Sunrise 2027 — 2D Barcode Scanner & Label Upgrade

Arrowhead gets your scanners, printers, and labels ready for Sunrise 2027 — assess your fleet, generate GS1 Digital Link codes, and print verified dual-marked labels. Here's what the shift to 2D barcodes actually changes at your checkout and in your warehouse, and how to work out what you need to replace.

What Sunrise 2027 means for your checkout and warehouse

Sunrise 2027 is a GS1 US initiative: by the end of 2027, retail point-of-sale should be able to scan 2D barcodes — a QR code carrying a GS1 Digital Link URI, or a GS1 DataMatrix — alongside the legacy UPC. It is retailer-driven, not a legal mandate; no one is going to fine you for missing the date. What does happen is that trading partners start printing 2D codes on packaging, and any scanner that can't read them becomes a bottleneck.

The transition runs through a multi-year dual marking phase: the 1D UPC and the 2D code are printed together, so a legacy scanner still finds a barcode it understands while the 2D-capable fleet gets the richer data. Two practical consequences:

• At the point of sale — one QR code can carry the GTIN for the till and open a product web page for the shopper. That is the whole appeal of GS1 Digital Link, and it is why retailers are pushing the date.
• In receiving and the warehouse — inbound cartons and pallets start arriving dual-marked. If your handhelds are 1D-only, operators end up hunting for the linear barcode on a label that was redesigned around the 2D code.

Full background and timeline: the Sunrise 2027 explainer.

Is your scanner fleet ready?

The dividing line is simple and it is physical, not a firmware setting:

Scanner type	Reads UPC / 1D	Reads QR & DataMatrix
1D laser scanner	Yes	No — cannot be upgraded
1D linear imager	Yes	No
2D area imager	Yes	Yes

A 1D laser sweeps a single line of light across the symbol — there is no sensor there that can see a two-dimensional grid, so no update makes a laser scanner read a QR code. Replacement is the only path. The good news is the other direction: most Zebra 2D imagers sold in the last five to seven years already read QR and GS1 DataMatrix out of the box, so a fleet audit usually finds fewer devices to replace than expected.

Not sure which of your devices are which? Work through the Sunrise 2027 readiness checker for a guided, model-by-model answer — or send us a device list and we'll mark it up.

Dual-marked labels: what changes on the label

• The 2D code needs its own space. A QR code is roughly square and needs a clear quiet zone around it, so the label usually gets re-laid-out rather than having a code dropped into leftover white space.
• The UPC stays put. Through dual marking you print both. Don't remove the linear barcode until your trading partners tell you they no longer need it.
• Your printer already does this. ZPL generates QR Code and GS1 DataMatrix natively — the printer renders the symbol from the data you send, so there is no image pipeline to build. Existing Zebra printers generally do not need replacing for 2D; the label format does.
• Verify before you commit a run. Print, scan with the device that will actually read it in production, and check the decode at the size you're printing. Small symbols on coarse stock are where dual-marking projects go wrong.

Starting layouts are here: GS1 label templates. Arrowhead supplies the label stock — including 4x6 thermal shipping labels — and can pre-print dual-marked runs so you're not re-tooling a production line to hit a date.

Hardware paths

Where a 1D scanner has to be replaced, these are the categories that matter. We're an authorized Zebra reseller, so quotes are for genuine, warranty-registered hardware:

• General purpose scanners — counter, checkout, and light warehouse use. This is where most 1D laser replacements land.
• Ultra-rugged scanners — receiving docks, freezers, and yard work, where the device gets dropped for a living.
• Healthcare scanners — disinfectant-ready housings for bedside and pharmacy scanning, where GS1 DataMatrix is already the norm.
• All barcode scanners — the full range, including cordless, presentation, and fixed-mount models.

Printers usually stay: see Zebra printers if you're expanding label capacity at the same time, or the ZD421 desktop printer for a straightforward dual-marking workhorse.

A sensible order of operations

1. Inventory your scanners by model and count. The readiness checker sorts them into 2D-capable and replace.
2. Make a test code. Our free GS1 QR code generator turns a GTIN into a GS1 Digital Link QR you can print and try against your own hardware today.
3. Redesign one label in dual-marked form and verify the decode at production size and stock.
4. Phase the hardware. Replace at the touchpoints that see inbound dual-marked packaging first — receiving and point-of-sale — rather than swapping the whole fleet at once.

FAQ

Is Sunrise 2027 a legal requirement?

No. It is a retailer-driven GS1 US industry initiative with a target date, not legislation. The pressure is commercial — trading partners adopting 2D codes — rather than regulatory.

Can a firmware update make my 1D scanners read QR codes?

No. Reading a 2D symbol requires an imager that captures a two-dimensional image. A laser scanner has no such sensor.

Do I have to replace my label printers too?

Usually not. ZPL supports QR Code and GS1 DataMatrix natively, so existing Zebra printers can produce 2D codes — the work is in the label format and in verifying the printed result.

Do I stop printing the UPC?

Not during dual marking. Print both until your trading partners confirm they no longer need the linear symbol.

What's the difference between a QR code and a GS1 Digital Link?

The QR code is the symbol; the GS1 Digital Link is what's encoded in it — a web URI containing the GTIN. A QR code can hold anything; it's the GS1 Digital Link syntax inside that makes it meaningful to a point-of-sale system.