One of the many fun things about running a barcode test lab is seeing the wide range of sorts and conditions of barcodes. Some are just badly printed. Others show some creative genius. All of them are interesting (in our humble opinion).

As we stand at the edge of the Black Friday cliff, consider this: if you do not particularly like shopping, as I do not, barcodes can provide you with a unique opportunity to avoid shopping. When I visit a retail establishment, I immediately begin looking for interesting barcodes. I do not browse for things to purchase; I do not pay attention to what my wife or kids are looking at or looking for. I look for bad or otherwise interesting barcodes. They no longer invite me to go with them. Everyone is happy including me.

We host a website of interesting barcodes. We invite and encourage you to contribute your own interesting barcode images. We refer to these as “wild” barcodes; the website is www.barcodesgonewild.com.

Here are a few wild barcodes we have encountered recently–see if you can find and submit some of your own.

 

Low contrast only begins to describe this Data Matrix code, printed (badly) on a heavily textured substrate.

Contrast suffers again on this putrid green QR Code.

 

 

A playful design always makes the otherwise mundane UPC more interesting. Travelocity had the right idea and came so close to getting it right–but got carried away and then completely destroyed the usefulness of the symbol by violating both quiet zones.

Bigelow, on the other hand, always delivers with great design and careful attention to preserving the barcode’s intended utility–a full pass through a full height UPC.

 

 

 

 

 

We are very grateful for the many opportunities we have had to serve in this fascinating industry with people like you. It has been our great privilege to be able to help, solve and prevent problems with barcodes and earn the trust of so many people in a wide variety of businesses. My deepest thanks to each and every one of you.

 

John Nachtrieb

Barcode Test LLC

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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