Barcode Uni

Creating and printing barcodes from Filemaker is easier than you think, however there are a number of ways to do it, some easier than others, some better than others and some that are just not worth it.

Don’t’s

1. Get a Free Font (they either don’t work correctly, or they are so inaccurate they produce barcodes that misread.
2. Think you can just create barcodes by typing letters (it just doesn’t work), most barcode types have starts and stops, and calculated check digits.
3. Decide on a size of space before you know what you need to encode.

Do’s

1. Use a reputable barcode software supplier (they have the experience to help you if you have problems)
2. Use a Plugin to make the barcode (this makes it easy)
3. Use a plugin that can make ore than one type of barcode with only one barcode font (such as the Peninsula Barcode For FileMaker plug in)
4. Use a plugin that can vary the size (scale), height, and if possible the bwr of the barcode.

If you have followed these simple rules creating and printing barcodes in filemaker is easy. Heres the instructions for Peninsula Barcode For Filemaker.

1. Copy the plugin to the filemaker extensions folder.
2. Copy the font barcode.ttf or barcode.suit to the fonts folder.
3. Open filemaker.
4. Create a new  calculation field on the layout you want the barcode to appear.
5. Type Barcode_CreateCode(”Code 39″, barcodedatafield,100,15,0,1) (You change the code type to the one you want where it says Code 39.)
6. Set the font for the field to Barcode and the size to 10pt and the line spacing to 10 pixels.

Thats it, you now have a printable barcode which will scan on a barcode scanner.

If you need to make Datamatrix or PDF 417 barcodes in filemaker take a look here.

There are many ways to make UPC12 and other barcodes available in the market place. Some products are more accurate than others (accuracy is important with barcodes), some are easier to use, some are expensive, some are low cost.

So what do you choose?

You need a barcode production application that is:

1. Accurate
2. Easy To Use
3. Cost Effective

There is a product on the market that fulfills these criteria Peninsula Barcode is available in various versions (all of which make the same quality of barcodes), but with various price points and functionality, starting with a version that only makes UPC12 barcodes for under $60.

Making a barcode is easy.

To create a barcode graphic for importing into another application such as Illustrator do this:

1. Select the barcode type from the main menu at the top of the barcode window “UPC A/UPC 12″. (Where EAN 13 is shown to the left.)

2. Enter the barcode number in the “Main Code” box on the window. (If you are entering a barcode type with a check digit you will not be able to enter the last digit)

3. Select “Mac Illustrator 5 eps” or “PC Illustrator eps” depending on your computer platform (Ill 5 eps) from the pull down menu underneath the Add On Box to choose your export file type.

4. Adjust the width and height to your needs.

All the other options are avaiable by clicking on the tabs at the bottom of the window. (ie to remove the > at the end of the code click X then margins)

5. Click the “OK” button and an image of the code will appear as shown to the left.

6. Click the image of the code or the “Export Code” button to save an .eps file of the code. That’s it. All done.

You can then use the UPC code to place in your artwork for use on packaging, labels etc.

The code you have made is a professional quality, highly accurate code to the official specifications for the code type as specified by GS1.

So How Accurate Is The Code Produced?

Peninsula produced barcodes are very accurate, the accuracy of each line is to 100th of a micron (this is 100th of 1 millionth of a millimetre).

Each code is checked internally by the software as it is produced and all UPC12 codes have an internally generated check digit to make sure the code is correctly encoded.

You can also adjust the barwidth in microns to allow for ink spread when printing but most processes are accurate enough these days to not need BWR (Bar Width Reduction).

What Else Can I Do?

You have complete control over the visual appearance of the barcode you have made, you can change colour, change the size, change the file format, even choose whether background is transparent, its up to you, all the tools are there. But if you just want a standard barcode you already have it.

This article is a short introduction to creating barcodes with Peninsula Barcode, for more details please go to Peninsula’s website.