[Archived] Bar Code Graphics

[Paul]

OK, very tedious stuff unless one is really stuck!

Like most manufacturers we have applied retail bar codes to our products for many years. Creation and printing is very simple. We also have a bespoke system which allows us to read the bar codes on a pallet, check these against the Sales Order and then update the Sales Order and Invoice to exactly match the goods on the pallet. All works very sweetly.

For 2010 we are extending the system through to despatch and distribution with each customer, destination and pallet being identified by a barcode. The software is close to complete and will be tested shortly. One problem has raised its head which I'm struggling to solve. Any help would be appreciated, especially as this place is usually the fount of the most unexpected knowledge!

Each pallet will carry a bar code unique to the customer and destination. This bar code needs to be printed on an A5 label together with other text. To achieve our aim I need to store a graphic image of the bar code (obviously readable) in either Excel (preferred) or Word (last resort!). I guess we do this by creating garphic files and then inserting them in the document. I've found a few software packages on the web but none I can test before buying a licence. The freeware I've tried to date is poor. Anyone got experience of this application or similar?

The bar codes are standard 13 digit - GTIN-13

Thanks and sorry for boring the pants off everyone!

[mellison24]

Apology accepted.

[Glenn]

Anyone got experience of this application or similar?

The bar codes are standard 13 digit - GTIN-13

I actually wrote something to do this for tracking seeds at a giant farm conglomerates. The only problems are .... it's was 1994, for a now extinct mainframe, in a now extinct language and I don't have the source any more.

However, I had a quick google for EAN-13 (the other name for GTIN13) brings up this free (opensource) set of tools

http://sourceforge.net/projects/openbarcodes/files/openbarcodes/openbarcodes.zip

Which seems to include an excel macro for generating them.

If this doesn't suit you needs, come and talk to me. I'm about to go freelance and writing something custom to do this shouldn't be too expensive.

[Paul]

Thanks Glenn, that looks interesting. I have already found a font called "Code39" which has the ability to turn any combination of characters, not just numbers, into a bar code. So far it has worked very well in Word, Excel and Sage. I didn't know this before but it seems any group of characters can become a bar code using this font which may prove really useful.

I'm now on the hunt for a mobile phone which has the technology to scan bar codes and RFID tags. I believe Samsung and Nokia have or will have them? Any clues?

[Glenn]

Thanks Glenn, that looks interesting. I have already found a font called "Code39" which has the ability to turn any combination of characters, not just numbers, into a bar code. So far it has worked very well in Word, Excel and Sage. I didn't know this before but it seems any group of characters can become a bar code using this font which may prove really useful.

I'm now on the hunt for a mobile phone which has the technology to scan bar codes and RFID tags. I believe Samsung and Nokia have or will have them? Any clues?

Code 39 is a US Standard for barcodes and not compatible with EAN-13. If you're looking at making your own barcode numbers up, either is fine (in fact Code 39 is much easier as there is no "format" to the number and it can encode any text), but obviously if your looking to use them outside your organization, you should be looking at EAN-13.

For scanning bardcodes, it should be easy (but I think I just spotted another thread on that), but RFIDs I'm sure wont be possible from a mobile.

[Tris]

Thanks Glenn, that looks interesting. I have already found a font called "Code39" which has the ability to turn any combination of characters, not just numbers, into a bar code. So far it has worked very well in Word, Excel and Sage. I didn't know this before but it seems any group of characters can become a bar code using this font which may prove really useful.

I'm now on the hunt for a mobile phone which has the technology to scan bar codes and RFID tags. I believe Samsung and Nokia have or will have them? Any clues?

My Nokia N82 can scan barcodes ... I'd expect similar models can as well. It uses the camera, and you access it through the menu by going -

Menu -> Applications -> Office -> Barcode -> Scan Code.

I just tested it on a print-at-home train ticket - it worked, in fact was really easy and quick to read the code and display the the ticket reference number on the phone screen.