Barcodes are created with the help of graphics. The codes make use of widths of white spaces and black bars. The widths of the spaces and bars must be printed within exact tolerances in order to be readable by most bar code readers and scanners. Presently, barcodes are created by Microsoft Windows using three main graphic types: bitmaps, fonts and metafiles.
Bitmap is actually an array of small dots which are called pixels. An image is created with the dot resolution of any printer to create a barcode. Fonts, on the other hand, are not graphics in strict sense of the term but they can still be used to create bar codes. A font is in fact a collection of graphic elements that are assigned to each character in any given set of characters. Since most bar code symbologies encode data by mapping specific characters to specific bar and space patterns, we make use of fonts to create bar codes.
The most widely used method to create barcode is a vector style graphic. Such a graphic consists of a series or sequence of instructions to describe how an image is cast. Metafiles fall in this category. Encapsulated postscript graphics are also designated as vector graphic. We do not have to use a device for such graphics. This format supports precise dimensions for all graphic elements. The amount of memory stored in a metafile is small. As a plus, commonly used Windows programs and several programming languages provide built-in support for handling metafiles.
Many modern businesses offer barcode image generators. This software helps in creating barcode images files in quickly in a range of formats like JPEG, BMP, Photoshop, Quark, CorelDraw and others. Many of these software programs are very user friendly and can even be used by someone with no bar code experience. We can even create barcodes on the internet.
Related Articles of Interest :
-
Bar Code Equipment
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Barcode equipment is an all encompassing term. It may include automation products such as Barcode Fonts, latest ActiveX Controls, .NET forms controls, class libraries, components, encoders and barcode hardware including barcode printers and scanners. We will briefly touch upon some of these categories, which add...
-
Bar Codes
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Norman Woodland, a 27-year-old graduate student at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia developed the first code system that automatically read product information during checkout. Woodland and his friend Silver were awarded a patent for their application titled Classifying Apparatus and Method on October 7,...
-
Fax Bar Codes
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Modern day computers are designed to read a barcode sent through fax. This process is completed by a certain program in the PC that allows the computer to automatically read a barcode at the top and bottom of a fax coversheet. Instructions encoded in the...
-
Bar Code Software
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Barcode software comes in various styles. It is used to create professional barcode labels. It can be uploaded on a computer like any other software program and possesses a myriad of features. The barcode software can print barcodes on any installed printer with graphics capability....
-
What Are Bar Codes?
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Bar codes are a series of vertical bars of different width, in which digits from zero to nine are represented in a dissimilar pattern of bars forming a code that can be read only by a laser scanner. It is representation of machine-readable information on...
-
Bar Code Printers
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Barcode Printers come in various types, including general-purpose laser and inkjet printers. Then there are printers that support multiple symbologies. They are called Thermal bar code label printers. General-purpose laser and inkjet printers cannot directly print barcodes. That is because these basic printers do not...
-
Bar Code Scanners
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Barcode Scanners are hand-held or stationary devices used to read information contained in a barcode. These devices are connected to a computer through any type of port. Scanners cannot do calculations; they only capture the barcode into letters or numbers. Information, once fed into a...
-
Bar Code Label Makers
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
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...
-
Bar Code Labels
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Barcode labels are the tags that help both humans and machines to identify any given product. These labels come in several types and resemble the average tags. These labels are differentiated by the type of base material, called stock, that they are printed on. Labels...
-
Bar Code Labels: A Guide
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Bar code labels are tags that contain encoded information. They are used to identify and list inventories in businesses that use a large number of goods. They are made of paper, vinyl, plastic or metal and have an adhesive surface underneath by which they can...