for two-dimensional barcodes—have become the industry standard for tracking, labeling, and authenticating products across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and retail. Unlike traditional 1D barcodes that store data only in a single line of vertical stripes, 2D barcodes can …