Softmatic BarcodeGenerator - Installation and Basic Usage

Introduction

Welcome to the Softmatic BarcodeGenerator V3 manual. Please spend a few minutes to read these pages so to make to most of this software.

Note: While the screenshots in this document show the Mac version of the software, all explanations also apply to the Windows version.

This BarcodeGenerator creates all common linear and 2D area barcodes. It is very easy to use and requires no more than a few clicks to create and export a standard compliant barcode. Export formats include the most common raster image formats (PNG, TIFF etc.) as well as EPS (Encapulated PostScript) for maximum quality and resolution independence.

Installation

If you launch BarcodeGenerator for the first time, it will start in trial mode. In this mode all barcodes are available but the output is restricted to low-resolution raster images. While the generated barcodes will scan, please do not use them in a production environement.

If you already have a license key, simply enter it in the panel that is shown when you launch BarcodeGenerator. The software will then be fully functional.

Your First Barcode

Let's create a simple barcode to get you started!

• Launch BarcodeGenerator.

• From the list of codes select "Code ISBN 13". Select the EAN Size SC6 (corresponding to 150% of the standard size) from the drop-down below (ISBN is an EAN variant so all EAN settings apply to ISBN codes as well).

• Enter an ISBN number into the Data to Encode field, e.g. "978-1-123-12345-8". Hit Enter. Add five digits into the Add On field, e.g. "90000". Hit Enter. Select a font from the drop down field in the Human Readable Text section.

The window should look like this:



• Select an output format. EPS, a common vector format, is preset. Barcodes saved as EPS are resolution independent, i.e. they will work equally well on low resolution printers as well as high resolution type setting machines. Most DTP applications will support this format so it is usually the best choice for most purposes.

Alternatively, select a raster image format from the list and specify the required output resolution. In most cases choosing 600 or 1200 dpi will be ok, higher resolutions are seldom useful. If you plan to put the barcode on a website or scan it from the screen, use 72 or 150 dpi. Note: EAN family codes require at least 300 dpi to comply with the standard.

Some printing processes cause ink to be soaked into the paper, causing so called ink spread. This can make the bars of the code stronger than intended. To compensate for this effect, you can enter a value for bar width reduction. The software will then generate bars that are slimmer by the given amount. For office printers (e.g. laser printers) a value between 5-10% will be ok. If the barcodes are to be printed in a regular print shop, ask your printer for a recommendation.

Finally, click Save... to write the barcode to a file.

 

Softmatic BarcodeGenerator - Symbology Reference

This section lists all supported barcode symbologies along with permitted / recommended values for barcode properties like size, data content etc.

Please note that not all available settings apply to all code symbologies. In particular, the following restrictions apply:

Checksum: EAN / UPC / Databar codes as well as 2D codes are always used with check digit or error correction, respectively. For Code 128 a checksum is not mandatory but strongly recommended as most barcode readers do expect a checksum with this symbology.

Module Height: Ignored for 2D symbologies; individual modules are either square (Datamatrix, QR) or have a fixed ratio of 3:1 (PDF417). Databar codes are always created with a fixed ratio of height to module width as defined by the standard.

Human Readable Text: As 2D barcodes can contain up to 2,000 characters showing human readable text is not useful and is generally disabled for that kind of codes.

For ISBN / EAN / UPC symbologies, the font size is determined from the selected SC size and can not be specified by the user. This is by design to guarantee that the text fits properly beneath the code as specified by the standard. If you need your a different font size (not recommended!) you must create the code without human readable text and add the text in 3rd party software (e.g. Illustrator).

Light Margin Indicator: EAN 13 / ISBN codes only. The indicator (sometimes also called a "chevron") is put to the right side of the code to indicate the quiet zone where no other elements are permitted.

Related to this (and available for all code symbologies) is the Bounding Box Marker option in the Output Settings section. Ticking this option will put short line segments in the four corners of the created barcode. The lines are 5mm long and 0.3mm wide and indicate a visual border around the code. This is to prevent other graphical content near the barcode.

 

Data to Encode

EAN 8: Enter 7 or 8 digits, Barcode Generator will always create a checksum, discarding the 8th digit if necessary.

EAN 13: Enter 12 or 13 digits, the Barcode Generator will always create a checksum, discarding the 13th digit if necessary. In addition a so called add-on barcode can be specified for EAN 13. To create an add-on, enter exactly two or five digits in the Add On field.

EAN 13 is the also correct choice for ISSN barcodes:

To create an ISSN barcode, enter the complete 12 digit number, e.g. "977123456700". For ISSNs an add-on can be specified, too.

UPC-A: Enter 11 or 12 digits, the Barcode Generator will always create a checksum, discarding the 12th digit if necessary.

UPC-E: Enter 7 or 8 digits, the Barcode Generator will always create a checksum, discarding the 8th digit if necessary. The number must start with a “0” or “1”.

ISBN-10: Enter 10 digits, e.g. 1-12345-123-X. The software will prepend 978 and calculate the proper checksum.

ISBN-13: Enter 13 digits, e.g. 978-1-12345-123-8. The software will in any case recalculate the proper checksum.

Code 128: Enter up to 40 characters, the full ASCII set is permitted. Encode non-printable characters (e.g. a TAB) by a tilde, followed by the three-digit ASCII code, e.g. “~009”.

Code 128 GS1: Enter up to 40 characters, the full ASCII set is permitted. Encode non-printable characters (e.g. a TAB) by a tilde, followed by the three-digit ASCII code, e.g. “~009”. Indicate field identifiers by parentheses, e.g. “(00)1234(10)123”. The software knows all standardized fixed and variable length identifiers and will append an FNC1 to variable fields as required.

Code 39: Enter up to 40 characters, the full ASCII set is permitted. Encode non-printable characters (e.g. a TAB) by a tilde, followed by the three-digit ASCII code, e.g. “~009”. The software will automatically switch to Extended Code 39 if it encounters characters that require that encoding, e.g. small caps.

PZN (Pharma Zentralnummer) Barcodes: Enter the seven digit PZN without hyphens, blanks or "PZN" text, e.g. "1234567". Deselect check digit. Recommended module width: 0.5mm, module height: 15mm. The software will automatically prepend the "PZN-" text to the human readable portion of the barcode.

Laetus Barcodes: Enter the number to be encoded (no more than six digits, the highest encodable value with Laetus barcodes is 131070) Deselect check digit. Recommended module width: minimum 0.5mm, module height: minimum 8mm. The code is always created without human readable text and without margin / white space above and below the code. Note: Multi-track Laetus barcodes are not supported.

Code 2/5: Enter up to 40 digits 0-9.

Codabar: Enter up to 40 characters, digits 0-9, special characters “-”, “$”, “:”, “/”, “.”, “+”. Use “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D” as start stop characters, e.g. “A12345D”.

2D Barcodes: Enter up to 2,000 characters (numbers and letters). Encode non-printable characters (e.g. a TAB) by a tilde, followed by the three-digit ASCII code, e.g. “~009”.

All supported 2D code symbologies will also encode binary data and accented characters, like german "Umlauts". Please make sure that your scanner does indeed scan and transmit such data; in most cases this will require a serial (RS 232C) connection.

Databar GS1:

Module Width

Specify the required module width (the width of the smallest bar), between 0.2 mm and 3.0 mm. For 2D codes the preferred module width is 0.5 mm or higher.
 Module widths and heights for EAN / UPC / ISBN is determined from the selected SC size. For Databar GS1 the value must be 0.495 mm or higher.

 

Module Height

Specify the required module height (the height of the code not counting the human readable text), between 5.0 mm and 100.0 mm. Ignored for 2D symbologies: QR and Datamatrix have square modules, PDF417 has a fixed height:width ratio of 3:1. Databar codes are always created with a fixed ratio of height to module width as defined by the standard.

 

Ratio

Specify the required ratio, i.e. the ratio of the width of a wide element to the width of the narrow element, between 2.0 and 3.0. (Applies to 2-width codes only: Code 2/5, Code 39, Codabar. Ignored for all others) A ratio of 2.0 results in a “high density” code, a ratio of 3.0 in a “normal density” code. If you are unsure what to use, stick with 3.0)


 

Output formats

The software supports EPS (Encapsulated PostScript), a resolution independent vector format as well as the raster formats PNG, TIFF, and JPEG. For most purposes EPS should be the format of choice as the quality is maintained no matter what actual print resolution is used eventually. Raster formats should only be used if EPS files are not usable in the respective environment.

Points to note with regard to output formats:
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