Month: July 2021

Bar code label printers are special, small sized printers that are capable of printing bar code labels. They are used in businesses wherever inventories are required to be recorded such as in retail and departmental stores, ID card offices, warehouses, etc. General purpose printers can be used to print bar code printers. There are also thermal bar code printers specially for printing bar code labels.

General purpose printers are in fact normal printers. They are capable of printing bar codes on white sticker papers. Laser printers are much better than inkjet printers, as they give more clarity and a faster printing rate. General purpose printers are very slow at printing – they may print as much as 3 to 7 inches per second. They are suitable if the number of bar code labels to be printed is less per day, or if it is a temporary business.

Thermal printers and thermal transfer printers are much more efficient and faster at printing bar code labels. These printers have a thermal head that selectively apply heat on a specially coated paper that darkens the area. The thermal head may be heated directly or indirectly. Such printers can produce better quality images. They are ideal for fast printing, such as in departmental stores, where several goods are sold over the counter every minute. However, one problem with thermal printers is that their thermal heads wear out from time to time and need replacement.

Bar code label printers require regular cleaning of the ribbon and the print head. Specks of dust may cause distortion of the bar codes. The outputs of these printers using ANSI software need to be continuously checked in order to check for system malfunctions.

Most printers are compatible with Windows drivers. They can be connected to computers to check the type of printout they would produce. Software is available to design labels that are exactly printed by the printers. However, many printers are standalone and do not hookup to another computer. Simply feeding the numerical code can generate the requisite bar code label.

Some companies deal in designing bar code labels and selling them to other establishments. These bar code label manufacturers print both preprinted and custom designed labels according to the specifications provided by the ordering company.

Preprinted labels are ready to use labels that are sold in the market. They are available in bundles of 100, 250, 500, etc. Bar code label manufacturers create preprinted labels with technologies such as reflective printing or photocomposition. Photocomposition is an expensive process, but it produces almost authentic and high quality bar codes. Bar code labels made by photocomposition are sold at higher prices than reflective labels. Companies that do not have their own bar coding equipment buy bundles of them from the market for their use.

Manufacturers also customize bar code labels according to the requirements from the ordering company. They can change the size, color, numerical and alphabetical information, nature of the bar coding, etc. as the ordering company suggests. Information such as name of the company, date of shipment or loading, location, etc. is mentioned on customized bar code labels if needed. Manufacturers use specialized software to design the labels.

Naturally, bar code label manufacturers use high-end equipment to manufacture their labels in bulk. Several companies rely upon bar code manufacturers to buy their labels as it not only saves them money, but also time and manpower.

Computers, scanners and printers are all used in conjunction to design, test and print labels. Sequential numbers are provided on the labels so that they can be used to manage inventory. If desired, manufacturers will also place information in the form of alphabetical and numerical codes on the labels.

Bar code label manufacturers also sell other things such as nameplates, location tags, sealing tags and bar code scanners and printers.

Bar code label makers are special computer programs that can design templates for bar code labels. These programs can perform tasks such as sizing the bar code, encoding the numerical information, database features and include other information such as name of company, product name, date of packaging and other customized details.

Programs to design bar code labels are similar to desktop publishing programs. Sizing, resizing and other tools decide label sizes, i.e. borders. Inputting a number will create the bar code. There are also tools to print bar codes in a sequential number format. The customized bar codes are then fitted into the border where required.

Bar code label makers have their own set of true type fonts. Sans-serif fonts like Unicode and Arial are popular in designing bar code labels. Required details such as the name of the company, name of the product, date, etc. are inserted. This text can be resized and properly aligned into the template.

Coloring the bar code label is also possible. Label makers have their own custom colors. Some of them even provide palettes to create any desired hue.

Once the label is done, it is sent to a printer for printing. A laser printer is preferred for its high quality and fast speed. The labels are usually printed in rows and columns on a special A4 sized paper that has a shielded adhesive surface beneath. Individual labels are cut and removing the shielding paper, the prepared bar code labels are stuck on the inventories.

Designing a bar code label using a program is a very easy process. It requires very little or no training at all. The interfaces of these programs are generally kept very simple and with a few clicks of the mouse, desired labels can be made.

Bar code label makers are available for download from many Programs to design bar code labels are similar to desktop publishing programs. Sizing, resizing and other tools decide label sizes, i.e. borders. Inputting a number will create the bar code. There are also tools to print bar codes in a sequential number format. The customized bar codes are then fitted into the border where required.

Bar code label makers have their own set of true type fonts. Sans-serif fonts like Unicode and Arial are popular in designing bar code labels. Required details such as the name of the company, name of the product, date, etc. are inserted. This text can be resized and properly aligned into the template.

Coloring the bar code label is also possible. Label makers have their own custom colors. Some of them even provide palettes to create any desired hue.

Once the label is done, it is sent to a printer for printing. A laser printer is preferred for its high quality and fast speed. The labels are usually printed in rows and columns on a special A4 sized paper that has a shielded adhesive surface beneath. Individual labels are cut and removing the shielding paper, the prepared bar code labels are stuck on the inventories.

Designing a bar code label using a program is a very easy process. It requires very little or no training at all. The interfaces of these programs are generally kept very simple and with a few clicks of the mouse, desired labels can be made.

Bar code label makers are available for download from many Internet sites. Most of these downloads are for a time-stipulated trial, after which it can be purchased. These programs are also sold in markets.