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Bar code Scanning Tips & Tricks

Cheat-Sheets (those series of Bar codes which are technical support life savers...) there applications include:

• Bar Code Scanner Configuration i.e. Perhaps you want to set the scan beam to always on?
• Bar Code Symbology Configuration i.e. Perhaps your poor reads are done to poor symbology configuration?
• Bar Code Scanner Interfacing i.e. Change from a 'Serial' interface to say a 'USB' or 'AT Keyboard Wedge' Interface if you do not wish to replace the scanner, why not just replace the cable?
• A pre-defined set of Bar Codes which return a text value saving extra keyboard inputs i.e. Why not use a pre-defined bar code to enter... say quantity?
• Scan a series of Bar Codes to set your scanned input to be reformatted, concatenated, divided, striped, buffered, prefixed and / suffixed into a different output value i.e. '123' -> 'Box: 123 Checked In' + [TAB] + [Enter] or '10/12/07' -> '10/12/2007'
• A concatenation of multiple scanned values or pre-defined text values i.e. Use a cheat sheet to input long numbers which have no bar code, all you have to do is press the [ENTER] Key when finished why key in lots of digits when you can scan the pre-defined bar code for each digit instead?

Please download an example Cheat Sheet which can be used to input numbers when no bar code is available. For this example Cheat Sheet, you will need to switch off [Carriage Return/Line Feed] with every scan for the code 39 symbology and press [Enter] when you have finished scanning all the required digits.

This is just an example, but the method can be applied to Words, Symbols, Digits and even images, all you need is to build a cheat sheet to do and the matching Symbology i.e. Code 39 Full Ansi will except Alphas, Numerics and most Symbols.

Sending Cheat Sheets via email:

If your sending a Cheat Sheet by email to someone, try to save it as a '.gif' image, '.jpg' and '.pdf' very often affect aspect of the bars in the bar code which becomes more difficult to read with a scanner as a result.

Sending Cheat Sheets via fax:

Transmit the Bar Code in Ladder Format ( the Bars of the bar code go from left to right instead of from top to bottom) because if the fax machine the other end has any faults, the bar code should still be readable.

Bar Code Printing Tips & Tricks

When printing bar codes on a bar code printer ...

• Printing bar codes as wide as if possible (when possible) give you greater reading distance. This is because, you are printing the same number of Bars but the Bars in the bar code become thicker as the bar code increase's in overall size.
• Printing bar codes in Ladder format (so called because the bar code looks like a ladder) may allow the bar code to read without any problems when printed with a damaged bar code printer print head. This is because, the print head is normally made of of a row of heated side by side elements going from left to right of the print head across the printed label. So when you print head is damaged, it will normally mean that some (but not all) of the heated elements have failed and they can be seen as missing lines (looks very much like scratchs) on the label. Turning the bar code should mean that any damaged elements will appear at fixed positions in the resulting ladder bar code when printed on the label. In most cases, a scanner is designed to ignore such damage to a bar code and most of the time will read the bar code from the remaining successfully printed portions. This is not the case when printing in Picket Fence format (so called because the bar code looks like a Picket Fence) and when scanned, the bar code could be read incorrectly (bad scanned values) or some / all bar codes may not be readable by the scanner otherwise.

Glossary of Common Bar Code Related Terms

• Printing Bar Codes in 'Ladder Format' - so called because the bar code looks like a small Ladder
• Printing Bar Codes in 'Picket Fence Format' - so called because the bar code looks like a small Picket Fence