Blogs

Welcome to John Nachtrieb’s barcode blogs. John has been working in the barcoding industry since 1979 and has recently begun to write about all the different aspects of barcoding for this blog page including printing, the industries that use barcodes, the science between the lines, verification, do’s and donts, testing and many more. Please feel free to leave a comment or a question if you have one. 

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  • Verifier Validation

Barcode Quality: Let’s Get Real

Barcodes Prevent Errors in Healthcare

The Fascinating History of the QR Code

How (Not to) Test a Barcode

Barcode Breakthrough!

Barcodes: A New Chapter

Inkjet Printing of Barcodes

Print Gain Problems

The Key to DPM Barcode Verification

Barcodes and the Circular Economy

Barcodes and Sustainability

Barcode Verification: Is it Worth Doing?

Decodability—A Deeper Dive

Happy 50th Birthday, Barcode

Barcodes, the Bedrock of Traceability

Sustainability and Barcodes

Making the Leap into Barcode Verification

Barcodes: Beyond the Supply Chain

When to Replace a Barcode Verifier

2D Barcode Not Scanning—Why?

Dead Barcode

Five Common Reasons for Not Having a Barcode Verifier

The Root Cause of Most Barcode Problems

The Many Advantages of Using a Barcode Testing Service

Quality in Challenging Times

Barcode Verifier Calibration: Why is it Important?

Visually Identifying Barcode Types–Why It’s Important

Decodability and 2D Barcode Symbols

The Most Important Time to Verify Barcodes

The Importance of Barcode Quality

Barcode Quality: It’s Important

Barcode Quality: Why is it Important?

CAPA Considerations Part 4: Prevention

CAPA CONSIDERATIONS PART 3: MATRIX BARCODE CORRECTIONS

CAPA CONSIDERATIONS PART 2: Linear Barcodes

CAPA Considerations with Barcode Quality: Part 1

Inline or Offline Barcode Verification? A Third Choice.

Barcode Quality Q & A

The Many Advantages of Using a Barcode Testing Service

DPM Barcodes

Is a Barcode Testing Service Right for You?

The End of Barcodes

Case History: Inconsistent Verifier Grade

DPM Barcodes

Optimize Your Barcode Verifier for Best Results

Barcode Quality: FAQ’s and Fails

UDI Barcode Verification

Barcode Verifier Alternative

Why Verify Barcodes?

Brave New World

Retail Migration to 2D Barcodes

Barcode Verifiers: Inline or Desktop?

How to Test a Barcode

Obvious Barcode Mistakes

Seven Steps to Barcode Quality and Compliance

Why, When and How to Verify Barcodes

Barcode Mysteries Challenge: Bad and Worse

Barcode Verifier Discrepancies

Identifying Barcode Types Visually

Compliance is Not Quality

The FDA Rule and UDI Compliance

What is Wrong with my Barcode?

Barcode Testing Service

Verify and Validate Barcodes

PHARMA-CODE FAQ’s

PHARMA-CODE Printing

Introduction to Laetus PHARMA-CODE

How do barcodes work?

Verify a Bad Barcode in under 90 seconds Without a Verifier

Back to Basics

Better than a Barcode Verifier?

Decodability Explained

Moving Target

Barcode Scanner vs Verifier: Cost vs Value

Barcode Quality Training—Why?

The Long History of the Barcode

Three Ways to Ensure UDI Compliance

Supply Chain Integrity

How Important is Barcode Quality?

Bar Code Match in Packaging

Verifier Conformance Service

Five QR Code Myths Dispelled

Barcode Names: What Do They Mean?

Where Did Barcode Technology Come From?

Dr. David Allais, Barcode Inventor and Pioneer

What Are Barcodes and Why Do They Exist?

The Ultimate Symbology

The Present and Future of Barcodes

How do you know your barcode will work?

In Memory of Paul Bergé

Barcode Verifier Types

Will Online Shopping Kill Barcodes?

Five Simple Steps to Barcode Reliability

Barcode Verifiers and Enterprise Risk Management

Why Barcodes Survive

Barcode Match: Another Form of Barcode Quality

Barcode Quality as Risk Management

Barcodes: The History, Present and Future

Barcode Match Part 2: Kitting and Fultillment

GTIN Management for Medical Devices

UDI Barcode Challenges: Difficult Substrates

3D Barcodes?

Why is Barcode Verification Important?

How to Verify a Barcode

The Next Big Barcode Problem

Barcode Quality: Medical Devices

How to Buy the Right 1D/2D Verifier

Barcode Verification is Obsolete

GTIN Management: Mergers and Acquisitions

QR Code Update

Self-Inflicted Barcode Damage: The Lasting Repercussions of Bad Decisions

George Laurer, Inventor of the UPC has died at 94

GTIN Management in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals

No Barcode Verifier? What to do Instead

Mythbusting: Technology is Obsoleting Barcode Verification

The Business Risk of Poor Barcode Quality

The History of Barcode Verification

When a Verified Barcode Fails to Scan–What To Do

Portable1D Barcode Verifier Solution

Inline Barcode Verifier Systems: Validating Test Results

Order Fulfillment: A System or a Tool?

2D Barcode Verifier Confusion

Decodability: How to Improve Barcode Quality

Standards: Are They Important and Why?

When Your Barcodes Do Not Scan: A Checklist

Why Barcode Test?

Barcode Match–the Third Aspect of Barcode Quality

When is Barcode Verification Overkill?

Use the Verification Report to Improve Barcode Quality

Ignore your Barcode Verifier?

What Do You Really Want in a Barcode Verifier?

Five Steps to Optimize Your Barcodes

Little Compromises Bring Big Problems in Barcode Quality

How to Diagnose a Dead Barcode

Barcode Quality: To What End?

Coupon Barcodes

Using the Verification Report to Improve 2D Barcode Quality

Pack Expo 2019: Barcode Quality Evolution

Product Review: Axicon Android Verifier

Barcode Verifier Software Updates

Bar Width Reduction

QR Code Basics

Barcode Quality Shortcuts to Avoid

Understanding Decodability in 1D Barcodes

Barcode Evolution: What is Next?

Different Barcode Types: Why?

Barcode Quality Use Cases

Ambiguity, the Enemy of Barcode Quality

Barcode Quality: The Cost and Risk of Compromises

Ten Questions for Finding the Right Barcode Verifier

The Bermuda Triangle of Barcode Problems

The ROI of Barcode Verification

Your Barcode Does not Scan: Now what?

Total Cost of Ownership of a Barcode Verifier: A Use Case

Worst Outcomes from Best Practices

The Future of Barcodes

Pharmacode

1D Barcode Verification: The Scan Reflectance Profile

Barcode Compliance: What, How and Why

The Future of Barcode Quality

Epitaph for Barcodes

Calibrating Inline Barcode Verifier Systems

More Fun with Barcodes

1D or 2D Barcodes? Which is Better?

Barcode Killers

Ten Steps to Buying the Right Barcode Verifier

Inconsistent Barcode Verifier

What is Barcode Quality?

Scan Reflectance Profile: Diagnosing Barcode Problems

Barcode Scanning Fundamentals

Barcode Troubleshooting

Barcode Does not Scan—What Could Be Worse?

Barcode Verification is Risk Management—and So Much More

How to Optimize a 2D Barcode for Best Performance

How to Optimize a 1D Barcode for Best Performance

Barcode Basics: Why are Barcode Standards Important?

Situation Awareness

How Are Barcode Standards Developed?

Barcode Testing Service: Making Promises

Barcodes and Laminates: A Challenging Relationship

Commitment Time: How to Buy a Barcode Verifier

Barcode Statistics

Why is Barcode Quality Important to Civilization?

Twenty Essential Things to Know for Companies Using Barcodes

Common UDI Barcode Mistakes

Jeff the Barcode Quality Guy: The Awakening

Lamination: The Stealthy Barcode Nemesis

The Brilliant, Unconventional Axicon S Range

UDI Barcode Verification: Common Problems

Test Your Barcode Knowledge

Barcode Verification: Understanding the Report

More Fun with Wild and Crazy Barcodes

How Does the ISO Grade Relate to Barcode Scanning ?

Barcode Quality Procedures: The Map to Barcode Risk Management

Barcode Verifier Validation: Part 2

Decoding the ISO 15415 Verification Report: Fixed Pattern Damage

Decoding the ISO 15415 Verification Report: Modulation

Decoding the ISO 15415 Verification Report

Upstream Barcodes: Before the Supply Chain

Barcode Verifier Validation

Is it Really Necessary to Verify Barcodes?

Dealing with Barcode Problems: Best Practices

Common Misconceptions about Barcode Problems

The Key Causes of Barcode Failure

Wrongful Cancer Diagnosis Exposes Medical Records System Failure

Jeff: The Early Days

Christmas Wishes

Barcode Quality: Basics over Buzzwords

Why Barcode Verification is More Important than Ever

Barcode Fun

Non-Scanning Barcodes: Chapter 2

What You Don’t Get with Inline Barcode Verifiers

Barcode Verifier ROI

Chargeback Pushback

Inline Barcode Verification: More is (Not) Better

When to Ignore your Barcode Verifier

Getting Real about Inline Barcode Verification

Are Vision Systems Obsoleting Barcode Verification?

10 Barcode Match Scenarios

DPM Barcode Verification Basics

Predicting Scanning Success from Symbol Grade

Building Your Online Business: The Packaging Challenge and Opportunity

The Real Cost of Shipping Errors

Why Use a Barcode Test Lab?

The Truth About Inline Barcode Verification

Barcode Does not Scan—What Could Be Worse?

DPM Barcode Fundamentals

Two Barcode Match Case Histories: Validating Ingredients

Five Barcode Match Use Cases

How to Structure a UDI Barcode

An Overview of 2D Barcode Technology

Cash Register Christmas Song

ISO COMMITTEE RELEASES BARCODE VERIFIER GRADING UPDATE

The Expanding Importance of Barcode Verification

Barcode Match: A DSCSA Aggregation / Inference Verifier

Passing Barcode Fails to Scan—Why?

Alert: Update Barcode Verifier Software Now

1D Barcode Verifier Aperture Settings

The Cost of Barcode Verifying—and Not

Shrink Sleeve Barcodes: A Verification Challenge

Inline vs Offline Barcode Verification: Which is Better?

https://barcode-test.com/dotcode-real-solution-real-problem/

Barcode Match℗ Outperforms in Picking and Packaging Operations

Mythbusting: Online Shopping is Making Barcode Quality Obsolete

DotCode: A Real Solution to a Real Problem

Inline Barcode Verification: Pros and Cons

Barcode Verification: The Controversy

Smart New Barcode-Match App

The Future Cost of Little Compromises in Barcode Quality

Recent Updates to ISO 15416 for Linear Barcodes

What Printers Need to Know about Barcode Quality

Inconsistent Barcode Verifier Readings

A Real Solution to a Real Problem

Isn’t Barcode Verification Obsolete? A Case History

Barcode Scanner vs barcode verifier

DPM Barcode Basics: Cell Modulation

DPM Barcode Verification

2D Symbol Verification

Your Barcode Doesn’t Scan: Why?

UDI Barcode Verification: Most Common Problems

DPM Verification of Barcodes

Verifying PDF and JPG Barcode Files

Barcode Data Structure

Using a Barcode Test Lab

Barcode 401: How do Barcodes Work?

Don’t Overlook Barcode Quality Basics

The Single Most Important Barcode Verification Tool

Using the Verification Report to Improve 2D Barcode Quality

UDI Barcode Structure

Using the Verification Report to Improve Barcode Quality

What is Pharmacode?

Code Match: A Case Study

How do I get started in barcoding?

How important is Drug Labeling in Health Care Delivery?

Do I Need a 1D or a 2D Barcode Verifier?

The Benefits of In-Line Verification

Six Ways to Optimize Barcode Quality and Reduce Risk

Verifying Barcodes on Corrugated

The Future of Barcoding: A Retail Perspective

Barcode Types: More than Meets the Eye

Laminate and Barcode Quality

ISO Compliant Barcode Verifier

Prepress Barcode Verification

The Barcode Quality Partnership

Will Aggressive Scanners Eliminate Barcode Verification?

Verifying the Barcode Verifier

Understanding Modulation in the Barcode Verification Report

Barcode Verifiers and Radar Detectors

Barcode Validation—the Newest Barcode Quality Attribute

Changes in Barcode Verification

The Unhelpful Vendor

Barcode Quality is Risk Management

UDI and Barcode Verification

My Barcode Does Not Scan–Why?

Why are there Different Kinds of Barcodes?

Why Do Barcodes Misread?

How Do Barcode Scanners Work?

Barcode 201: How do Barcodes Work?

A Barcode Scanner Christmas Carole

Ten Most Common Thermal Printing Barcode Problems and How to Prevent Them

Scan Rate as a Basis for Barcode Verification

Inline Verifiers–Necessary or Overkill?

Inconsistent Verifier Results: Defects

Barcode Verification: Protect Important Partnerships

How to Create a Stress Free Barcode Quality Audit

Printing Barcodes on Difficult Surfaces

2014 Automatic Identification Teacher’s Institute

The Perfect Universal Verifier

Barcode Quality Procedures Manual: Ten Essential Steps

Selecting the Right 2D Verifier: Three Critical Questions

Happy Birthday—You’re Fired: Printed Electronics Eliminates Barcodes

How Does Barcode Verifier Grade Relate to Scanning?

Barcode Quality and Drug Safety

Verifying 2D symbols: A Brief History

Anatomy of the Perfect Barcode

The Barcode Industry—Gone but Not Forgotten

Barcode Quality Redefined: Get Ready for Risk Management

Barcode Verifier Total Cost of Ownership

Why a Barcode Scanner is not a Barcode Verifier

How to Read a Verification Report for a 1D Barcode

Three Ways to Assure Barcode Quality

The Five Most Important Factors in QR Code Quality

Barcode Quality and Black Friday

Barcode Quality: A Problem and an Opportunity

The Worst Barcode in the World: A Launch and a Search

1D Barcodes and 2D Symbols: How are they the same—and different?

Validating Barcode Data Content

The Ten Worst Barcodes in the World

Barcode Quality Redefined: Part 2

Big Changes in Barcode Scanning Technology: New VDC Research Report

Barcode Quality Redefined

Barcodes and Package Quality

Eight Simple Barcode Mistakes

The Expanding Use of Barcodes

Ten Powerful Reasons Barcode Verifiers Make Financial Sense

Five Important Questions for Printers When Barcode Problems Occur

Why is Barcode Quality Important?

Barcode Font Problems

The Seven Most Common Reasons That Barcodes Fail

Printing Barcodes on Metal

Barcode Quality Policy

Barcode Scanner Differences

How to Check Barcode Quality

On the Demise of Barcoding

Barcode Verification – The Business Case

Verifying Compliance Labels

Barcode Verifiers – What They Don’t Do

Barcode Verifiers – The Business Case

Continuous Scanning Barcode Verifiers – Why They are Better

The Best Entry-Level Bar Code Verifier

Designer QR Codes—Good Idea or Not?

New Verifier for IMB (Intelligent Mail Barcode)

Five Reasons Bar Codes Are Here to Stay

Bar Code Quality: Walmart Raises the Ante and Makes it Impossible

Bar Code Verifier Discrepancies: What Do They Mean?

Barcode News

The Dangers of an Old Verifier

Barcode Testing: What to look for in a Test Lab

Bar Code Quality Mythbusting: Part 2

Barcode Testers: What to Look For

Bar Codes on Corrugated

Scan Reflectance Profile

Test Barcode – Verifying the Verifier

Test Bar Codes: How to Do It

Bar Code Tester: Finding the Right One for You

Bar Code Quality More Important Than Ever

Verify the Whole Printing Process

Nine Important Reasons to use a Bar Code Testing Service

Why is ISO Compliance Important in Bar Code Verifiers?

Bar Code Verifiers: Five Most Important Things to Consider

Bar Code Quality: Your Turn to Speak

Bar Code Testing: Why it is important

How Do You Test a Bar Code?

Honeywell QuickCheck Verifiers: One Year Later

Bar Width Reduction

Finding the Right Bar Code Verifier

High Performance Bar Code–What is It?

Barcode Quality in the Healthcare Industry

Barcode Quality: Who is Responsible for It?

2012 AIDC Technical Institute at Ohio University

The Most Common Cause of Barcode Failure

Ten Things to Ask When Buying a Barcode Verifier

Barcode Quality More Important Than Ever

Get Our Free EBook

Chicago TAPPI

A Glimpse into the AIDC Future: WSN

Code Match

The ISO Barcode Quality Specification: Bending the Rules

Case History: Shipping Container Barcoding

Bar Width Reduction Part II

Barcode Seminar: The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do To Avoid Barcode Disaster

The End of Barcodes: Toshiba’s New Scanner

Barcode Quality in Prepress

Barcode Colors – What Works and What Doesn’t?

Understanding Decodability

Bearer Bars on ITF14 Symbols – Why Should You Always Use Them?

Verifier Grade: How does it relate to scanning?

After the Quick Check What’s Next?

Barcodes on Corrugated: The Perfect Verifier

Perfect Order: A GS1 Healthcare Milestone

QR and Datamatrix: Implications for Quality

QR Code Competition

QR Code Failure: Ten Reasons Your QR Code Fails–and how you can avoid it

QR Code Quality

Direct Printing of Barcodes on Corrugated: Challenges

Barcodes on Corrugated: A deeper Look

QR Code – What’s the Point?

QR Code Overview

Direct Printing of Barcodes on Corrugated: Part 1

Barcode Quality – Are Verifiers Worth the Cost?

Axicon 6525-S

Corrective Action: Three Most Important Things you can do

ISO compliance: Corrective and Preventive Action in Barcode Quality

Barcode Quality Part II

Barcode Quality – Why it’s more important than ever

Barcode Error Tolerance

Axicon Visit Recap

ISO Conformance Recertification of Barcode Verifiers

Axicon Visit: Linear Verifiers

Axicon Visit

Axicon Group

Prepress verification of barcodes: connecting the dots

Bar Width Reduction

RJS Leaves Printronix: Barcode Industry News

TruCheck Omni New Product Review

The Webscan TruCheck™ Omni: New Product Review

When to Verify

Verifier Shortcomings: Things your verifier doesn’t do

Barcode Quality Now More Than Ever

Verifier Silence

Barcode Quality – The Business Case for Verification

Axicon V12000 2D Verifier

Bowe Bell & Howell MVP Postal Verifier

Axicon 6015

Verification and Validation

Barcode Quality: What’s the Problem?

BarcodeTest Labs: When to Use One

Modulation and Decodability

Edges: Bar and Space Transitions

Minimum Reflectance and Symbol Contrast

ANSI Specification for Linear Barcode Quality

Traditional Verification: Why is there an ANSI Specification for Barcode Quality?

Barcode Verifier Series: Most Important Question

ANSI Barcode Verification: What’s Missing?

Honeywell Verifier Retirement: What Does It Mean?

Quick Check Verifier: Godspeed, Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust.

PV-1070 Portable Barcode Verifier

PV-1065 Portable Barcode Verifier

PV-1060 Portable Barcode Verifier

PV1000

Axicon V7015

Webscan OMNI Universal Verifier

Axicon V6515

Axicon V6015

Eleven Pieces of Free Advice for Anybody Using Barcodes

Crash and Burn: Barcode Disasters in the Supply Chain

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