The ANSI specification for the quality—and therefore the performance—of linear barcodes tests and grades 9 parameters. Whether or not you believe that ISO or ANSI are legitimate and meaningful as a quality benchmark, the ANSI specification is the basis for defining barcode acceptability.

The ANSI specification for the quality of linear barcodes tests and grades 9 parameters

Barcode verifiers test and each of the nine parameters and aggregate the findings into a final symbol grade. Most companies and industries define acceptability to a symbol grade of C grade or better; a notable exception is the corrugated industry where the lowest acceptable grade is a D because of the relatively low contrast of bare kraft.

The symbol grade and the nine parameters do not directly relate to variables in the printing process. It can be difficult to figure out what to do to improve print quality, working from the verification report. But since symbol quality always begins with the verification report, that’s where this tutorial will also begin.

Over the next four days, I’ll dig into two or more of the ANSI parameters and explain each in depth. I’ll do my best to tell you in plain English what each parameter means and how it is measured.

At the end of the week you should have a clear understanding of the entire ANSI specification for linear barcodes. What you will not have at the end of the week is a clear understanding of how all this relates to improving the quality of your printed barcodes. That will come in a subsequent connect-the-dots blog series that will follow.

The ANSI specification is the basis for defining barcode performance

If I thought I could skip the this and jump right into improving print quality, I’d do it. But all verifiers—even those that are not ANSI/ISO compliant, use ANSI and the nine parameters to test and aggregate the final symbol grade. So it’s important to have a working knowledge of the ANSI parameters as a basis for making intelligent decisions about improving the quality of the printed barcode.

All verifiers—even those that are not ANSI/ISO compliant, use the ANSI specification to grade barcodes

As you will see, this is not rocket science. If you’re smart enough to operate a printing device, whether it be a sheet fed, a web press, or even just a Zebra printer, you are plenty smart enough to understand this stuff.

Stay tuned—this is going to be interesting. And as usual, please feel free to make constructively critical comments or suggestions to improve everybody’s learning experience.

John Nachtrieb

John helps companies resolve current barcode problems and avoid future barcode problems to stabilize and secure their supply chain and strengthen their trading partner relationships.