Abstract: A method is disclosed for processing bar code data obtained from a bar code label including large and small bars. A light source such as a laser beam scans across the symbol on a bar code label. Light reflected from the bar code label is collected as the light source scans across the label. The collected light varies in intensity as the light source scans across the label. An electrical signal is generated which is indicative of the amplitude of the light collected in the collecting step. The electrical signal is sampled at a predetermined data rate to produce a sequence of samples representative of the electrical signal. A sequence of samples is stored in a memory. These stored samples include label space values (LSA's). The samples also include label bar values (LBA's) which include large bar values and small bar values. The sequence of samples is decoded.