When to verify–the question seems to imply that there are times not to verify, and that is not what I’m suggesting. It is always better to verify than never to, but there are better times and worse times to do it. I know this from personal observation.

It is an amazing thing to be invited to a major retailer or their contract printer who has not been verifying the barcodes on their consumer packaging. But it is even more amazing to find that many major retailers are not requiring their contract package printers to verify.

When to verify–any time is better than never

The best time to verify is, of course, before the barcode enters the retail channel. It is better to detect a batch of bad barcodes and reprint them or over-sticker them before they get out and wreak all the havoc they will inevitably on inventories and point-of-sale meltdown and unhappy consumers. But there is an optimum time to verify.

When to verify a barcode is when something can be done about improving its performance if, for some reason, it isn’t performing as it should. And that time is the moment of conception, if you will, when the ink is going onto the package.

I can almost hear you readers, “Well duh!” but  this is not so obvious to a lot of otherwise very smart people in very large consumer product companies. Maybe its human nature; maybe verification seems like a small detail in comparison to all the much more earth-shaking issues and concerns they face; maybe its complacency. The most often-heard rationale is, “We’ve never had a problem.”

When to verify?  Here’s a better way to think of it and say it to your contract printer.

When to verify? When it can make a difference

“You print our barcodes and it’s important to us–and to you–that they perform as they should. We are holding you responsible for them—do you understand?

Here is what you must do to test them. Buy a verifier that is ISO/ANSI compliant. Buy as many of them as you need to test every barcode you print. Make sure you go to a vendor who will train you on how to use it.

Then use it—and be prepared to prove to us that you did. Do you have any questions?”

When to verify–when there is a risk to be managed

They may not like it, but they love to cash your check and they want to continue doing so. You’re not being a bad guy, you are just being clear about what you expect from them in return for your loyalty. You are managing risk and protecting not only your business but your vendor’s business too.