IronBarcode How-Tos Output Data Formats in IronBarcode How to Output Data Formats Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar Updated:July 28, 2025 Instead of simply reading the barcode and printing the values in the console, IronBarcode offers much more. It provides several output formats that pave the way for users to further process the read results. These formats include properties such as barcode image, barcode type, BinaryValue, coordinates, height, width, page number, barcode, page orientation, text, and value. Users can manipulate these properties further within the program. Let's explore how to use these properties and the use cases where they can be helpful. How to Output Data Formats Download the C# library for reading barcodes Prepare the PDF and image for barcode detection Access the detected barcode type and image Retrieve the barcode's x and y coordinates, as well as its height and width Read the barcode's text and value Get started with IronBarcode Start using IronBarcode in your project today with a free trial. First Step: Start for Free Output Formats and Use Cases BarcodeResult stores various useful properties. These properties are listed below: BarcodeImage BarcodeType BinaryValue Coordinates, Height & Width PageNumber Barcode and PageOrientation Text & Value Barcode Image Once IronBarcode performs a reading process on an image, the barcodes found in the image will be stored in BarcodeResult as the BarcodeImage property of type AnyBitmap. The BarcodeImage property stores the found barcode images. Users can retrieve this object to further process the image or save it as a permanent copy. This provides efficient and ease of use by eliminating the need to write additional code to extract the barcode images from an image. Let us look at the code snippet below that demonstrates a possible use case for this output format: :path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/output-data-formats-BarcodeImage.cs using IronBarCode; using IronSoftware.Drawing; using System.Collections.Generic; // Read barcode from PDF file BarcodeResults result = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("test.pdf"); // Create list for barcodes List<AnyBitmap> barcodeList = new List<AnyBitmap>(); foreach (BarcodeResult barcode in result) { barcodeList.Add(barcode.BarcodeImage); } // Create multi-page TIFF AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameTiff(barcodeList).SaveAs("barcodeImages.tif"); Imports IronBarCode Imports IronSoftware.Drawing Imports System.Collections.Generic ' Read barcode from PDF file Private result As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("test.pdf") ' Create list for barcodes Private barcodeList As New List(Of AnyBitmap)() For Each barcode As BarcodeResult In result barcodeList.Add(barcode.BarcodeImage) Next barcode ' Create multi-page TIFF AnyBitmap.CreateMultiFrameTiff(barcodeList).SaveAs("barcodeImages.tif") $vbLabelText $csharpLabel The code snippet above illustrates one of the use cases for this output format. Specifically, it's designed to create a multipage TIFF image from barcodes detected within a PDF document. First, we scan or detect barcodes in the sample PDF. Then, we create a list of AnyBitmap where we store the information from the BarcodeImage property. Finally, we utilize this list to generate a multi-page TIFF using the CreateMultiFrameTiff method. Please noteBarcodeImage property from BarcodeResult only stores the images of barcodes found during the read, not the whole input image itself. Barcode Type This property helps users in determining what type of barcode is present in the input image or document. However, the limitation of this feature is that the barcode type inside the image must be those that are supported and can be read by IronBarcode. To know more about supported barcode types in IronBarcode, users can refer to this article. The code snippet below demonstrates how users can retrieve the barcode values as well as the barcode type in an image by printing the values on console. :path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/output-data-formats-BarcodeType.cs using IronBarCode; using System; // Read barcode from PNG BarcodeResults result = BarcodeReader.Read("bc3.png"); // Output barcode type to console foreach (BarcodeResult barcode in result) { Console.WriteLine("The barcode value is " + barcode.ToString() + " and the barcode type is " + barcode.BarcodeType); } Imports IronBarCode Imports System ' Read barcode from PNG Private result As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.Read("bc3.png") ' Output barcode type to console For Each barcode As BarcodeResult In result Console.WriteLine("The barcode value is " & barcode.ToString() & " and the barcode type is " & barcode.BarcodeType) Next barcode $vbLabelText $csharpLabel From the code snippet above, we perform barcode reading by calling BarcodeReader.Read() method on the input image. This returns a BarcodeResults object that stores all the BarcodeResult from reading all barcodes available in the image. Next, we iterate through the BarcodeResults object to retrieve the BarcodeResult and get the barcode value and type printed to the console. Binary Value Using IronBarcode, users can also retrieve the byte array of the barcode value by accessing the BinaryValue property from the BarcodeResult object. This allows users to manipulate the barcode value further inside the program. The code snippet below demonstrates one use case of retrieving the barcode value as binary data: :path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/output-data-formats-BinaryValue.cs using IronBarCode; // Read barcode from PNG BarcodeResults result = BarcodeReader.Read("multiple-barcodes.png"); int i = 1; foreach (BarcodeResult barcode in result) { var binaryValue = barcode.BinaryValue; var barcodeType = IronBarCode.BarcodeEncoding.QRCode; // Create QR code GeneratedBarcode generatedBarcode = BarcodeWriter.CreateBarcode(binaryValue, barcodeType); // Export QR code generatedBarcode.SaveAsPng($"qrFromBinary{i}.png"); i++; } Imports IronBarCode ' Read barcode from PNG Private result As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.Read("multiple-barcodes.png") Private i As Integer = 1 For Each barcode As BarcodeResult In result Dim binaryValue = barcode.BinaryValue Dim barcodeType = IronBarCode.BarcodeEncoding.QRCode ' Create QR code Dim generatedBarcode As GeneratedBarcode = BarcodeWriter.CreateBarcode(binaryValue, barcodeType) ' Export QR code generatedBarcode.SaveAsPng($"qrFromBinary{i}.png") i += 1 Next barcode $vbLabelText $csharpLabel Observing the code snippet above, we've created a straightforward program that transforms multiple barcodes within an image into separate new binary-encoded files. Initially, we scan the barcodes in the sample PNG image. Once we've detected these barcodes, we iterate through them, access the BinaryValue property, and then use it to create new binary files. Barcode Coordinates, Height & Width Another property of the BarcodeResult object that users can access is the barcode's coordinates, including X1, Y1, and X2, Y2, as well as its Height and Width within an image file or document. These properties prove to be very useful when users need to retrieve information about the barcode's location and dimensions. Let's use an illustration to highlight the barcode's location and dimensions. :path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/output-data-formats-height-width.cs using IronBarCode; using IronSoftware.Drawing; using System.Linq; // Read barcode from PNG BarcodeResults result = BarcodeReader.Read("multiple-barcodes.png"); AnyBitmap bitmap = AnyBitmap.FromFile("multiple-barcodes.png"); foreach (BarcodeResult barcode in result) { PointF[] barcodePoints = barcode.Points; float x1 = barcodePoints.Select(b => b.X).Min(); float y1 = barcodePoints.Select(b => b.Y).Min(); Rectangle rectangle = new Rectangle((int)x1, (int)y1, (int)barcode.Width!, (int)barcode.Height!); bitmap = bitmap.Redact(rectangle, Color.Magenta); // Save the image bitmap.SaveAs("redacted.png", AnyBitmap.ImageFormat.Png); } Imports System Imports IronBarCode Imports IronSoftware.Drawing Imports System.Linq ' Read barcode from PNG Private result As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.Read("multiple-barcodes.png") Private bitmap As AnyBitmap = AnyBitmap.FromFile("multiple-barcodes.png") For Each barcode As BarcodeResult In result Dim barcodePoints() As PointF = barcode.Points Dim x1 As Single = barcodePoints.Select(Function(b) b.X).Min() Dim y1 As Single = barcodePoints.Select(Function(b) b.Y).Min() 'INSTANT VB TODO TASK: There is no VB equivalent to the C# 'null-forgiving operator': 'ORIGINAL LINE: Rectangle rectangle = new Rectangle((int)x1, (int)y1, (int)barcode.Width!, (int)barcode.Height!); Dim rectangle As New Rectangle(CInt(Math.Truncate(x1)), CInt(Math.Truncate(y1)), CInt(barcode.Width), CInt(barcode.Height)) bitmap = bitmap.Redact(rectangle, Color.Magenta) ' Save the image bitmap.SaveAs("redacted.png", AnyBitmap.ImageFormat.Png) Next barcode $vbLabelText $csharpLabel Before redaction After redaction The code snippet above is used to redact multiple barcodes found in an image file. To achieve this, we use a combination of two libraries, IronBarcode and IronDrawing. To get the BarcodeResult object and extract the properties from it, we first read the barcodes available in an image file using the BarcodeReader.Read() method. Concurrently, the input image file also needs to be converted into an AnyBitmap object to apply the redaction method to the image. Once we have the BarcodeResults object, we can apply a loop and iterate through it to get the X1, Y1, Width, and Height of every barcode available in the image and use them in the CropRectangle properties of the AnyBitmap.Redact() method. Page Number Users can also retrieve the page number at which the barcode was found. This is a helpful feature for users who seek to use a multipage document that contains multiple barcodes and need to know the location of the barcodes found in the document for further processing. Let's look at the code snippet below: :path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/output-data-formats-page-number.cs using IronBarCode; using System; // Read barcode from PDF BarcodeResults result = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("test.pdf"); // Output page number to console foreach (BarcodeResult barcode in result) { Console.WriteLine("The barcode value " + barcode.ToString() + " is found on page number " + barcode.PageNumber); } Imports IronBarCode Imports System ' Read barcode from PDF Private result As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("test.pdf") ' Output page number to console For Each barcode As BarcodeResult In result Console.WriteLine("The barcode value " & barcode.ToString() & " is found on page number " & barcode.PageNumber) Next barcode $vbLabelText $csharpLabel The simple code snippet above demonstrates one use case where users need the program to return the value of barcodes found in a multipage PDF document and their respective page numbers. The code snippet above uses the BarcodeReader.ReadPdf() method to read the barcodes inside a multipage PDF document, which returns BarcodeResults object storing every BarcodeResult found in the document. We apply a loop and iterate through each item in the object to retrieve the value of the barcodes and the page number where the barcodes were found. Apart from this use case, users can also use this property to debug if all barcodes in a document were able to be read. Please noteThe value returned from this property is 1-Based, meaning the first page is always one and not zero Barcode rotation and Page Orientation Using IronBarcode, users can also retrieve information on the barcode orientation and page orientation where the barcode was found. To extract these two pieces of information, users can access the Rotation and PageOrientation properties from the BarcodeResult object. Rotation will return an integer that represents the angle of rotation of the barcode found. Let's look at the code snippet below: :path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/output-data-formats-orientation.cs using IronBarCode; using System; // Read barcode from PDF BarcodeResults result = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("test.pdf"); // Output page orientation and rotation to console foreach (BarcodeResult barcode in result) { Console.WriteLine(barcode.Value); Console.WriteLine(barcode.PageOrientation); Console.WriteLine(barcode.Rotation); } Imports IronBarCode Imports System ' Read barcode from PDF Private result As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("test.pdf") ' Output page orientation and rotation to console For Each barcode As BarcodeResult In result Console.WriteLine(barcode.Value) Console.WriteLine(barcode.PageOrientation) Console.WriteLine(barcode.Rotation) Next barcode $vbLabelText $csharpLabel The simple code snippet above was run with the sample PDF input attached to prove that users can retrieve the page orientation and barcode rotation by getting the value of BarcodeResult.PageOrientation and BarcodeResult.Rotation, respectively. This feature is useful mainly for debugging purposes. Please noteIronBarcode can only read barcodes with rotations of 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees. IronBarcode will not return any value if the barcode has a rotation value other than those mentioned. PageOrientation will return a PageOrientation object, which consists of Portrait or Landscape. Text and Value Of course, the main property that users will want to retrieve when using IronBarcode is its value and text. These two properties are often used interchangeably and will return the same value. Apart from that, users can also use the BarcodeResult.ToString() method to achieve the same result. The code snippet below demonstrates: :path=/static-assets/barcode/content-code-examples/how-to/output-data-formats-text-value.cs using IronBarCode; using System; // Read barcode from PDF BarcodeResults result = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("barcodestamped3.pdf"); // Output text value to console foreach (BarcodeResult barcode in result) { Console.WriteLine(barcode.Value); Console.WriteLine(barcode.Text); Console.WriteLine(barcode.ToString()); } Imports IronBarCode Imports System ' Read barcode from PDF Private result As BarcodeResults = BarcodeReader.ReadPdf("barcodestamped3.pdf") ' Output text value to console For Each barcode As BarcodeResult In result Console.WriteLine(barcode.Value) Console.WriteLine(barcode.Text) Console.WriteLine(barcode.ToString()) Next barcode $vbLabelText $csharpLabel From the code snippet above, users only need to use a few lines of code to read barcodes in an image using IronBarcode. After iterating through the BarcodeResults returned by the BarcodeReader.Read() method, we output to the console the result of getting the value and text properties, as well as calling the BarcodeResult.ToString() method to show that all these returned the same value. In a nutshell, IronBarcode is a perfect API for users to perform multiple operations regarding barcodes, not limited to writing and decoding barcodes. With various output data formats supported, users can do so much more with the BarcodeResult object returned by IronBarcode. Frequently Asked Questions What output formats does the library offer for barcodes in .NET C#? IronBarcode provides several output formats including barcode image, barcode type, BinaryValue, coordinates, height, width, page number, barcode, page orientation, text, and value. How can I create a multipage TIFF image from detected barcodes using the library? You can use the AnyBitmap class in IronBarcode to create a multipage TIFF image from detected barcodes by first reading the barcodes from a PDF and then adding the BarcodeImage properties to a list, which can be used to generate the TIFF. What is the purpose of the BarcodeType property in the library? The BarcodeType property in IronBarcode helps determine the type of barcode present in the input image or document. Users can print the barcode value and type to the console using this property. How can I convert barcode values to binary data using the library? To convert barcode values to binary data using IronBarcode, you can read the barcodes from an image and access the BinaryValue property from the BarcodeResult object, which can then be saved as binary-encoded files. How can I retrieve barcode coordinates, height, and width using the library? You can retrieve barcode coordinates, height, and width by accessing the properties from the BarcodeResult object in IronBarcode after reading barcodes from an image. This information can be used for tasks like redacting barcode images. How do I find the page number a barcode is located on using the library? The PageNumber property of the BarcodeResult object in IronBarcode allows users to retrieve the page number where the barcode was found, which is particularly useful for multi-page documents. Can the library determine the orientation of a barcode? Yes, IronBarcode can determine barcode orientation and page orientation using the Rotation and PageOrientation properties of the BarcodeResult object. What is the difference between the text and value properties in the library? The text and value properties in IronBarcode are often used interchangeably and return the same value. The BarcodeResult.ToString() method can also be used to achieve the same result. What are the limitations of barcode rotation detection in the library? IronBarcode can only read barcodes with rotations of 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees. It will not return any value for barcodes with other rotation values. Hairil Hasyimi Bin Omar Chat with engineering team now Software Engineer Like all great engineers, Hairil is an avid learner. He’s refining his knowledge of C#, Python, and Java, using that knowledge to add value to team members across Iron Software. Hairil joined the Iron Software team from Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Chemical and Process Engineering. Ready to Get Started? Free NuGet Download Total downloads: 1,743,856 View Licenses