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Re: Bar Code Labeling Software
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rickman
May 9, 2013, 11:24:56 AM5/9/13
to
I decided to cross post this to c.a.e
On 5/9/2013 11:18 AM, rickman wrote:
> I need to label some packages I will be shipping, both the bags the
> boards are in and the boxes. There will be several fields on the labels
> and each field has a bar code, CODE128. I may also try to label the
> individual boards, but there isn't much room for a label, maybe on top
> of the FPGA. I found some software that is supposed to work with Open
> Office, but I haven't figured out quite how to make it work (I'll spend
> a little more time with it later today). I want to print onto the
> pre-cut label sheets of a couple of different sizes.
>
> In case the Open Office software is a bust for me, I wondering what
> others use for this? I don't think I will be using this more than once,
> so I'm not looking to spend a bunch on it.
--
Rick
On 5/9/2013 11:18 AM, rickman wrote:
> I need to label some packages I will be shipping, both the bags the
> boards are in and the boxes. There will be several fields on the labels
> and each field has a bar code, CODE128. I may also try to label the
> individual boards, but there isn't much room for a label, maybe on top
> of the FPGA. I found some software that is supposed to work with Open
> Office, but I haven't figured out quite how to make it work (I'll spend
> a little more time with it later today). I want to print onto the
> pre-cut label sheets of a couple of different sizes.
>
> In case the Open Office software is a bust for me, I wondering what
> others use for this? I don't think I will be using this more than once,
> so I'm not looking to spend a bunch on it.
--
Rick
Jim Stewart
May 9, 2013, 4:40:15 PM5/9/13
to
Not sure it's relevant.
We needed to add labels with barcode
and MAC numbers to one of our products.
We bought a SATO CX printer on Ebay
and wrote our own fairly trivial software
to drive it.
We needed to add labels with barcode
and MAC numbers to one of our products.
We bought a SATO CX printer on Ebay
and wrote our own fairly trivial software
to drive it.
Andrew Smallshaw
May 11, 2013, 12:25:29 PM5/11/13
to
OpenOffice I assume that this is a one-off hand-assembled document
rather than programmatic ouput from a DB or whatever. I've only
had an occasional use for that and I've always found a suitable
web-based generator to paste in from, e.g.
http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/. That seems
to be among the better online options in that it has a wide choice
of formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined
to trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
Formatted printed output from programs generally means Postscript
in any event (for a Unix shop at least ;-) ), so inserting a
barcode generation function in the header and then calling it with
the right options later is no big hassle. I wrote a Postscript
EAN-13 generator a few years back - it only took about an hour and
I'm far from a Postscript expert, but I notice the same author as
above has a far more comprehensive library at
https://code.google.com/p/postscriptbarcode/ which looks promising,
although I have no direct experience of it.
--
Andrew Smallshaw
and...@sdf.lonestar.org
Klaus von der Heyde
May 11, 2013, 1:07:02 PM5/11/13
to
Andrew Smallshaw wrote:
> Formatted printed output from programs generally means Postscript
> in any event (for a Unix shop at least ;-) ), so inserting a
> barcode generation function in the header and then calling it with
> the right options later is no big hassle.
GNU barcode writes EPS, as well as other formats.
> Formatted printed output from programs generally means Postscript
> in any event (for a Unix shop at least ;-) ), so inserting a
> barcode generation function in the header and then calling it with
> the right options later is no big hassle.
HTH,
Klaus
Ivan Shmakov
May 11, 2013, 2:18:01 PM5/11/13
to
>>>>> Andrew Smallshaw <and...@sdf.lonestar.org> writes:
[Cross-posting to news:alt.barcodes.]
[...]
> I've only had an occasional use for that and I've always found a
> suitable web-based generator to paste in from, e. g.
> http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/. That seems to
> be among the better online options in that it has a wide choice of
> formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined to
> trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
Even given that the majority of barcodes (and non-bar codes,
such as the QR code) are essentially raster? (Well, except the
alphanumeric label, if any.)
> Formatted printed output from programs generally means PostScript in
format, but a fully-featured programming language (which has
certain implications on its own.) Surely, I'd prefer to handle
a format which I can parse, instead of one I have to /execute/.
(Generally, that'd mean either PDF or SVG, although the support
for either seem to be falling behind that for PostScript.)
[...]
--
FSF associate member #7257
[Cross-posting to news:alt.barcodes.]
[...]
> I've only had an occasional use for that and I've always found a
> suitable web-based generator to paste in from, e. g.
> http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/. That seems to
> be among the better online options in that it has a wide choice of
> formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined to
> trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
such as the QR code) are essentially raster? (Well, except the
alphanumeric label, if any.)
> Formatted printed output from programs generally means PostScript in
> any event (for a Unix shop at least ;-) ), so inserting a barcode
> generation function in the header and then calling it with the right
> options later is no big hassle.
Yet, I cannot refrain from reminding that PostScript is /not/ a
> generation function in the header and then calling it with the right
> options later is no big hassle.
format, but a fully-featured programming language (which has
certain implications on its own.) Surely, I'd prefer to handle
a format which I can parse, instead of one I have to /execute/.
(Generally, that'd mean either PDF or SVG, although the support
for either seem to be falling behind that for PostScript.)
[...]
--
FSF associate member #7257
rickman
May 11, 2013, 2:48:16 PM5/11/13
to
On 5/11/2013 12:25 PM, Andrew Smallshaw wrote:
> On 2013-05-09, rickman<gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> I need to label some packages I will be shipping, both the bags the
>>> boards are in and the boxes. There will be several fields on the labels
>>> and each field has a bar code, CODE128. I may also try to label the
>>> individual boards, but there isn't much room for a label, maybe on top
>>> of the FPGA. I found some software that is supposed to work with Open
>>> Office, but I haven't figured out quite how to make it work (I'll spend
>>> a little more time with it later today). I want to print onto the
>>> pre-cut label sheets of a couple of different sizes.
>>>
>>> In case the Open Office software is a bust for me, I wondering what
>>> others use for this? I don't think I will be using this more than once,
>>> so I'm not looking to spend a bunch on it.
>
> So much of this depends on the context. From the mention of
> OpenOffice I assume that this is a one-off hand-assembled document
> rather than programmatic ouput from a DB or whatever. I've only
> had an occasional use for that and I've always found a suitable
> web-based generator to paste in from, e.g.
> http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/. That seems
> to be among the better online options in that it has a wide choice
> of formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined
> to trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
Yes, a two off actually, two labels and they will need to be updated for
> On 2013-05-09, rickman<gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> I need to label some packages I will be shipping, both the bags the
>>> boards are in and the boxes. There will be several fields on the labels
>>> and each field has a bar code, CODE128. I may also try to label the
>>> individual boards, but there isn't much room for a label, maybe on top
>>> of the FPGA. I found some software that is supposed to work with Open
>>> Office, but I haven't figured out quite how to make it work (I'll spend
>>> a little more time with it later today). I want to print onto the
>>> pre-cut label sheets of a couple of different sizes.
>>>
>>> In case the Open Office software is a bust for me, I wondering what
>>> others use for this? I don't think I will be using this more than once,
>>> so I'm not looking to spend a bunch on it.
>
> So much of this depends on the context. From the mention of
> OpenOffice I assume that this is a one-off hand-assembled document
> rather than programmatic ouput from a DB or whatever. I've only
> had an occasional use for that and I've always found a suitable
> web-based generator to paste in from, e.g.
> http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/. That seems
> to be among the better online options in that it has a wide choice
> of formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined
> to trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
the specific shipment, date, PO number, ect. I like using a spread
sheet for this sort of thing since both the positioning of the fields is
easy and it provides data functions. I found an Excel macro online. I
just looked at the page you provided and the bar codes from the two
sources don't seem to agree. I need to find a third source to verify
which is right... unless I end up with three different outputs of the
same thing! lol
> Formatted printed output from programs generally means Postscript
> in any event (for a Unix shop at least ;-) ), so inserting a
> barcode generation function in the header and then calling it with
> the right options later is no big hassle. I wrote a Postscript
> EAN-13 generator a few years back - it only took about an hour and
> I'm far from a Postscript expert, but I notice the same author as
> above has a far more comprehensive library at
> https://code.google.com/p/postscriptbarcode/ which looks promising,
> although I have no direct experience of it.
have to get the rest of the paperwork in order. Exports are a PITA.
Thanks for the links!
--
Rick
Andrew Smallshaw
May 11, 2013, 4:40:40 PM5/11/13
to
On 2013-05-11, Ivan Shmakov <onei...@gmail.com> wrote:
> [Cross-posting to news:alt.barcodes.]
It seems the biggest problem is that most printers seem to see a
raster image and assume it's fair game for dithering. "Dotty"
barcodes don't scan very well.
> > Formatted printed output from programs generally means PostScript in
> > any event (for a Unix shop at least ;-) ), so inserting a barcode
> > generation function in the header and then calling it with the right
> > options later is no big hassle.
>
> Yet, I cannot refrain from reminding that PostScript is /not/ a
> format, but a fully-featured programming language (which has
> certain implications on its own.) Surely, I'd prefer to handle
> a format which I can parse, instead of one I have to /execute/.
> (Generally, that'd mean either PDF or SVG, although the support
> for either seem to be falling behind that for PostScript.)
It's horses for courses. Personally I view that programmability
as its greatest strength - it means you can draft a standard job
header containing the relevant functions and from then on the
job-specific stuff is high-level stuff that reflects both the
logical layout of the job and the internal layout of the program
doing the generation.
Since the issue here is barcodes consider drawing one "manually".
You'll have a sequence of commands :
Go to x1,y1
Define box width x2 height y2
Fill with black.
Go to x3,y3
Define box width x4 height y4
Fill with black...
30 or 40 times over. That kind of generation gets real tedious
real fast and the resulting code inevitably looks a right mess.
In contrast with postscript you define a standard function once in
the job header and then simply call it, e.g.
(1234567890123) ean13
Of course you can argue that the complexity is simply shifted but
it always seems a _lot_ cleaner to me to put the smarts in the job
itself as opposed to the program - it saves "bitty" I/O for one
thing and expresses the complex stuff in a language designed for
the task at hand.
--
Andrew Smallshaw
and...@sdf.lonestar.org
> [Cross-posting to news:alt.barcodes.]
>>>>>> Andrew Smallshaw <and...@sdf.lonestar.org> writes:
> > formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined to
> > trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
>
> Even given that the majority of barcodes (and non-bar codes,
> such as the QR code) are essentially raster? (Well, except the
> alphanumeric label, if any.)
Yes - I've had too many problems with bitmap barcodes in the past.
> > formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined to
> > trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
>
> Even given that the majority of barcodes (and non-bar codes,
> such as the QR code) are essentially raster? (Well, except the
> alphanumeric label, if any.)
It seems the biggest problem is that most printers seem to see a
raster image and assume it's fair game for dithering. "Dotty"
barcodes don't scan very well.
> > Formatted printed output from programs generally means PostScript in
> > any event (for a Unix shop at least ;-) ), so inserting a barcode
> > generation function in the header and then calling it with the right
> > options later is no big hassle.
>
> Yet, I cannot refrain from reminding that PostScript is /not/ a
> format, but a fully-featured programming language (which has
> certain implications on its own.) Surely, I'd prefer to handle
> a format which I can parse, instead of one I have to /execute/.
> (Generally, that'd mean either PDF or SVG, although the support
> for either seem to be falling behind that for PostScript.)
as its greatest strength - it means you can draft a standard job
header containing the relevant functions and from then on the
job-specific stuff is high-level stuff that reflects both the
logical layout of the job and the internal layout of the program
doing the generation.
Since the issue here is barcodes consider drawing one "manually".
You'll have a sequence of commands :
Go to x1,y1
Define box width x2 height y2
Fill with black.
Go to x3,y3
Define box width x4 height y4
Fill with black...
30 or 40 times over. That kind of generation gets real tedious
real fast and the resulting code inevitably looks a right mess.
In contrast with postscript you define a standard function once in
the job header and then simply call it, e.g.
(1234567890123) ean13
Of course you can argue that the complexity is simply shifted but
it always seems a _lot_ cleaner to me to put the smarts in the job
itself as opposed to the program - it saves "bitty" I/O for one
thing and expresses the complex stuff in a language designed for
the task at hand.
--
Andrew Smallshaw
and...@sdf.lonestar.org
Jasen Betts
May 11, 2013, 6:44:29 PM5/11/13
to
On 2013-05-11, Andrew Smallshaw <and...@sdf.lonestar.org> wrote:
> On 2013-05-09, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> I need to label some packages I will be shipping, both the bags the
>>> boards are in and the boxes. There will be several fields on the labels
>>> and each field has a bar code, CODE128. I may also try to label the
>>> individual boards, but there isn't much room for a label, maybe on top
>>> of the FPGA. I found some software that is supposed to work with Open
>>> Office, but I haven't figured out quite how to make it work (I'll spend
>>> a little more time with it later today). I want to print onto the
>>> pre-cut label sheets of a couple of different sizes.
>>>
>>> In case the Open Office software is a bust for me, I wondering what
>>> others use for this? I don't think I will be using this more than once,
>>> so I'm not looking to spend a bunch on it.
>
> So much of this depends on the context. From the mention of
> OpenOffice I assume that this is a one-off hand-assembled document
> rather than programmatic ouput from a DB or whatever. I've only
> had an occasional use for that and I've always found a suitable
> web-based generator to paste in from, e.g.
> http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/. That seems
> to be among the better online options in that it has a wide choice
> of formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined
> to trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
barcodes have integer-width stripes, this layout fits well with
> On 2013-05-09, rickman <gnu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> I need to label some packages I will be shipping, both the bags the
>>> boards are in and the boxes. There will be several fields on the labels
>>> and each field has a bar code, CODE128. I may also try to label the
>>> individual boards, but there isn't much room for a label, maybe on top
>>> of the FPGA. I found some software that is supposed to work with Open
>>> Office, but I haven't figured out quite how to make it work (I'll spend
>>> a little more time with it later today). I want to print onto the
>>> pre-cut label sheets of a couple of different sizes.
>>>
>>> In case the Open Office software is a bust for me, I wondering what
>>> others use for this? I don't think I will be using this more than once,
>>> so I'm not looking to spend a bunch on it.
>
> So much of this depends on the context. From the mention of
> OpenOffice I assume that this is a one-off hand-assembled document
> rather than programmatic ouput from a DB or whatever. I've only
> had an occasional use for that and I've always found a suitable
> web-based generator to paste in from, e.g.
> http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/. That seems
> to be among the better online options in that it has a wide choice
> of formats and the option of EPS output - I'm not overly inclined
> to trust low res bitmaps for something like this.
bitmaps if the scale factor is an integer. Bitmaps will oftem be
more space-efficient than vector formats, especially if the bitmap
format allows non-square pixels,
--
⚂⚃ 100% natural
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
Ivan Shmakov
May 12, 2013, 4:50:13 AM5/12/13
to
>>>>> Jasen Betts <ja...@xnet.co.nz> writes:
>>>>> On 2013-05-11, Andrew Smallshaw <and...@sdf.lonestar.org> wrote:
>>>>> On 2013-05-11, Andrew Smallshaw <and...@sdf.lonestar.org> wrote:
[Cross-posting to news:alt.barcodes.]
[...]
[...]
>> I'm not overly inclined to trust low res bitmaps for something like
>> this.
> barcodes have integer-width stripes, this layout fits well with
> bitmaps if the scale factor is an integer.
Yes, that's what I wanted to say. However, there's indeed an
>> this.
> barcodes have integer-width stripes, this layout fits well with
> bitmaps if the scale factor is an integer.
issue with various software packages, which apply interpolation
on scaling by default. Which means that the image gets the
blur, the shades, and, finally, the dithering that was observed.
And, frankly, while searching for an option to disable such
interpolation for raster graphics may be an endeavor on its own,
this whole issue rarely arises when using vector graphics.
> Bitmaps will often be more space-efficient than vector formats,
> especially if the bitmap format allows non-square pixels,
... And as long as one embeds the raster in question into a
vector image, this will almost always be easy to achieve.
Sp...@controlq.com
Jun 5, 2013, 4:37:16 PM6/5/13
to
On Sat, 11 May 2013, rickman wrote:
> I just don't have the time to deal with bar codes any more for now. I have
> to get the rest of the paperwork in order. Exports are a PITA.
>
> Thanks for the links!
>
>
produce barcode labels for a POS system I did some years back. This
worked very well, and while I'm not sure why you would want to parse the
output (postscript) rather than simply print it, I would +1 for gnu
barcode ... it just worked for me.
Cheers,
Rob.
rickman
Jun 5, 2013, 6:59:59 PM6/5/13
to
fields with a value and a barcode for each one. I ended up arranging it
in a reasonably easy to read format that fits on a standard label sheet.
I formated the Excel barcodes into labels arranged the labels on a
page and print them out when needed.
I've have yet to verify that the barcodes are actually readable
though... lol I hope they aren't giving my customer fits. I'm sure I
wouldn't hear about it either way.
--
Rick
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