ISO conformance is not something everybody holds in high regard in barcode quality—and elsewhere. I find this to be mystifying, but at the same time, I’ve heard this opinion expressed numerous times.

This I know: if one of my customers was unhappy with a barcode I had made, I’d want an ISO conforming verifier to test it. It stands to reason: if someone is questioning my measurements, I’d be sure to use a benchmarked ruler.

ISO conformance is a legitimate problem with barcode verifier for the very simple reason that manufacturers of ISO conformal devices insist the devices be returned to the factory for testing and re-certification. That means expensive packaging, insuring and shipping of a delicate and expensive instrument—not to mention being without that mission-critical instrument for what could be weeks.

Resellers are quick to recommend that you buy back-up unit(s) for exactly this reason but at $3K to upwards of $10K or more for a single verifier, that’s an option more interesting to the reseller than to the end user.

ISO conformance recertification of an Axicon verifier —whether linear or 2D—doesn’t share this problem with its competitors. Axicon’s Performance Quality Test Kit for linear and 2D verifiers gives the user all the tools necessary to field-check the performance of their verifier. When the verifier passes all the tests, the user can re-certify it themselves.

ISO conformance recertification: do it yourself

Does this violate the ISO requirement for independent, third-party testing? Don’t forget, the entire ISO certification program for barcodes is and always been a voluntary certification initiative, never a requirement. This alone makes the objections to the ISO program rather meaningless.

ISO conformance with the Axicon Performance Qualification Test Kit (PQTK) is a simple step-by-step procedure, guided by the included protocol document. Re-certification of a model 6015 verifier, for example, should take a first-time user about an hour. After that, perhaps 45 minutes.

Of course a user could already be doing this with a GS1 Certified Conformance Test Card for whatever symbology they wish to test—UPC/EAN for example; as long as they know the manufacturer’s specifications and tolerance for verifier performance on the various test parameters—modulation, symbol contrast and decodability, for example.

ISO conformance recert with Axicon is better than GS1 recertification

But the beauty of the PQTK isn’t just the time and money saved: the PQTK does a better job of testing the verifier than the GS1 Certified Calibrated Conformance Test Card or CCSTC, which, for UPC, only tests the verifier’s performance in a small area in the center of the scan range.  

Users who verify UPC symbols often test symbols of various sizes, including larger magnifications that utilize a wider scan path than that of the test symbol on the CCSTC. What good is a re-certification based on a 100% CCSTC symbol if the actual, real-world symbol is a 150%?

Axicon’s Performance Qualification Test Kit tests and re-certifies the entire width of the verifier’s scan window. This is a vastly superior method of re-certifying and gives the user the assurance that the verifier is ISO compliant to test whatever the user needs to verify.

ISO conformance recertification–better, faster, cheaper with Axicon

Need to be ISO compliant in your barcode quality program? Axicon gives you all the benefits with none of the trade-offs.

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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