What is Interleaved 2 of 5?
Interleaved 2 of 5, often abbreviated I2of5 or ITF, is a numeric-only barcode that encodes pairs of digits by interleaving bar and space patterns. It has long been used in industrial, warehouse and distribution applications.
Why it is called interleaved
One digit of each pair is represented by bars and the other by spaces, allowing relatively dense numeric encoding.
Data length
Implementations commonly use an even number of digits because data is encoded in pairs. Applications may also define check-digit requirements.
I2of5 vs ITF-14
ITF-14 is a GS1-specific use of Interleaved 2 of 5 for encoding a GTIN-14. Generic I2of5 can be used for application-defined numeric data.
Practical implementation advice
Barcode artwork that looks correct on screen can still fail after printing. Preserve quiet zones, avoid non-uniform scaling, choose an appropriate X-dimension or module size, and test the final printed symbol with the scanners and software used in the real workflow.