Barcode technology has become rampant from logistics to manufacturing precisely because of its incredible accuracy and speed in collecting data. That’s marginalized the room for error, making record-keeping more efficient and quick. If you’ve just put your hands on a new barcode printer, you might wonder how best you could map out a quality barcode label printer that hardly goes through scanners without a beep. Here are tips to help you print the best barcode.
1. Opt for Matte Surfaces
Matte surfaces seemingly absorb light rather than reflect it, making them ideal barcode surfaces. Glossy surfaces reflect light coming from laser barcode scanners, affecting readability and leading to inaccurate data. Others diffuse scanners’ infrared lights, which allows some room for error. However, don’t go for the dark matte surfaces since they won’t allow your barcode to get read easily by scanners.
2. Print High-Contrast Barcodes
Don’t faint your barcode too much that they become almost impossible for the eye to miss. Technically, barcode scanners would have a field day on high-contrast barcodes than when faint. Besides, don’t print dark barcodes on dark surfaces since that reduces their conspicuity. Similarly, white backgrounds won’t complement lighter barcodes and will be an uphill task for scanners to sense them. Also, avoid transparent surfaces since they also would make barcodes less scannable.
3. Print with More Expansive White Spaces
The spaces between each code – the quiet zones – affect barcode readability, and you should make them more expansive for the scanners to recognize them accurately. It’s best that these places be at least five times the width of the narrowest bar and that the packaging doesn’t affect the print. On top of that, ensure that the print is high definition, with sharper edges and cleaner, with no surrounding coloring.
4. Proper Label Print Quality
It’s typical to make a few errors, some noticeable while others miss the eye. Therefore, you must use a quality barcode printer which you can get by visiting https://www.logicode.com.sg/product-category/printing/ for better results. That’ll ensure that you don’t end up with damaged barcodes that aren’t readable. Ensure that the printers’ nozzles and heating elements are clean for better quality.
5. Give it a Better Accessibility
While good printing is critical, situating it on an easily accessible surface or product makes it easy for scanners to notice. Despite using powerful laser or infra-red scanning, scanners have limits that prompt more care. Don’t laminate them over and if that’s necessary, use more transparent material. Besides, avoid dirt, scratches, and buckling, and keep them well exposed.
6. Abide With the Specified Standards
Retail and supply chains have varied barcode standards and if you’re delivering or buying from them, ensure that both scanners and barcodes measure up to their standards. Be conversant with the colors, bar height, background, and positioning of the barcodes, so they fall close to your chain’s or organization’s standards.
Conclusion
Having a quality printer is one thing and understanding how to print your barcodes is another. Barcode scanners are incredibly sensitive to errors, which could lead to misinterpretation and inaccurate data collection. Please use these few tips to get the best barcode quality for better record-keeping and collection.