Got a bad barcode? Here’s what to do.

First, take a deep breath. You are not in this alone. At ANY step in this process—including right now, you can call us. We can talk you through some simple steps to figure out what’s wrong. And what to do about it. My direct line is 630-235-6077

Verifier or Not

ASIDE: It would help you and us if you had a verifier, but if you don’t, we can still help. You should think about getting one. From us would be nice but that’s your decision. If you have a trusted vendor, we can help you select the right verifier. Don’t buy just for price. No price is low enough to justify a bad decision. And don’t overspend. Too much is just more, usually not better.

Barcode Not Scanning

Background show-through violates the quiet zone

Here’s what to look for:

  • Quiet zone violation. Linear barcodes (parallel lines and spaces) must have a space before the first bar and after the last bar. The size depends on the type and size of the barcode, but ¼” is a good average unless your barcode is a huge GTIN14 on corrugated. If anything is intruding on the quiet zones, there’s your culprit.

The intrusion could be graphics, a color change, a label or box edge. A violated quiet zone will kill an otherwise perfect barcode.  Confirm that a quiet zone violation is the problem by carefully positioning a white card in a suspected quiet zone. If the barcode then scans properly, voila!

2D barcodes like QR Code have a quiet zone on all four sides. Same problem and causes as above.

  • Color violation. Is the barcode printed in a red or reddish color? The scanner’s red laser-emulating light source will see a red barcode as white. A red barcode on a white background is invisible to the scanner. Likewise a green color looks black to a scanner, so a black barcode on a green background will also be invisible to a scanner.

Barcode Scanning Poorly

  • Excessive Gain. Gain is a common printing problem. Pigment, whether ink, inkjet or thermal transfer tends to spread into the substrate. Knowing this, the print method can be adjusted to control it. Inspect the barcode—linear barcodes will have lines and spaces that are narrow. The width of a narrow space (or dot in a QR Code) should be equal to the width of a narrow bar (or dot). If they are not, there is a gain problem. Adjust the print process to reduce the gain.

There are other problems that could cause a barcode to fail, but these are the most common. We can help you quickly sort it out, in 2 quick and easy steps:

  • Send us a screenshot or PDF of the barcode. We might not be able to scan it with a verifier, but we can add our professional opinion and tell you what to do first.
  • Call us. We can usually get it resolved in 15 minutes or less—for free. If it takes longer, our charges are reasonable. Either way, the stress melts away. What’s that worth?

Questions? Contact us here.

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3db Barcode Testimonial

Our company (an advanced software company) recently worked with Barcode Test to source a barcode verifier.  Not long ago, we were awarded a contract requiring products to be marked with IUIDs in accordance with MIL-STD-130.  For that standard, marking labels must pass a verification test that evaluates many variables (contrast, size, clarity, syntax, modularity, and more).  After a thorough search, we reduced our options to a select few.

In our search for a verifier, the Axicon line caught our attention.  Barcode Test is our regional reseller for this product.   From the beginning, they were very prompt with their responses.  We ended up having a quick call with John Nachtrieb to go over our needs.  John was extremely easy to work with and provided a lot of great information.  He was very knowledgeable on the matter and was quick to offer up a demo unit (free of charge).

Upon receiving the demo verifier and testing it, a few questions arose.  John joined a call with us and answered all our questions.  Ultimately, the Axicon verifier wasn’t the best fit for us, so we shipped the demo back.  John was completely understanding.  A few weeks later, Barcode Test reached back out with another possible verifier for us to try.  While they didn’t sell that brand, they just wanted to help us find the best option that met our needs. They even offered to send us the unit that they have in-house to see if it worked to our liking. 

Barcode Test is truly a great company to work with.  Their service and willingness to help the customer are far beyond what you typically get from other companies.  They are experts in barcode quality assurance and seem willing to help in any way they can (even if that means not getting a sale and recommending another option that better fits the customer’s needs).  If anyone is in the market for barcode verification/scanning services or products, I would highly recommend giving Barcode Test a call.

Regards,

Production Manager