Bar Coding 101

A Survival Guide

Note that this document is somewhat lengthy, you may want to save it as a file or print it out for later off-line viewing.

• Preface
• The Basics
  • Introduction
  • Automatic Data Capture
  • Bar Coding and the Big Picture
  • Enterprise Bar Coding
  • Industry Guidelines and Regulations
• Implementation
  • Implementation Issues
  • Database
  • Capture Points
  • Symbology
  • Printing
    • Printer Types
      • Impact Dot Matrix Printers
      • Laser Printers
      • Thermal Printers
      • Direct Thermal Printers
      • Thermal Transfer Printers
    • Media
    • Verifiers
  • Reading Bar Codes
    • Data Capture Hardware
      • Wands
      • Laser Scanners
      • Integrated Terminals
      • CCDs & Fixed Scanners
  • Systems Integration
• Bar Code Symbologies
• Scanner Installation & Connection
  • RS323 Port Connection
  • Keyboard Wedge Scanner Connection
  • Bar Code Scanner Parameters
• Project Plan
• Support Agencies & Information
• Glossary

Preface

The majority of you may feel unprepared for the responsibility of dealing with a maze of foreign terms and previously unknown devices. Hopefully this manual helps you feel more comfortable to discuss the potential solutions with your industry partners, systems consultants and peers.

The objectives of this booklet are as follows:

• to introduce basic industry terminology
• to alert the user to required information and questions prerequisite to the installation
• to increase the chances of a successful implementation

Anywhere you see a bolded term you will find its description in the Glossary.

You should read this guide and customize your own project checklist. Also use the project plan at the end of this document to guide your approach. Let us know if this guide was helpful and how we could improve the next edition by either e-mailing us at info@mjdsoftware.com or faxing us at 604-685-1921.

The Basics

We know that your implementation will be judged by employees, suppliers, customers and your accountant! A successful solution delivers benefits to all concerned.

Introduction

We will discuss the elements of an ADC or Automatic Data Capture system, (more specifically a bar code system), provide you with the basic language to ask the right questions and find the correct answers.

Use the project plan provided at the end of this document, and build a checklist to make sure that you have covered the required topics and made informed initial decisions.

Automatic Data Capture

Automatic Data Capture is also known as Identics. Bar coding is only one of the many types of automatic data capture or identics. It has become popular because of its portability, durability and its requirement for relatively inexpensive supporting hardware. The following list of data capture technologies should convince you that by choosing to integrate automatic data capture into your company, it's probably not as unfamiliar of an environment as you might think!

Whether we are aware of it or not, we probably do not go through a single day without playing our part in one of these systems. Data capture technologies have flourished because more demanding business processes and financial systems simply consume more information.

Immediate access to accurate information and the improved performance of how well we collect that information have become modern competitive necessities.

Other than simply responding to competitors, data capture processes must answer to many masters:

Owners	Does the system have a reasonable play back?
Customers	Does the system increase my service level?
Employees	Does the system make my job easier and more enjoyable?
Suppliers	Does the system place reasonable burdens on my company?

Getting the required information and "keeping everyone happy" is the goal!

Bar Coding and the Big Picture

Let's hope that you have the luxury of implementing your solution on your own timeline. It’s becoming standard that many industries and large buyers, private and government alike, are demanding that business partners share information electronically. This penetration of electronic technologies into business is called Electronic Commerce. Electronic Commerce is made up of several technologies all attempting to make our shared business communication faster, more efficient and cost effective. Some of the more common technologies are:

• ADC - Automatic Data Capture
• EDI - Electronic Data Interchange
• EFT - Electronic Funds Transfer

Coordinated use of these technologies plays a large part in two common business strategies:

• JIT - Just-in-Time
• QR - Quick Response

Through one of your larger customers you may already have been exposed to EDI. If not, you will be! Rather than capturing a single piece of information during a process or transaction, an entire transaction is electronically transferred.

These systems are quickly becoming standard. In many cases, businesses are mandated by their customers to be EDI compliant by a specific date. The initial request for compliance will most likely be for the receipt of customer purchase orders and the transmission of electronic invoices to these customers. This movement has been clearly identified in the automotive parts and supplies industry. EDI is now simply a way of life for companies in this industry. Becoming EDI compliant suggests that you are now an electronic Trading Partner. We will, however, extend the use of the term Trading Partner, (for this discussion), to include your immediate customers and vendors, not just those using EDI. You may already have some very preliminary steps towards Electronic Commerce with these partners: sending faxes to them directly from your computer systems, sending E-mail to them across networks, etc.

Often the first step to Electronic Commerce, JIT or QR is the implementation of data capture technologies within your business. Rest assured that your efforts will be well worth your time. By beginning now, you will have accurate and cost effective information to share with your Trading Partners. This may become a formidable competitive advantage as many large customers give preferential treatment to those demonstrating electronic compliance.

Enterprise Bar Coding

A proprietary bar code system should only be used to support your internal information demands. Your system should not impose any requirements on a supplier nor should the system be required to fulfill a customer's information requirement. This does not mean that a customer may not choose to use your bar codes. However, you may encounter problems if your implementation is not industry compliant.

An enterprise bar code system responds to industry guidelines, requires compliance with suppliers and has responsibilities to customers.

During the planning stage, a proprietary system should be considered a subset to an enterprise system. For this reason and the purpose of this discussion we will focus on an enterprise system.

Industry Guidelines and Regulations

National standards agencies may also provide you with assistance but often these standards are technical in nature and for specific observation and compliance by software and hardware manufacturers and system integrators.

Look to your industry partners first for advice and assistance. Their previous experience will be of value and probably provide answers for some of your immediate questions. Your software and hardware vendor should be available to discuss the costs and benefits of certain technologies. Your accountant may also be able to direct you to agencies that can assist you.

You will find that there are many groups that support the use of bar coding and the continual movement towards consistency and standards in this growing market.

Look at the section on Support Agencies for a list of contacts if you wish to receive further information on standards. If we can be of any assistance please let us know.

Implementations

Implementation Issues

• a cause, (a matter of survival for the firm)
• a new platform for growth
• a move to industry compliance

It should not be just another "project-of-the-day" for management.

The project should have open and demonstrated support from management and involvement from the employees. Be prepared to take a broader look at your business processes.

Note

Selecting bar coding to simply replicate current procedures will not take full advantage of the available technology or provide an adequate return on your efforts and investment.

The remaining portion of this guide will identify the topics so that you may establish a project checklist for review previous to installation. Resolving these issues can dramatically increase the probability of a successful implementation.

Database

Systems are often installed solely to respond to the demands of a business partner or industry edict. Make sure that the system also meets your internal requirements.

Making the most from your investment begins with taking the time to understand and justify your total business process. It is also imperative to demand that your system designer and installing consultant be intimate with your current host system.

One of the best ways to ensure a smooth and rewarding implementation is to build outward from the host system (integrating) as opposed to working inward from a separate vertical solution (interfacing). While this is not a solid definition of these terms, there are many benefits from achieving integration through development with a host focus.

While not always easy, it is important to recognize the subtle differences between an interfaced and an integrated system.

Integration should imply:

• non-duplicated functions,
• a wealth of reporting capability,
• utilization of a common bar code database,
• the ability to verify data from the database during scanning or portable transactions,
• no re-keying of data,
• a minimum of exporting or importing of data.

Capture Points

Once the data to be collected is identified, determine the best position within your business to collect the information. This is where a clear understanding of your business process will be rewarded.

It is probably true that over a period of time your business procedures have been adjusted to reduce the data collection burden for those positions directly involved with the process of your business. Alternate support job functions may have been created to collect this information, after-the-fact. You may simply have lost information by neglecting the effort.

Take a global view and examine the surrounding and linked job functions for replicated, lost or potentially combinable data collection, tasks and information. Simply replicating existing processes could deny your organization many potential benefits during this growth opportunity.

You can ensure that you are collecting information efficiently by:

• capturing data early in the process or product flow
• capturing data close to the source of critical transactions as possible

This means putting your information system into the process of your business not just recording the transaction.

You should recognize early in the project that the bar code system will dramatically affect your employees’ job function. They must be active participants in the implementation process. They will be able to give you useful insight and common sense procedures that could prevent some costly and embarrassing errors.

Symbology

Bar code categories (and examples of each) include:

Linear	UPC-A, Code 39 follows a license plate technology and contains a key index to a specific database
Multi-Mode	Code 128 includes special characters and can shift character modes during scan
Stacked	Code 16K, Code 49 a series of usually concatenated linear bar codes separated by lines
2-D	Code 1, PDF417 contain the entire record not just the key index (as opposed to linear or "license plate technology")

Each bar code symbology despite the category can have additional decision criteria such as:

• alphanumeric or numeric
• variable or fixed format
• error level
• density

The selection of a symbology may have already been made for you by an industry standards group. The most popular example of this is UPC-A for retail item identification. Depending on your industry or trading partners you may be required to operate with multiple symbologies.

The sheer number of symbologies available and current technological advances within bar code structures are responsible for the increased market share of bar codes within the Automatic Data Capture market. Take a moment to review the symbology section at the end of this document if you require further information on different symbologies.

Printing

You'll find that these new sections probably refer to completely new topics. If you take your time now and grasp these terms you’ll feel much more comfortable as you move forward in your planning. Take notes to help you build and customize your own checklist.

The selection of a printer, ink or toner, and media, (print, label or tag stock), is of critical importance to your bar coding system. In any bar code system the backbone still rests with the actual physical process of scanning the printed bar code, most often an item or bin label.

The bar code must:

• be well defined with little ink or toner bleed
• have a optimum width to height ratio
• be presented with a strong light-to-dark ratio
• maintain a surrounding white or free space called the quiet zone
• be free of spots, voids and edge roughness

You should define a specific quality of print. This will be determined by the selected printer, ink, ribbon or toner, and how well these items work with the actual media. In most cases, certain deficiencies in quality can be overcome with the quality, or aggressiveness, of the scanning device.

The first step in selecting individual print components is to identify the required layout and presentation of the printed bar coded document. Whether this is a label or not, spending some up-front design time should identify certain quality, layout, size and density requirements. Once these requirements are known the selection of components is often predetermined.

You may already have a printer for your bar code requirements. Take your time in examining printer specifications. Do not select a printer based on initial price but rather its flexibility, performance and operational cost.

Depending on your requirements, seek a balance between print resolution (dots per inch) , print speed, initial cost, cost of consumables and available service. You will find that there will be some minimum absolutes as well, such as print head or total media width, web and core size of rolled label stock, etc.

Sometimes the most overlooked characteristics of printers will determine their ability to service your bar code requirements. Two of these are the amount of print coverage on the label or tag and the duty cycle required from the printer.

Take a moment to review this section along with the Glossary to ensure you understand these terms.

Printer Types

Dot Matrix 8 pin	some older 9 pin printers have an 8 pin graphics mode and may not render a proper bar code
Dot Matrix 9 pin	usually renders a larger bar code and may have excessive ink bleed
Dot Matrix 24 pin	good general use with inexpensive continuous stock, examine print speed and noise
Formed Character	the characters are imprinted on the media from a ball, wheel or chain
Laser/ION	good resolution, higher cost for toner and label sheets, generated heat may affect labels
Direct Thermal	low consumable cost, typical portable or register printer, usually good label printer with good speed, good volume, no ribbon
Thermal Transfer	ribbon could be costly, good volume, good speed, good quality, multi-pass technology available
Line	expensive, typically for high demand manufacturing or special processes such as lithographic, flexographic and offset
Ink Jet	expensive, typically for high demand manufacturing or special processes such as bulk material and lumber

Printer bar code support can be achieved for many different impact dot matrix, laser, postscript and thermal printers. This section provides readers with sufficient information to decide which printer type to use for their specific business needs.

Before listing the advantages and disadvantages of various printers, you should be aware of the environment and the purpose of the printed bar codes. Bar codes are graphic images. If a scanner or wand needs to successfully scan an image, a certain graphical resolution or print quality has to be available and maintained.

You should ask some of the following questions:

Are bar codes printed for periodic scanning or continuous?

Will the bar codes have a long lifetime?

Is the labeled item in a protected environment or subject to humidity, frost, grease and dirt or sunlight?

Will the bar codes be required to be scanned through gloss coating or a glass cover?

Impact Dot Matrix

Since dot matrix printers typically have a very low resolution, (between 50 and 90 dots per inch), bar coding small well-defined labels becomes almost impossible. Label print speed is also inferior to other print technologies available. The use of ink on the label surface may prohibit continued scanning or handling due to smudging.

Dot matrix printers are in most cases simply not rated for the print coverage and duty cycle required by bar codes. As a result, dot matrix printers will use lots of ribbons, be noisy, and produce inconsistent bar codes.

If your bar code labels, tags or reports have a wide web, a continuous dot matrix may be your best option as thermal printers escalate in price as their print heads widens.

Laser Printers

Disadvantages of these printers include:

• high volume printing results in high toner costs
• special high cost laser label sheets are required
• print output speed is very slow
• high waste percentage for on-demand labels
• not designed for use with tags

Thermal Printers

Print resolutions are comparable to laser printers so even complex graphics can be printed without difficulty. Different font selections are often available but these do not include true type or laser fonts.

Print speeds can go up to 10 inches per second, which is far superior to the speed of document laser or impact dot matrix printers.

Thermal printers are specially designed to have the duty cycle and coverage to cost effectively print bar codes. They have fast speeds, up to about 10 inches per second, are quiet and deliver consistent quality. The average print head has a web of 1 1/2" to 6" although there are many larger ones available for specific production requirements.

Direct Thermal Printers

Advancements in label manufacturing have allowed for a wider selection of paper stocks that will allow the labels to last longer. Older label materials would yellow after only a short time if subjected to direct light. Direct thermal print processes do not utilize a ribbon and therefore require a cost comparison against thermal transfer processes.

Thermal Transfer Printers

The disadvantage of this printer is the high cost of quality ribbons, compared to direct thermal. Recently there are several new technologies available to increase the utilization of the ribbon, one of the most common is referred to as multi-pass.

When purchasing ribbons it may be advisable to stick to manufacturer supplied ribbons rather than to source less expensive ones. Inferior grades of ribbons may damage the print head and void the manufacturer warranty. You may also damage the print head if the print program prints over any preprinted graphics on the label. As a rule always leave a majority of free white space on your labels if you are having them preprinted with company logos or layout.

Be patient with your consultant while they work with different label or tag stocks and ribbons to meet your expectations. While there is sometimes a trial period, your consultant should have justified the chosen components and supplied examples.

Media

Due to the high print speed, the printer positions each label by using certain label characteristics and on-board sensors. This may require special markings on the labels to position to top-of-form.

The rule is to avoid using any colors on the media other than black on white as this can only complicate the implementation. There are ways to use colors, invisible or engraved bar codes but these can be expensive and complicated.

Verifiers

If you are producing bar codes for use by other companies you also have the responsibility to ensure that they fall within certain standards. Many large customers may force penalties on your organization if the bar codes you supply are not compliant or cause unacceptable error rates.

A good first step in verifying the acceptability of the bar code is to visually examine the bar code. Look for spots, voids, edge roughness and any other anomalies that obscure the distinct shapes of the black bars.

Verifiers report on the printed bar code by scanning it multiple times and reporting on the scan error rates and any decoding problems. Although these devices can be costly the consequences of not being compliant could cost you more. Talk with your consultant about the possibility to rent a verifier or complete the tests with their own device.

Reading Bar Codes

This process should become a part of the demonstration for beginning a contract with a consultant and the final project completion review.

The process of reading bar codes will demand you to examine the work environment:

Is the device a convenient work tool for the employee?

From what distance will the bar code be read?

Will the scanning take place in a hostile environment; dusty, dirty, cold, wet, dark, bright, or explosive?

The answers to these questions will help the consultant analyze your requirements very quickly as different types of bar code readers have different characteristics and within each type there may be different models each optimized for certain specific environments.

Data Capture Hardware

Card Readers	similar to a credit card reader this is often used in time & attendance, very specific uses, cost effective
Wands	inexpensive, lower scan success, contacts bar code, susceptible to breakage
CCD	relatively inexpensive, semi contact or contact to bar code, smaller defined scan width, fixed scan head
Scanners	gun style, durable, wider scan width, typically more aggressive scan, variable distance, differentiation in scan engines
Fixed Scanners	scanner that automatically projects a scan at a moving object; can be used to increase production speeds and are commonly integrated with scales
Integrated	may be portable with serial connections or complemented with radio (RF) and computing ability

The most popular bar code readers used today are wands and laser scanners.

Wands

Wands can generally be acceptable in clean office environments and for occasional bar code input. There is also a sizing relationship between the bar code density and the aperture of the wand tip that should be considered by your consultant.

Laser Scanners

If your installation can afford a gun style scanner its performance is preferred. A scanner is typically "drop tested" for durability, and should have different models for environments concerned with intense light, dense bar codes and long scan distances.

Scanners do not need to come in contact with the bar code, and therefore will not degrade the label or printed stock. These characteristics as well as its "point and shoot" operation makes the scanner a very user-accepted work tool.

Both wands and scanners need to be connected to your terminal to send or output data. Just as there are different bar code reading devices, there are different connections to your computer, (refer to the section - Scanner Installation & Connection). We will cover the two most common connections you will encounter.

Integrated Terminals

An integrated scanning device is simply a portable computer equipped with a bar code reader that can be carried by the employee actually performing the transaction. These devices are very useful in remote situations where either the employee or office is not connected to the head office network.

Those equipped with radio frequency communications (RF) are growing in popularity as wireless computing advances. You may find that the infrastructure and cost of using RF devices while reducing, is still quite expensive and is considered high-end. These systems should be seriously cost justified over similar batch systems using integrated devices that update the host PC via a serial cable or docking cradle.

CCDs & Fixed Scanners

Systems Integration

You should always look for consultants that have demonstrated their skills in successful installations. Ask for reference sites and examples of their work. The experience of good consultants will prove invaluable as you move forward.

In addition to expertise it will be important that all parties be committed to see a positive and successful conclusion of your project. Having a project plan with clearly identified milestones is one of the easiest ways to ensure meeting your objectives. Often the attitude and attention to detail that the consultant offers you during the proposal will indicate what to expect.

If you select a consultant, consider only those who have experience in the type of system you are currently using and have demonstrated sufficient programming expertise.

Being able to always answer your question is not always the best measure of a consultants performance. Give extra marks for continued efforts to deliver answers to your questions and solutions to inevitable problems.

Any one element of your bar coding project will not determine the success of the whole solution. However, the failure of any one element may ensure the failure of the whole project. The individual elements are tightly integrated and interdependent.

Any tightly integrated project will test the capabilities of the system, installer and the project leader. Whether it is a small label system or a manufacturing line requiring automation, the same considerations often apply.

Your efforts to customize a checklist with assistance of the project plan at the end of this document and the rest of this guide hopefully provides you with the right start.

Good luck on your new system!

Bar Code Symbologies

Bar Code Types

UPC-A

This bar code consists of one system digit (usually 0) a 5-digit manufacturer number and a five digit product code. The system allows for two different supplemental numbers of two and five digits each. Therefore the number entered should consist of 11, 13 or 16 digits in total. Note that systems may handle checksum digits differently.

• numeric code only
• 12 digits, plus 2 or 5 digits

UPC-E

UPC-E is a compact version of UPC-A in which at least 4 zeros in the number are suppressed. The size of the numbers entered are usually the same as UPC-A (11, 13 or 16 digits). The bar code generation will compact the number automatically.

• numeric code only
• 6 data digits plus the check character
  system character 0 is implied
  (supplementary codes may be used)

EAN/JAN-13

This code is another common product code used in Europe and Japan as a standard. The number consists of a 2-digit country code and a ten digit product code. Verify your systems treatment of the checksum. The code accepts the two and five digit supplementary codes making the total lengths for acceptable numbers 12, 14 and 17 digits.

• numeric code only
• 13 digits, plus 2 or 5 digits

EAN/JAN-8

This symbology is the same as EAN/JAN-13 only the 10-ten digit product number is reduced to five digits. This makes the acceptable number lengths 7, 9 and 12 digits in length.

• numeric code only
• 8 digits, plus 2 or 5 digits

Code 3 of 9

The bar code will encode strings of variable length (with a maximum length of 30). The acceptable characters include the digits 0 to 9, uppercase letters A to Z and the punctuation marks -.*$/+% and space.

• alphanumeric code
• capital letters only
• maximum 30 digit code

Extended 3 of 9

This code supports the full 128 character ASCII character set (including control characters). The maximum length of the string is also 30 characters.

• alphanumeric code
• 128 characters (with control characters)
• maximum 30 digit code

Interleaved 2 of 5

This symbology represents an excellent choice for variable length numeric only data. The acceptable digits are 0 to 9 only, and the acceptable lengths are 2 to 30 digits. The resulting bar code is of comparable size (per digit encoded) to UPC-A bar codes.

Code 128

This code is a more compact method of encoding the full 128 characters of the ASCII character set. The encoding method condenses consecutive digits to make the bar code more compact. This bar code is used for strings that have numbers embedded in them.

• alphanumeric code

Codabar

These bar codes can be of variable length and can contain the digits 0 to 9 and the punctuation marks -$:/,+ but no period. This bar code is useful for encoding formatted dollar amounts or numbers that are formatted with dashes or slash characters.

• numeric code only
• format useful for $$$ Dollar amounts

Zip + 4

This is not really a bar code in the same sense as the above codes (which use bar width and alternating white and black bars to encode the information). The Zip + 4 bar code consists of a string of tall and short bars that encode the American zip code which can consist of 5, 9 or 11 digits. The printing module of your system may automatically remove the dash found in the zip code, if entered into the original database.

• numeric code only
• 5 or 9 digit code
• ZIP code

MSI Plessey

This symbology is a variable length numeric only encoding scheme that stands up to a lot of wear and tear. This durability makes it ideal for demanding situations.

• numeric code only
• variable length code

Code 93

These codes are more compact versions of Code 3 of 9. The same restrictions apply for both of these codes.

• alphanumeric code
• capital letters only
• maximum 30 digit code

Extended 93

3 of 9 and Extended 3 of 9 respectively. The restrictions that apply are the same as the 3 of 9 versions.
Note Not all bar code readers support this form of encoding as it can be more difficult to read.

• alphanumeric code
• 128 characters (with control characters)
• maximum 30 digit code

UCC-128

This bar code is a 19 digit fixed length number encoded in the Code 128 format and is commonly used in shipping.

• 4 to 34 numeric or alphanumeric characters
• Double density numeric except where alphanumeric is specified

Scanner Installation & Connection

RS232 Port Connection

If the COM port and scanner connector are not compatible, an adapter can usually be purchased at any computer retailer. This problem can be avoided by including the connector type and pin configuration of your computer's communications port on the purchase order to the scanner reseller or manufacturer.

An RS232 connection will require a TSR (Terminate Stay Resident) program that redirects the input from the COM port to the keyboard. This program is necessary since the computer has to be told that the input is either directly from the keyboard or from the keyboard and the bar code reader via the COM port.

These types of scanners also need a power supply. Some scanners have a battery pack allowing for greater mobility.

Keyboard Wedge Scanner Connection

It is important to check the keyboard port on the terminal to make sure that the adapter has the correct cabling. This connection receives the required power through the keyboard and does not require additional power.

An RS232 type scanner usually has benefits if you have information about the eventual software to be used and not the computer. If the computer to be used is identified but you are not familiar with the software or system setup the keyboard wedge is usually desirable.

Bar Code Scanner Parameters

• bar code symbologies the scanner will recognize and correctly read (input) during a work session
• the characters displayed (output options)
• the communications speed and transfer parameters if an RS232 connection is used

Unless your system configuration requires a specific setup you might not have to change any of these parameters. Make sure you check your manual for factory defaults. Certain parameters or specifications are hard coded in the scanner or fixed by hardware restrictions.

Unlike printers or other peripherals, the computer does not communicate directly with scanners to change its parameters. The normal procedure to change a parameter setting is to read bar coded instructions directly into the scanner. These instructions are generally printed in the scanner manual or come on a separate configuration sheet. Every scanner type, including similar models from different manufacturers, will typically need their own configuration bar codes.

To easily configure your scanner just connect the power supply to the scanner and scan the default configuration codes in your laser scanner manual. You are not required to be connected to your computer for this configuration. If you are using an RS232 connection you have to make sure that the scanner communication parameters match the settings chosen for your computer terminal. It is no use to try to communicate with your scanner at a fast speed if the scanner expects to be addressed in slow transfer mode.

Project Plan

The project manager should use the rest of this guide to customize a checklist for their specific project, components and desired results. For example, if printing is a concern, review the printing section. If you believe that a thermal printer is best for your application, review the thermal printer section and use these sections to build your checklist.

We welcome any feedback you might have on the use of this approach.

• Select a project team
  The project team should represent those people responsible for all aspects of the system; management, employees, vendors, customers etc. You should extend the responsibility of the success of the project to these team members for their area of responsibility.

• Identify the desired results and project commitments
  One of the easiest ways to gain the support of the project team is to share the project goals, budgets and management commitment. A common goal can sometimes be achieved when the project is understood as defeating a common enemy, lack of efficiency, competition etc. Desired results could include label layouts and lower error rates, such as in misshipments.

• Conduct a training session on bar coding technologies and terminology for the project team

• Meet with your customers and vendors

• Contact your industry association
  It is imperative that you identify early in the project all standards that apply to your industry.

• If possible, review any working sites using similar systems
  Make sure that you take advantage of previous lessons counterparts may have learned.

• Identify available resources for assistance as the projects proceed
  This can include agencies, computer consultants, bar code system integrators, accountants etc.

• Interview and select consultants for work on this project

• Identify project components

• Identify project timetable and resources attached to the project components

• Identify milestones within the timetable and review criteria
  These items follow traditional project planning.

• Identify sub-projects within the project
  For example: label design, printer and print stock selection, data conversion, etc.

• Don't try to complete the whole project at once
  It's better to have small successes instead of one big failure.

Support Agencies & Information

United States

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
1430 Broadway
New York, NY
10081
Tel 212-642-4900

Automatic Identification Manufactures (AIM USA)
Information Services
634 Alpha Drive
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
15238
Tel 412-963-8588
Fax 412-963-8753

Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)
26200 Lasher Road, Suite 200
Southfield, Michigan
48034
Tel 313-358-3570

Data Capture Institute
260 Washington Street
PO Box 1625
Duxbury, Massachusetts
02331
Tel 617-934-7585
Fax 617-934-6233

Health Industry Business Communications Council (HIBCC)
5110 N. 40th Street, Suite 120
Phoenix, Arizona
85018
Tel 602-381-1091

Uniform Code Council (UCC)
8163 Old Yankee Road, Suite J
Dayton, Ohio
45459
Tel 513-435-3870

Canada

Electronic Data Interchange Council of Canada
5401 Eglinton Ave West, Suite 203
Etobicoke, Ontario
M9C 5K6
Tel 416-621-7160
Fax 416-620-9175

Product Code Council of Canada
885 Don Mills Road, Suite 301
Don Mills, Ontario
M3C 1V9
Tel 416-510-8039
800-567-7084
Fax 416-510-8043

Glossary

Aggressiveness
The term used to denote the relative scan capability of bar code scanner models. A more aggressive scanner will have a greater ability to decode bar codes of equal resolution.

Automatic Data Capture (ADC)
The industry term for computerized or electronic data collection systems.

Consumables
The products that are consumed during the printing process, i.e. ribbons, toner, labels, etc. These should be a large part of the cost comparison when selecting a printer or print technology.

Core Size
Refers to the dimension of the spool that continuous print stock is rolled on. The core size is important for the compatibility of the printers internal feed mechanism.

Decoders
The electronic devices that interpret the bar code. Once it has been scanned, the electronic signal will be decoded within the decoder by software usually in a chip. Often these decoders are in the scanners. They can however be separate devices.

Decode Zone
The range of distance from the bar code that the scanner reads or “decodes” the bar code.

Dots per inch (dpi)
The resolution measurement used when printing and comes from the number dots on the print head of dot matrix printers. As a rule, the greater the dpi, the greater the print clarity and resolution, all other things being equal.

Duty Cycle
Refers to the rated length of near continuous printing for a given printer.

Edge Roughness
The jagged edges on print fonts caused by a dot matrix printer with low dots per inch. This can cause an error when scanning.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
An Electronic Commerce business category that uses a whole electronic file to represent a business document and the requested transactions. These files are the electronic method of communication and follow industry standards for file layout and can be “mapped” or cross-referenced to your own database.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
Refers to the electronic transfer of payments and moneys from firm to firm through a series of inter bank networks. These transactions are often the end result of an EDI transaction and are also a type of Electronic Commerce.

Electronic Commerce
Refers to the business completed by exchanging electronic transactions rather than paper documents. This more often implies commerce between firms rather than just internal computerization.

Enterprise vs. Proprietary
Enterprise computing and business systems have a global perspective and include considerations for the entire business including its customers and vendors. Proprietary systems most often are a strictly internal solution with limited and discrete results.

Feed Sensors
Electronic or mechanical devices that provide information to the printers feed mechanism to advance, usually to a preset spacing that is equal to top of form.

Host System
Most often refers to the system residing at the office as opposed to a remote data collection system (Portable Data System). Additionally it implies that there are satellite or branch level systems providing information to the host site. It is most often the firms’ main accounting system.

Identics
(see Automatic Data Capture)

Ink or Toner Bleed
The leaching that takes place next to the printed lines. This may be acceptable sometimes in human readable characters but will degrade the ability for a bar code to be scanned.

Integration vs. Interfacing
Integration usually implies a higher level system that has programming from both sides of a solution and the data transfer is automatic. Interface most often implies that the two systems are compatible usually through some user routine that most often involves import and export of data.

Interpreted Characters
A translation of the bar code into human-readable characters, usually printed beneath the bar code.

Item Number Mask
The data entry field where the item number or bar code is entered into an inventory software application.

Just-In-Time (JIT)
Methods of product replenishment and delivery have been the main thrust in reducing inventories and the associated holding costs in the manufacturing process.

Key Index
Will refer to the piece of data in a file that all the other data will be linked with, i.e. your license number may be the index to all your driver information.

Paperless Picking
The term for picking warehoused items from bins electronically. These systems replace normal manual methods and often rely on bar codes to validate item selection.

Media
Describes the material on which the bar code will be printed. This can be continuous computer paper for reports or labels or tags, sheets for lasers, special synthetics or metal engraving.

Milestones
Checkpoints within projects. Usually there are defined criteria for review at these points to gauge the success and progression of project stages.

Mission Critical
Mission Critical business systems are those that MUST be timely and accurately completed to ensure immediate profitability and competitive survival.

Multi-Pass
Technologies which extend the use of Thermal Transfer printer ribbons by having multiple passes of the ribbon to utilize as much wax or resin as possible.

Operational Cost
Refers to the total cost of running the purchased product at the required rate over a period of normally 3 to 5 years. This should include warranty, support, media, ribbons, replacement parts, etc.

Portable Data Systems
Applications that use portable computers and data collection devices remotely to integrate with business applications usually resident on a LAN, most specifically the main accounting system.

Print Coverage
The percentage of black printed as to white on the label or printed stock.

Proprietary
(see Enterprise)

Quick Response (QR)
The business strategy that involves JIT methods of inventory replenishment and EDI transactions to dramatically reduce lead times in product distribution and retail industries.

Quiet Zone
The blank space on either side of the bar code. This space is left to ensure that the scanning device does not have closely interfering lines or that the wand has enough area to gain speed prior to the wands “read” pass.

Radio Frequency (RF)
Technology which uses radio waves instead of cable connected communications. This technology allows for immediate or “real time” data transfer instead of batch data transfer.

Scanning
Refers to triggering a laser beam against a bar code to read the black bars against white to send an electronic signal to a decoder to interpret the code.

Spots
Refer to the black spots that can appear at random in the bar code. This can come from bad ribbons, dirty or faulty print heads or printer mechanisms and can cause errors while scanning.

Start & Stop Characters
The first and last characters of a bar code, used by the scanner to identify beginning and ending reading points, as well as a scanning direction reference.

Symbologies
The languages of bar codes. Different bar codes have different characteristics and mathematical algorithms describing their construction and decoding. These different algorithms and the resulting bar code types are referred to as symbologies.

Terminate & Stay Resident Programs (TSR)
Programs that load into your computers’ memory before your load your current program or business application. They are convenient tools that can be called up on the screen via a key sequence. When planning the use of a TSR in your solution you should know the exact amount of memory that this product will use. Ensure that this will be available after loading all other business applications and systems software. Separate TSRs may also conflict with each other.

Third Party Products
The term used for hardware and software products that are designed to work with another manufacturers’ product. These products typically are considered Add-ons and add value either by adding speed, capacity, features or vertical applications.

Trading Partner
Most often refers to the business partner with whom you are transferring EDI files with but is being more broadly used to refer to those surrounding customers and vendors that choose to conduct business electronically, through EDI and the use of EFT and bar codes.

Verifiers
Devices that examine the bar code by scanning it and report on any deficiencies in error rates, or standardization. These units will assist to tell whether or not your printed bar codes are compliant.

Voids
The areas on bar codes where white is misprinted where a solid black bar should occur.

Web
Used most often in the printing and label industry to refer to the width of the print stock as it exits the print head of the printer. Printer manufacturers also use it to identify the width of the print head. There is always a difference between the actual web of the label stock and the label backing as well as a difference between the printable web of a print head as opposed to the carriage width.