There are a few things you need to pay particular attention to while designing and printing your barcodes.
The barcode scanner needs no introduction It has become a fixture in our everyday lives. With a scanner, a system can easily decode a barcode and receive the information stored in it. The bar code plays a vital role in automation, especially in entering data into a system.
They make business operations more effective, irrespective of the industry. When used correctly, they can help with managing costs, reducing errors, increasing accuracy, and streamlining the supply chain.
Some places they are used are:
Libraries – The librarian can be up to date on the books that are in circulation, the availability of specific books, and those who are delayed providing books.
Travel Tickets – The automated check-in proess with just a barcode saves a lot of time for the staff. Instead of going through hundreds of names, all they need to do is scan the ticket and the person can be admitted.
Biometry – Barcodes can be sued for attendance in offices and colleges. Staff and students can do this by holding their identity badges to a scanner.
Billing desk – The billing process is significantly improved with barcodes. The risk of human error decreases, which is always the case with manual feeding.
How can a barcode fail?]
While barcodes make life a whole lot easier, if designed badly, they will not work. Here are some reasons why the barcodes could fail.
- Placement of barcodes on curved surfaces
- Wrong colour combination – when there is no contrast between the bars and the background, the scanner will not be able to read it
- Reflective surfaces can cause bar code failure
- Bad print quality with such as extra ink spots
4 factors to pay attention to when printing bar codes
To prevent barcode failure, there are some rules you have to follow.
Choose the right size
Different countries, industries, and even organisations have different style guides when it comes to printing barcodes. Adhere to the norms and ensure that they are aligned with the organization and are easily interpretable by scanners.
Choose the right dimensions
There are regulations when it comes to printing barcodes. These rules are specific, where they define the size of the bars, the distance between them, the aspect ratio, the total size of the symbol, and even the size of the readable text.
Be careful while printing the labels
Linear barcodes are unreadable by scanners if they are not printed properly. Avoid this, ensure that your printer cartridges are full before the print job. For laser printers, the rollers should be clean, and check if the ink ribbons in roll printers are working properly.
Also, before printing, ensure that there is enough space around the barcode to prevent possible bleeding of ink into the code.
Stick the barcode properly
This is the last part of the process. Before sticking the label on the product, the ink should be dry. In addition to this, also make sure that the surface is dry before you stick it.
Contact CADReprographics LLC to take advantage of our digital printing services in Abu Dhabi and Dubai at our website cadreprographics.com.