Barcode Software and Label Software, What do I need?

Your choice of barcode software should be based on your method of printing barcodes as well as the specific barcode types you're planning to print. Pre-printed EAN-13 or UPC barcodes placed on point of sale products, such as candy wrappers, can be generated with the right software for retail use. Afterwards, you can simply export the barcode into your pre-press layout in the design software of your choice.

On-demand applications have barcodes that are slightly different from those mentioned earlier. These are not the same as EAN-13, UPC or most of the ones on the list below. Generally printed on labels as necessary, these barcodes are also not used in pre-press packaging design. In addition, on-demand labels normally have a certain amount of information besides the barcode. For example, an often large amount of textual information may be included under the barcode for use by human readers. Of course, this is not necessarily all that is included on these labels. Some labels, especially those used for inventory labels or industrial applications, also include pictures or other graphics.

It's important to note that not all software capable of printing labels can also print barcode labels. This is often true with the basic label software that you may use to print address labels for sending off bills or company publications. In these cases, the software simply can't handle the wide range of advanced barcode types and data integration necessary for industrial labeling.

When you use BarTender label software, you can create the full range of barcodes for industrial and GHS labels. In addition to the included support for over 100 different barcode standards, you can adjust text size and style, change label sizes to meet the specifications of your printer and perform RFID tag encoding. If you need to be able to export barcodes to pre-press artwork, that's also easy to accomplish with BarTender software.

Here's a look at some of the barcode standards you can create using BarTender label software:

• Codabar
• Code 93
• Code 39
• Code 128
• DUN-14
• GS1 DataBar
• GS1-128
• GS1 Composite
• GS1 DataMatrix
• Interleaved 2-of-5
• ITF-14
• Postal and Shipping, such as USPS, UPS, KIX Code, Maxicode, Canadian Customs, Japanese Post and Australia Post Coupons, such as EAN-13 '99' as well as North American Coupon
• Telepen
• Trioptic
• UPC-E, UPC-A, EAN-8, EAN-13, JAN-1
• TLC
• QR Code
• Micro QR Code
• PDF417
• MicroPDF417
• HIBC
• Aztec Code
• ISBT 128
• Data Matrix

Here at OptimediaLabs.com, you will find a full range of color label printers. All of these can be used with BarTender label design software, letting you design and print labels that include barcode types such as those listed above. Our staff's knowledge on BarTender label and barcode design software as well as color label printers from top manufacturers including Afinia Label, Epson, Primera, Seiko and Toshiba ensures that you will receive the best solution for your business needs. To find out which label printer is appropriate for your applications, contact our label specialists today.