2D Barcode Integration Tips for Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a powerful application that allows graphic designers, production artists and others to create print media such as magazines, posters, brochures and more in addition to publications intended for digital consumption. Given the business-centric nature of these uses, the integration of 2D barcodes for InDesign works is likely to become a necessity for many users.

IDAutomation provides a range of solutions to enable 2D barcode generation in Adobe InDesign.

• Barcode Image Generators provide an easy method of generating one-off barcodes which can be saved as image files, or copied and pasted directly into InDesign works.
• 2D Barcode Font and Encoder packages allow a roundabout method of generating barcodes where the data is first encoded within Excel and then that encoded data is imported into InDesign where the appropriate font can be applied to it to generate an accurate barcode.\
• Hosted Barcode Generators include custom URLs that can be integrated into InDesign works that are intended for internet viewing, thus allowing easy dynamic barcoding.

These are all dependable solutions when an organization has a need to add 2D barcodes to their InDesign documents. For those looking for an all-in-one solution, consider the 2D Barcode Module for InDesign by Meadows Printing Solutions. This powerful component installs directly into InDesign and appears as a toolbar selection in the application itself. Simply mark out a text box where you want the QR Code, Data Matrix or PDF417 barcode to appear and refer to the "MPS" toolbar menu to create your barcode. Meadows Printing Solutions also offers a free QR Code Generator for InDesign which can be used to demonstrate it's seamless compatibility and ease-of-use.

It's no secret to users that the latest version of InDesign (CS7) will include QR barcodes, and this is an excellent feature to add. However, it is important to note that QR is not the only 2D barcode type and that many organizations will have a need to generate others such as Code 128, Intelligent Mail, Data Matrix, PDF417 and others. Adobe's latest feature addition supports QR Code, but the products listed above support many more as well.

New Barcode Label Software for Windows 8

The long-anticipated release of the latest Barcode Label Design & Printing Software is here! The newest version of this powerful barcode label application includes several bug fixes and improvements for increased compatibility, performance and look. Following are some of the features of the latest version:

• Compatibility for Windows 8 and .NET Framework 2.0
• Performance enhancements to the processes involved in printing, drawing and viewing.

The 2013 version of the Barcode Label Software also addresses a minor but serious issue where the USPS Intelligent Mail barcode would intermittently generate an incorrect barcode. This occured approximately 1 of every 1,000 attempts and has since been resolved.

IDAutomation's Barcode Label Software is a powerful barcode label design and printing application that allows users to generate barcodes on an individual basis or by connecting to an external source such as a database or .CSV. This software is compatible with virtually any label roll or standard inkjet or laser printer, and is very easy to use. Purchase comes with a 30 day complimentary Priority Support & Upgrade Subscription which may be extended optionally for a full year for an affordable cost.

Now is a great time to consider making your barcode label software purchase so that you can take advantage of the latest-and-greatest that this product has to offer. For those who already own a license to the software, purchase support to get download access to the latest version today!

Getting Creative With Your Barcodes

Barcodes are a necessary part of business. Companies routinely use barcode technology to track documents, conduct inventory counts and prepare items for sale in retail environments. Unfortunately, barcodes have become so common on documents, products, equipment and other items that they are easily overlooked and often missed. Luckily, human creativity has a solution.

Linear barcodes are rectangular symbols with black vertical lines. When read with barcode scanners, their encoded data is output wherever the cursor is located on the computer screen by a process known as keyboard emulation. A common misnomer is that the entire barcode needs to be intact in order to get a clean read. In reality, however, most linear barcodes need only have the bottom intact in order to achieve a successful scan. This means that creative users can take some simple steps to spice up their barcodes and make them noticeable again. But how is it done?

The process of modifying a barcode is not as difficult as you may think. All you need is a barcode image, a creative mind, a little patience and a Graphic Editor programs which will allow distortion, stretching and other types of filters that can change the shape of portions of the barcode while keeping it enough intact to acquire a successful scan. It is likely that you'll have to do some trial-and-error tweaking, but the end result will be a totally unique barcode image that your employees or consumers will not overlook.

For more unique barcode designs in real-world use, please check out our Creative Barcoding board on Pinterest.

Barcode Scanners by IDAutomation

IDAutomation offers a wide range of barcode scanners to meet the needs of virtually any environment or scenario including omni-directional scanners, portable memory scanners, wireless scanners and others from dependable manufacturers such as Motorola, Metrologic, Datalogic, Opticon. These scanners make up our product base because they are known to be both high-quality and effective. Whether you need to scan barcodes for simple output, or output scanned data in to multiple fields for a database or Excel spreadsheet, one of the scanners we offer will most certainly meet your needs.

We also offer a line of affordable barcode scanners with easy programming guides that make it possible to program your scanner to perform the exact functions required in your process. IDAutomation barcode scanners are high quality, easy to use and come with a one year manufacturer's warranty with full priority support. Following is the comprehensive selection we offer.

Linear Barcode Scanners

Linear barcode scanners are capable of reading standard rectangular barcodes with vertical black bars, also known as linear barcodes. This family of symbologies includes popular barcode types like Code 128, Code 39, UPC, Interleaved 2 of 5 and many others. IDAutomation offers two quality models as noted below:

• Product: IDAutomation USB Barcode Scanner with Databar
• Item: IDA-SC5USB-D
• Price: $119.00 each (volume discounts start at purchase of 5 or more)
• Product Information
• User Manual
• Easy Programming Guide
• Buy Now
• Note: A stand and 3-year extended warranty is also available for this scanner.

• Product: SC1500 USB Barcode Scanner
• Item: SC1500-USB
• Price: $119.00 each (volume discounts start at purchase of 5 or more)
• Product Information
• User Manual
• Easy Programming Guide
• Buy Now
• Note: An optional 3-way stand and 3-year extended warranty is also available for this scanner.
  

Wireless Barcode Scanners

The IDAutomation Wireless Barcode Scanner is the cordless version of the SC5USB-D model above. It can read the same linear barcode types including Code 128, Code 39, UPC and others with a communication range of up to 300 feet, approximately. Available in both gray and black, these models can communicate scanned data wirelessly to the communication/charging cradle where the data is then passed to the computer via keyboard emulation as though it had been typed on the keyboard.

• Product: Wireless USB Barcode Scanner with Databar
• Item: IDA-SC5USB-W (Also available in Black, IDA-SC5USB-WB)
• Price: $299.00 each (volume discounts start at purchases of 5 or more)
• Product Information
• User Manual
• Easy Programming Guide
• Buy Now
• Note: Replacement batteries and 3-year extended warranty is also available for this scanner.

2D Barcode Scanners

As 2D barcodes like Data Matrix, Aztec, QR Code, MaxiCode and PDF417 are put into use more and more, customers have identified the need to scan these barcode types. IDAutomation's 2D USB Barcode Scanner reads all of the popular 2D barcode types noted above and postal barcode types such as Intelligent Mail as well as all of the same linear barcode types as the other IDAutomation scanners in our selection. This scanner also has a unique verification-like Print Quality Assessment feature that assigns a grade to several aspects of 2D and postal barcode types.

Product: 2D USB Barcode Scanner with PQA

Item: SC7-USB-2D

Price: $299.00 each (volume discounts start at purchases of 5 or more)

Product Information

User Manual

Easy Programming Guide

Buy Now

Note: Stand and 4-year extended warranty is also available for this scanner.

These scanners are all capable of reading barcodes from flat screen monitors or smart phone displays, and have a 30-day return policy in case you decide the product will not suit your needs in testing. The best about about choosing IDAutomation barcode scanners besides their quality ,ease of use and affordability is the fact that you can receive priority technical assistance from our support staff as long as your warranty is active.

Generating USPS Intelligent Mail Tracing Barcode Labels

The United States Postal Service recently made the transition from their legacy Confirm Service to IMb Tracing which allows mailers access outgoing and incoming reply mailpieces data such as date, time, location and sort operation at Postal Service facilities while the mail is en route to it's destination. This program allows mailers in a variety of industries such as banks, direct mail advertisers, insurance companies, printing companies, restaurants and more to improve customer retention, ROI on marketing promotions and much more.

But how can you actually create an Intelligent Mail Tracing barcode?

IDAutomation's Barcode Label Software provides users with the ability to generate Intelligent Mail Tracing barcodes manually or by pulling data from external sources such as a .csv file to populate labels with barcoded data. With user licenses starting at $139.00, this is one of the most affordable and powerful Barcode Label Design & Printing Applications available on the market today. For more information about how to generate Intelligent Mail Tracing barcodes using this software, please watch the video below.

What are the Benefits of Streaming Barcode Images?

Barcodes come in many different shapes and sizes, and are capable of encoding virtually any type of data required toward the pursuit of an improved efficiency in a given business process. There are also a wide variety of fonts, programs and components that may be utilized to generate and display barcodes for the purpose of scanning in processes such as inventory control, document tracking, retail check-out, logistics and  much more.

As the internet and connectivity continues to shape and reshape our modern world, more and more components of doing business are migrating from on-site servers and employee machines to the cloud. This latest technological frontier provides individuals and businesses alike with the opportunity to access their information from anywhere at any time provided they have the proper security to do so. 

IDAutomations' cloud-based barcode generation service allows this same convenience to users who are able to utilize a program or environments' internet connectivity to stream dynamic barcodes directly. This service is extremely useful for ECommerce websites that generate invoice receipts, packing slips or other information that is made more efficient by the presence of a barcode. It serves business both from the standpoint of customer as well as behind-the-scenes where dynamic barcode images can be integrated into business analysis reports, inventory tracking reports and more.

Available in 1-year and 5-year terms, IDAutomations' Hosted Barcode Generator Service is fault tolerant with multiple load-balancing servers in different locations to virtually eliminate the potential for downtime. This is a high-performance, lightweight service that provides businesses with the ability to integrate barcode technology into any process that can access a custom web URL. Visit BCGen.com today to learn more about the various barcode types available as well as licensing details.

Generate Free meCard QR Codes!

One of the most common uses of QR Codes in business is in the creation of the meCard electronic business card which is an alternative to the vCard. meCards allow individuals to easily pass their contact information along to other for the purpose of relationships both business and personal. Since most smart phones are capable of reading QR Codes at this point in their technology, the meCard has proven to be an excellent way of delivering your important contact information with relative ease.

IDAutomation provides a free and easy method to create meCards using our special QR Code meCard Generator. By taking advantage of our simple interface, users can quickly create meCard QR Codes in seconds flat, and at no cost. This free service is made by possible through our Hosted QR Code Image Generator. For those who are looking for QR Codes to generate more than just meCards, IDAutomation offers the QR Code Barcode Image Generator which produces high-resolution QR Codes in a variety of popular formats.