You have a verifier and so does your customer, but the two don’t agree. What to do?

Different verifiers will produce varying results. This is not uncommon. Expect slight discrepancies. Major discrepancies should not occur. When they do, which verifier do you believe?

But first, where is the line between a slight discrepancy and a major one? It’s difficult to provide a simple answer regarding a specific ISO parameter, but the final symbol grades should be the same. Deviations of one grade level, where one verifier reports an ANSI B grade and another reports an ANSI C grade, can be acceptable if the B is a low B and the C is a high C. Here is where ISO fractional numerical grading is helpful. A B versus C grade discrepancy sounds bad, but if the ANSI B is ISO 3.0 and the D grade is ISO 2.9, that is reasonable. What’s acceptable? I’ll go out on a limb and say that a .5 or more ISO discrepancy is unreasonable on any parameter or final symbol grade. A two-grade discrepancy, like C versus F, is unacceptable.

Which verifier do you believe?

Bovine Detritus

Don’t default to the one with the better grade! Choosing the better grade is not risk management—there’s another word for it that involves farm animal excrement. Here’s how to sort which verifier is telling the truth:

With each verifier, scan a reference standard barcode. This can be a retained barcode with a verification report, or a calibrated conformance standard test card from a certified metrology test target supplier. The verifier that detects and reports each parameter within tolerance wins.

 

Golden Barcode

If you don’t have access to a reference standard barcode, here are some other considerations for why verifiers might disagree:

  • When was each verifier last calibrated? Believe the one with the most recent certificate of ISO compliance.
  • Are both verifiers grading to the current ISO standard for the barcode type? 2D barcodes grade to ISO 15415. Linear barcodes grade to ISO 15416. Different versions of an ISO standard calculate parameter grades differently. Believe the verifier using the current version of the applicable ISO standard.
  • Do both verifiers eliminate ambient light influence? Believe the one that does.
  • Do both verifiers scan the barcode at a fixed angle and distance? Believe the one that does.
  • Are both verifiers relatively clean? Dust and dirt on the exterior can mean dust and dirt in the optical path. Beware! A cleaner verifier might not produce a higher grade, but could be the one to believe.

Finding Trust

These are some ideas for how to decide which verifier to trust, when two (or more) verifiers disagree. There are other circumstances when it’s tempting to get a “second opinion” when a verifier is failing a barcode, not a discrepancy between two verifiers. Almost every week we get a call from someone whose verifier is failing a barcode, but their scanner or smartphone reads the barcode without a problem. They are looking for absolution. They are finding something else–liability.

In these cases, always believe the verifier, always ignore the scanner or smartphone, and take immediate steps to validate the verifier’s performance:

  • Calibrate it
  • Scan a known barcode and compare the results to the saved report
  • Purchase a calibrated conformance standard test card and use it to periodically validate your verifier’s accuracy.

Contact us with questions or to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

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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