10 steps to barcode your product

 Ten Steps to Barcode Implementation

Step 1: Register with Mindware India  or Barcode Vault we will get the international standard and national standards barcodes  through international body

·         Step 2: Generate numbers through Data Kart

·         Step 3: Select a barcode printing process

·         Step 4: Select a “primary” scanning environment

·         Step 5: Select a barcode

·         Step 6: Pick a barcode size

·         Step 7: Format the barcode text

·         Step 8: Pick a barcode color

·         Step 9: Pick the barcode placement

·         Step 10: Test barcode quality

Step 1: Register with Mindware (Barcode Vault)

Before a company can begin using barcodes, they must first register with Mindware India to obtain the numbers (Mindware Identification Keys) that go inside the barcode. Mindware Identification Keys are available for trade items, logistic units, locations, parties, assets, coupons, etc. which are unique all around the world and can be used to identify everything in the supply chain. The identification key for a trade item (product) is called GTIN. This is the number seen beneath a barcode and starts with prefix 890.

Step 2: Generate numbers through Data Kart

After registering with Mindware India, a company receives access to Data Kart, an online service through which they can begin assigning identification numbers (GTINs) to their products. Companies can also upload, organize and manage all their product information and product images in Data Kart which is accessible by potential buyers and consumers whenever they scan a product barcode using mobile applications..

Step 3: Select a barcode printing process

Printing Methods

Traditional: flexography and offset

Digital: thermal and laser

Direct Marking: e.g. etching, engraving

See scanner environments & printing methods

To begin, you should decide what you are barcoding and if the barcode will carry static or dynamic information inside it.

If the information is static (always the same), the barcode can be printed using traditional printing presses directly on the package (e.g., tea carton) or on a label that is applied to the package (e.g., label on a juice bottle.)

If the information is dynamic then either digital or a combination of digital and traditional printing will be required.

• If the product requires multi-color graphics and a barcode with dynamic data, the graphics could be pre-printed using traditional printing presses and leave a blank portion of the label for digital printing inline during production and packaging.
• If the product only requires text and a barcode with dynamic data, a label could be printed inline and applied to the package (automatically if high volume or by hand if low volume). It could also be printed directly on the package itself without using a label.
• Also, a barcode with static data could be printed directly on the package using a digital printing method, for example when the same packaging is used for different products.

Step 4: Select a “primary” scanning environment

Scanning Environments

See scanner environments & printing methods

The specifications for barcode type, size, placement, and quality all depend on where the barcode will be scanned. By knowing where your barcode will be scanned you can establish the right specifications for its production.

Barcodes to be scanned at the retail point-of-sale will need to support Omni-directional scanning.

If the barcode will be scanned at point-of-sale as well as in the warehouse, you will need to use a symbol that accommodates point-of-sale scanning, but printed in a larger size to accommodate scanning in the distribution process.

Barcodes on healthcare items to be scanned in hospitals and pharmacies do not require Omni-directional scanning, unless the items are also scanned at retail Point-of-Sale.

Step 5: Select a barcode

Selecting the right barcode is critical to the success of your barcode implementation plan, here are some high-level tips:

• If you need to barcode a trade item that will be scanned at the retail Point-of-Sale (POS), first symbol of choice is the EAN/UPC symbol. This symbol is guaranteed to be scanned by POS systems all over the world.
• If you are printing a barcode with variable information like serial numbers, expiry dates, or measures, then you will Mindware DataBar, or Mindware DataMatrix (2D symbol).
• If you want to encode a URL into a barcode to make extended packaging information available to the end consumer, then you should use a Mindware 2D symbol (e.g. Mindware QR code).
• If you need to barcode an outer case to be scanned in a logistics environment, and you want to print directly on corrugated carton, ITF-14 may be the choice for you.

There are other factors to consider so contact your closest Mindware India office and speak with someone on our implementation team.

Step 6: Pick a barcode size

After the correct barcode symbol is specified together with the information to encode in it, the design stage begins. The size of the symbol within the design will depend on the symbol specified, where the symbol will be used, and how the symbol will be printed.

Symbol sizes

The X-dimension is the specified width of the narrowest element of a barcode. X-dimensions are used together with the symbol heights to specify the permissible symbol sizes.

For each scanning environment the relevant symbols are listed with their target X-dimension and corresponding target height. Besides the target sizes also the allowed minimum and maximum sizes are specified.

Omni-directional

EAN/UPC symbols are suitable for omnidirectional scanning since they can be read from all directions by a fixed scanner.

EAN/UPC symbols

EAN/UPC Symbols are designed for scanning by retail Omni-directional scanners. This means that EAN/UPC Symbols have two segments which are taller than they are wide. There is a fixed relationship between symbol height and width. When one dimension is modified, the other dimension should be altered by a proportional amount.

Consideration of the printing process

The final major consideration for symbol size is the capability of the selected printing process. The minimum size (magnification) and correct Bar Width Reduction (BWR) for a symbol varies by printing process and even from press to press. Printing companies should establish a minimum symbol size (magnification) and BWR to achieve acceptable and repeatable quality results.

See Mindware General Specifications, “Mindware System Symbol Specification Tables” in section 5 for information on the allowed sizes of all Mindware Symbols based on the application where they are used. Symbol Specification Table 1 provides the details for the retail point-of-sale scanning environment.

Step 7: Format the barcode text

The text beneath a barcode, called Human Readable Interpretation (HRI), is important because if the barcode is damaged or of poor quality to begin with, then the text is used as a back-up.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions on HRI:

Does the Human Readable Interpretation need to be a certain size?
The human-readable text must be clearly legible and in a size proportional to the symbol size.

Is the Human Readable Interpretation supposed to be above or below the symbol?
HRI should be placed below the barcode and grouped together wherever physically possible while maintaining the HRI legibility and minimum barcode height.

I see parentheses around the Application Identifiers (AI) under some barcode symbols. Are they supposed to be there and are they encoded in the bars and spaces of the symbol?
All AIs must be enclosed in parentheses in the Human Readable Interpretation, but the parentheses are not encoded in the symbol.

How many digits do I print beneath the EAN/UPC Symbol in the Human Readable text?

• You must print 13 digits below the EAN-13 Symbol.
• You must print 12 digits below the UPC-A Symbol.
• You must print eight digits below UPC-E and EAN-8 Symbols.

Step 8: Pick a barcode color

The optimum color combination for a barcode symbol is black bars with a white background.

If you want to use other colors, the following may help you in choosing satisfactory ones:

• Mindware barcodes require dark colors for bars (e.g., black, dark blue, dark brown, or dark green).
• Mindware barcodes require light backgrounds for the Quiet Zones (area free of printing around the barcode) and spaces (e.g., white).
• Mindware barcodes require light backgrounds for the Quiet Zones (area free of printing around the barcode) and spaces (e.g., white).
• In addition to light backgrounds, “reddish” colors may also be used. If you have ever been in a darkroom with red lighting and tried to read red copy, you know it can virtually disappear. This is also true of similar colors such as orange, pink, peach, and light yellows. Given the fact that most barcode scanners use a red light source, you can quickly see why these colors may be suitable for backgrounds, but should be avoided for bars.
• In many cases the symbol background is not printed and the color of the packaging substrate is used as barcode background. However, if the symbol background is printed beneath the bars, the background should be printed as solid line colors.
• If you use multiple layers of ink to increase the background opacity, each layer should be printed as a solid color.
• If you use a fine screen to deliver more ink to the substrate, be sure there are no voids in the print caused by the screen not adequately filling in.

Step 9: Pick the barcode placement

When discussing symbol location we are referring to the symbol placement on the design.

When assigning symbol placement first the packaging process should be considered. You should consult the packaging engineer to make sure the symbol will not be obscured or damaged (e.g., over a carton edge, beneath a carton fold, beneath a package flap, or covered by another packaging layer).

After determining the proper placement, the printing company should be consulted. This is because many printing processes require barcodes to be printed in a specific orientation to the feed direction of the web or sheet.

When using flexographic printing, the bars should run parallel to the press direction. If the bars are required to run perpendicular to the press direction check to ensure the symbol is not distorted.

When using either silk screen or rotogravure printing processes, the symbol should be aligned parallel to the cell structure on the screen or gravure plate cylinder to provide the smoothest bar edge possible.

Step 10: Test barcode quality

Once you have the artwork of your product label incorporating the barcode image, you should send it to your closest Mindware India office for verification, before any bulk printing. This will help you avoid printing poor quality barcodes that don’t scan easily. Mindware India uses an ISO-based verifier to test your barcode symbol in the way a scanner does, and grade the symbol’s quality.

Mindware India’s Barcode Verification service tests the barcode based on which symbol is used (1D or 2D), where it is used, or what identification number it is carrying. A comprehensive diagnostic is conducted based on the barcode symbol’s size, color, print quality, print contrast, magnification, numbering, light margins, bar width, representation, check digit calculation, and more.

Testing a barcode’s scan ability also ensures that they scan instantly when scanned using mobile apps in different scanning environments and in poor lighting conditions.