Typically bar codes in an imaging system are used to index documents. Depending on what kind of data needs to be indexed different bar code types are available. The space available on the document will define how many characters can be encoded. How many bar codes can be tolerated to be misread. Some bar code types are more tolerant on the quiet zone requirements.
Recommendations Always start with the most simple bar code that solves the problem.
These bar codes offer more accurate and provide faster reading. Most bar code readers scan in one direction. The minimum height defines the number of scans possible and how much skew can be tolerated. If a second scan is needed and the height is insufficient, the bar code will not be read. With skew, the situation is even worse, if the height is small and there is skew, the scan will probably not include the whole bar code, and a misread is almost certain.