Question Barcode - considering - Please Suggest your packages

[Rx_]

Please recommend any barcode software, hardware, books, sites or other information that will help plan adding Barcode options to an existing Access DB application.

Was asked to provide some information for adding barcode part of the Access application.
Would require reader (maybe a usb reader)
and ability to print barcodes in Access, Word, and Excel (2010).
Back-end DB is SQL Server 2008 if that is helpful.
This is not a POS, more of a document management, inventory, and workflow application.

There are a lot of specific questions about Barcode on this site. I am looking for some general information and recommendations to get started.

 

[spikepl]

AFAIK:

1. A barcode reader is just an input device (like keyboard), but can (in many cases) be programmed to also send special characters, and a Carriage Return, so it can work exactly as typed input. The reader would come with some driver, but other than that, I do not see any need for "barcode software"

2. Barcodes come in many flavours - some barcode fonts are free and some aren't - depends on your specific barcode standard.

3. Free barcode generators exist on the web, so that they send a .jpg back of a barcode specified in an HTTP call. Again - it all depends on which barcode type.

 

[Rx_]

Thanks. And perhaps, I should have added the newer 2D graphics as well as barcode.

 

[spikepl]

Ah. QR-code generators are not free yet, as stand alone s/w AFAIK. But things chnage every dary. You can get a single (at a time) QR generated on the web - perhaps some of these sites also offer an HTTP service.

 

[mdlueck]

I developed a barcode tracking database. The scanner was a Symbol brand one which plugged into a USB port and needed NO drivers or application software loaded in order to make it operate with Windows XP Pro.

Scanning a barcode would "type" the barcode into the application. So I merely have the Access Form UI on a text field control, have the operator scan the barcode, and the scanner "types" the barcode value into the DB field control.

To print barcodes, I researched and located the correct TTF font in order to produce the bar code. So, simply applying that font to what the bar code should read, and instantly the correct bar code appears. Note, it is necessary to pad what is going to be encoded in order to produce a bar code which is readable. I needed to pad the contents of the bard code with a * character on each side of the bar code value.

 

[robdun]

Please recommend any barcode software, hardware, books, sites or other information that will help plan adding Barcode options to an existing Access DB application.

Was asked to provide some information for adding barcode part of the Access application.
Would require reader (maybe a usb reader)
and ability to print barcodes in Access, Word, and Excel (2010).
Back-end DB is SQL Server 2008 if that is helpful.
This is not a POS, more of a document management, inventory, and workflow application.

There are a lot of specific questions about Barcode on this site. I am looking for some general information and recommendations to get started.

Hi

I would recommend you look at specialist label printing software. Amongst the best packages are bartender, label view, label matrix. These all have very powerful integration features and work with all types of label printer.

Regards

Rob


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