There are many important reasons why you need your barcodes to
meet industry quality standards or specifications. In a
nutshell…
Barcodes serve to uniquely identify:
• Products
• Trade items
• Logistic units
• Locations
• Assets
• Relationships
Your code will need to scan properly throughout the supply chain
to effectively accomplish automatic data transfer….a primary reason
for using barcodes. The time to verify your barcodes' quality
is before you have a problem. You might think it improbable
that a problem will occur, and it is true that you might skate by
…never having an issue. But if a problem does occur, it can
be catastrophic for any business.
Incorrect or non-conforming barcodes can lead to mistakes or
increased processing time for shipping, identification and tracking
of individual items, pricing, inventory and distribution.
Additionally, retailers or channel partners may impose fines and
penalties, or ACR (automated cost recovery) fees for each barcode
that does not function properly.
Quality - conforming to industry standards (GS1, AIM, ISO/ANSI) -
barcode use reduces potential costs or liabilities in terms of
penalty fees or reimbursements to channel/distribution partners for
expenses they incurred. It lets users avoid manual, time
consuming entry of data, and allows for smooth, easy processing and
tracking. And not least….employees and customers will be
happier if barcode data properly scans.
Barcode quality should be addressed in every stage of
production
• Choose the correct type of barcode/symbology (UPC, ISBN, GS1
128, etc.)
• Ensure that accurate data is encoded into the barcode
symbology
• Use flawless / conforming digital files or artwork
• Printing - adjust (size/magnification, BWA - bar width
adjustment, etc.) according to substrate (material to be printed),
print process, ink, and color so that images meet defined quality
standards as verified by an ISO/ANSI inspection instrument
If you produce and use your barcodes according to industry
standards, they will be an indispensable tool in the automated data
transfer process….a key to efficient and economical procedures and
successful, profitable operations.
