This page contains several short bar coding stories that you can cut and paste into your Web site or use in newsletters or other printed pieces. A horizontal line separates each story.

See also Variable Imaging.

Preprinted Bar Code Labels
Preprinted bar code labels make sense for a variety of applications, including those where labels are subjected to direct sunlight and abrasives, or for applications that require lengthy scanning distances. Ask your sales rep about preprinted bar code labels for the following applications:

• Asset tracking systems
• Carton ID
• Library cards
• Pallet ID
• Quality control applications
• Records management systems
• Time and attendance tracking
• Video rental applications
• Warehouse applications (rack/bin locations)

Bar Coding 101
You can't go to a retailer today without seeing a bar code—those patterns of dark bars and white spaces—on products. But have you ever thought about using bar codes in your business? A bar coding system might work well for you if:

• You enter the same information into your computer system multiple times per day.
• Accuracy is paramount, especially if your customers demand accuracy or your business is regulated by the government.
• Time is of the essence—you never seem to be able to process information quickly enough.
• Up-to-date information about such things as inventory levels could help you make better management decisions.
• Tracking is required. For example, hospitals use bar coded labels on equipment and furniture to track their location. Manufacturers use bar coded labels, tags and tickets to track work in process.

Call us today to find out how a bar coded system can enhance your business by improving accuracy and increasing efficiencies.

Want Efficiency? Raise the Bar (Code)!

THE SITUATION: A large art supply distributor shipped products to retail stores nationwide. When the company received items from its manufacturer, warehouse personnel had to open cartons and manually record their contents. When products needed to be shipped to the company's retail stores, warehouse personnel generated picking sheets that listed as many as 150 items for each order. Employees then picked the products off shelves and recorded the quantity of each item. That information was brought back to an employee, who entered the data into a computer. After the information was keyed in, the computer generated a bill of lading.

THE PROBLEM: This is the 21st century—that’s way too much daily labor required to receive and ship items.

THE SOLUTION: A bar code system that automated data entry for the company's shipping and receiving processes. The new program allows warehouse personnel to scan receivables with hand-held radio frequency terminals and to print identification labels for large cartons containing the same items. The company's mainframe compares the scanned items to an itemized list of products expected to arrive. The program also generates lists of orders to be shipped to retail stores. Warehouse personnel fulfill orders by scanning bar codes on the outside of cartons, scanning products inside the cartons and entering the quantity of each product pulled. After each product is picked, the system directs employees to the closest shelf containing other items on the list. Each scan is validated or rejected in real time, immediately alerting employees if the wrong item has been picked. After an entire order is picked, the bar code program generates an invoice based on the scanned data.

WHERE BAR CODES CAN WORK: Shipping labels, industrial tags, laboratory samples, retail labels, admission forms, employee ID badges, gift certificates, luggage sorting labels, guest checks, video rental cards.