CODE128A is the sub-type of CODE128 that encodes uppercase letters, digits, and ASCII control characters. It was the earliest sub-type and remains in use wherever legacy systems expect control code embedding.
Character set
Uppercase A–Z, digits 0–9, space, standard punctuation, and non-printable ASCII control characters (codes 0–31 and 127). Lowercase letters are outside its range; use CODE128B or Auto for mixed-case input.
Typical use
Transport labels, inventory systems, and integrations that require embedded control codes or that specify CODE128A by name. For general alphanumeric text, CODE128 Auto or CODE128B produces a shorter output.