Month: January 2020

There are thousands of barcode scanners in the marketplace, and you will find them ranked in different ways. For example, in their annual lineup of the best barcode scanners for 2019-2020, the team at The Balance broke out their rankings by categories like “best budget barcode reader” or “best for wireless connectivity,” and while that is great, it is better to look at them in a broader manner.

A recent report from one manufacturer noted that asset tracking systems are diverse and that even the best system is inefficient and not at all effective if it does not pair to the right data capture tool, i.e. the handheld barcode scanner. That means you must identify the features and capabilities to meet your system’s needs.

While most of today’s scanners are going to be more durable, flexible, and functional than earlier models, they might also use features such as Bluetooth connectivity or operate cordlessly. They may be able to function in harsh settings or even “in the field,” and so you must take the time to identify a list of your specific requirements and then look at our five top picks to identify which are a better fit for your needs.

As an example, will you use scanners in your warehouse, in a manufacturing plant, in retail? Is it indoors or outdoors? Will the device face heavy use or light use? Will it have to scan over a great distance? Will it have to address 1D and 2D? What about image capture? Will omnidirectional scanning have to work? How fast will you need the scanner to work?

With that in mind, here are five of the barcode industry favorites for 2019 and 2020:

HooToo Wand from Zebra – This is noted as being fast and easy to use, but it can be configured beyond 1D and 2D scans. It is capable of rapid processing and batch modes. It can be dropped from heights of five feet without damage and features a 433Mhz long range receiver. Indoors transmission is 100m and outdoors it can scan up to 200m. It has long working hours thanks to its charging base and design and works with most operating systems. Affordably priced, it is among the best for retail and industrial use.

Motorola DS4208-SR – This is an omnidirectional scanner and imager that works wirelessly or with a USB cable. Capable of scanning 2D and linear codes, it is designed for high amounts of use, easy reading from screens, and field work with its water-resistant body. It supports all industry code standards. It costs a great deal more than many other options, but that is for its diverse capabilities, more rugged design, and efficient omnidirectional capabilities. Highly rated, even distribution networks like Amazon.com tag it as their “choice” in scanner.

Nadamoo Wireless – This is for the company that requires multiple users to send data at once. With the USB receiver active, you can use up to 32 of these handheld and wireless scanners to send data. The individual handsets hold up to 100k scans offline and with indoor obstacles, they can still send over 100m from the USB device. Dual modes allow keyed or hands-free scanning, and this is noted as the ideal solution for the long-distance, indoor, and multi-channel scanning system. This too is a noted Amazon pick and comes in at one of the lowest price points.

Inateck BCST-70 – Capable of scans at 35 meters, and with a 15-day battery life (even in continuous use mode), it has four scanning modes and a 19” scanning range. It can be dropped from six feet and features anti-shock support in its design and relies on Bluetooth capability. At a mid-range price point, it is another of the Amazon recommended options.

There are scores of other scanners that can provide you with what you need, but it is best to start with the five top-rated. Remember too that the quality of the bar codes and labels matters. At Express, you can find a full array of labels, barcodes and other identification products to interact with your new scanner.

Offices and businesses of all kinds acquire equipment, tools, and other items that are deemed “assets.” And it is imperative that all assets are managed properly. That means owners need to know where the asset is located, when it was last serviced or used, and much more. One simple method for tackling any sort of asset management is through the use of asset tags.

The formal definition of an asset tag makes its function easy to understand. The University of Iowa explains asset tags in this way: “An asset tag is a silver metallic tag (or yellow vinyl replacement label) that is permanently affixed to equipment that serves to identify it for tracking, inventory, and accountability purposes…The corresponding serial and model numbers, if present, are also part of the asset record. A bar code on the tag can be electronically scanned when doing a physical inventory.”

After all, lots of companies will need to circulate tools and other items across departments and even physical locations, and it is not about inventory in the classic sense (i.e. items sold) but about decreasing the risks for loss, misplacement, and theft that makes asset tags so important. Asset tags can be scanned and provide basic details, but can also be part of systems that allow for more dynamic information to be secured.

The Benefits of Well-Designed Asset Tags

It is not necessary to pose the question: Why use asset tags? We already learned they can be a simple and reliable way to eliminate the risks associated with loss and theft. However, there are further benefits gained by those who opt to employ a good system incorporating the use of asset tags, and they include:

• Easier and more streamlined asset maintenance – The asset tags will have the ability to contain that dynamic data already mentioned. This means custom fields can be associated with scans and that can provide details about repairs, upkeep and full maintenance records of individual assets.
• Time-savings – Scanning is always faster than key entry and eliminates risks of erred data entry.
• Easier cross-sharing of assets – Requesting assets, collecting them, returning them, and reporting on them across departments is easier than ever with asset tags.
• Easier regulatory compliance – Is a certain asset up to date with maintenance, inspections, specific upgrades, and more? With asset tags and custom fields or appropriate software, it is a matter of a single scan or report to determine if an asset is in compliance.
• Ability to determine depreciation through utilization data – How much and how often was an asset used? How does this affect its depreciation? With asset tags, those answers are easier and faster to determine than ever before.
• And more – Analytical insight, meeting audit requirements, and savings on resources as well as time can also be part of the benefits of using asset tags.

If you are looking for the “long story short” view of the benefits of asset tags, just think of it as the optimal way to create actionable information or data and then enable your firm to operate in a far nimbler manner. With modern software and systems, you might even retain all of this data to the cloud, dispersing and sharing it with multiple parties.

Devising an Asset Tag Strategy

So, should you use asset tags widely and slap them on everything? No, as that is not the most strategic approach to asset management. It is important to note that the most commonly tagged items are computers and peripherals, office equipment, appliances, machines, tools, equipment, vehicles, and some types of furniture. There are a few questions that you must first ask and answer to determine the ideal asset tag strategy. They are:

• Which of the company’s assets are used most often?
• Which have the highest risk of being stolen, misplaced, or somehow lost?
• Are there any assets that move between locations, departments, or divisions?

You can pose those questions in any order, and it is the items that appear in the answers to two or more that must be integrated into the asset tags strategy. Once identified, you can narrow it down farther and separate assets into categories such as “costly capital investments” or “contains confidential information,” and so on. Doing so is going to ensure that you can protect and track any asset to the fullest degree and enjoy the benefits of using asset tags in the first place.

Answering the questions enables you to define the class or category for the asset, and this makes it easier to create appropriate identification numbers. Information is crucial to the system, and so you’ll want to do a full asset inventory BEFORE beginning the creation of your strategy. You will need to make tags that are scanner and human eye friendly, and you will need to create descriptions that contain full details of all assets.

This would include manufacturers, models, serial numbers, and more. Then you must define what goes on any of the tags. You may find it possible to put unique identifiers, such as prefixes for the department to which that asset belongs or serial numbers and geolocation data. You may put company name and contact information on asset tags, but if the item may be potentially harmful if used against the company, a vendor or manufacturer name and serial number is a better option.

Lastly, the asset tagging strategy needs to include the type of asset tags to be used such as vinyl, metalized polyester, subsurface polyester, surface print aluminum, subsurface print aluminum or a variety of types. Will they be for indoor or outdoor use? Do they need to resist abrasion or high temperatures? Do they have to have room for text and other information?

There is a lot to know about the use of an asset tag strategy, but the good news is that you can create an entirely customized solution to your needs. Get in touch with EXPRESS today and enjoy identification and asset tags made simple and to your specific design needs.

You think of the word barcode and instantly envision that band of lines and numbers. You may be even more familiar with the concept of the barcode label and know that you can find them in different “types,” such as UPC, EAN, Code 128, Code 93, ITF, CODABAR, and Code 39, among others.

Such words are familiar in the world of barcode design, and if you are looking at custom barcode options, it is helpful to know a bit about them. Let’s quickly look at the different barcode types (also called barcode symbology), and how they look on a barcode label. Then, we can consider how to use the right type for optimal barcode design.

• 1D – This type is one dimensional with vertical lines and spaces as well as some numbers beneath the lines.
• Code 39 – Commonly used for identification and asset tracking, it is commonly found in manufacturing and defense industries, and uses digits, letters, and 43 unique characters. It requires a lot of space and is not good for small items.
• Code 128 – Similar to Code 39 in design, it is used in logistics and transportation, inventory management, asset tracking, shipping and receiving. They are high density barcodes with compact, alpha-numeric barcodes and have six sections.
• Code 93 – A new and improved variation of Code 39, it has greater density and more data with unique start/stop characters. It is used in logistics, shipping, postal delivery in Canada, asset tracking and management.
• UPC – This is the classic Universal Product Code and the most common of all barcode and custom barcode designs. There are UPC-A and UPC-E options and each uses a barcode with scannable numbers. It appears often on retail, point of sale, inventory and wholesale distribution goods.
• EAN – Similar in appearance to the UPC codes, it is a common barcode label on European goods – which is why it is a European Article Number type. It is also called the International Article Number code and has 13 digits. It can also be in the EAN-8 barcode design with eight digits, instead.
• ITF – These are unique and have encoded pairs of digits. There is a set in the first five bars, and another in the spaces between them. Common for shipping and logistics, product identification, inventory management, and asset tracking.
• CodaBar – This is a self-checking barcode designed to easily read and it can include up to 16 characters while remaining an easy to print code. It is common on library materials, asset tracking systems, patient or product IDs, and FedEx documents.
• GS1 DataBar – Used on retail goods and fresh food, they are very small and ideal for difficult-to-label goods.
• MSI Plessey – Used in inventory management, wholesale and retail settings. It is not “self-checking” and has only digits.

There are also two-dimensional codes that include DataMatrix codes, QR codes that are 2D codes, and Aztec codes similar in appearance to QR and DataMatrix codes, among others.

Any type of code can become a custom barcode, and you need to pose a few key questions to select the right type.

Designing Your Barcode

First, let’s operate on the assumption that you already know it is a barcode label you need, and not a tag. That means the next question is “What material will the label be made from? Paper, metal, or some synthetic material?”

If the label has to be weather resistant, last a long time in challenging conditions, or withstand heat, dampness, abrasion, and other elements, then a metallic or synthetic label is best. You also need to choose the right adhesive backing for the label.

You will have to think about the size, and that is more of a barcode design issue than a matter of material. After all, the size requirements are based on whether the barcode has to be seen from a distance, fit on a tiny space, and so on.

Then, ask yourself about the data that any barcode label must encode. The barcode design is going to capture numeric information to display once scanned, or it may need both letters and numbers. It may need start/stop capabilities and special character options. If there is a tremendous amount of data that has to be captured, the 2D options are best but need specialized scanners. Again, any of these options can be a custom barcode.

As an example, the custom barcode you design for shipping purposes may need to be resistant to water and weather, as well as being printed in a very large format and capable of displaying tracking numbers. The barcode or barcode label you design for a piece of inventory that requires tracking may be different and demand a barcode design that captures digits, letters, and special characters.

There are many factors to the creation of a custom barcode and while there are barcode label systems enabling a DIY approach, it is usually best to work with an experienced team to get the barcode label, barcode design, or custom barcode results needed. Express makes identification products of all kinds, including a full array of barcodes.

Whether it is the first time you’ve thought about applying a barcode to a product or asset or you are looking for a way to improve the way your firm uses a barcode label system, it is helpful to think of the following ten steps involved in effectively barcoding any sort of product (including inventory and assets you manage, as well as products or even patients/people).

1) What are you doing with the custom barcode or barcode label?

This is relevant on several levels. First, it lets you determine the materials from which the label has to be produced. Second, it enables you to choose the proper type or symbology for the barcode or custom barcode. After all, the barcode has to include specific data and that means you need to know whether it is a UPC, Code 39, or another variety of barcode label.

2) What size and other elements are necessary?

Will the custom barcode be used with a point of sale scanner, a long-distance warehouse scanner, or for tracking an asset? This information helps you design a barcode or barcode label best suited to the “scanning environment” in which it is going to be used. That includes the size of the label and the quality of the printed barcode.

3) Determine if a GS1 DataBar is required

Even with a custom barcode, you may need to comply with POS systems throughout the world and use a unique GS1 company prefix.

4) What is the data to be encoded?

A barcode works by converting its bars and lines into data when scanned. The bars and lines can represent numbers, numbers and text, and numbers with text and special characters. The barcode label can also have stop/start features that embed even more information in the lines and spaces. The use of a 2D custom barcode brings even more data capabilities and should be considered if the information is comprehensive or complex.

5) Remember to choose HRI text properly

Did you realize that your barcode can feature text that is HRI or human readable interpretation text that backs up the crucial information contained in the code? For instance, a barcode label damaged during shipping can be manually entered into the system using the HRI text and convey the data.

6) Format HRI properly

If your custom barcode does need HRI, be sure that it is formatted accordingly and appears in the proper bracketing or style to convey the full data if manually entered into a tracking system.

7) Think about barcode colors

Most of us think of a barcode label purely in terms of black and white, but it can be in other colors when custom designed. The point is to use dark colors for the bars and always stick with the same color throughout. There should always be a sharply contrasting color behind the bar code, such as a bold yellow or deep red.

8) Determine code placement

Where is the barcode going to be placed on a package or container? Asking a printing provider about the different printing processes, materials and options may enable you to save time and money by choosing a printing method that allows direct printing on packaging, or for a style or size of label that will stand out far more effectively.

9) Test the quality of the custom barcode or plain barcode

A good producer will help their clients by running a test of the barcode before shipping it out. A special “verifier” tests the symbology, printing, and overall design to ensure an accurate read when that barcode is scanned.

10) Consider partnering with experts when designing any sort of barcode label

It may be the first time you make a barcode for your company’s products or inventory, or it might be the hundredth time. Either way, it makes sense to consider working with professionals who are well-versed in the many steps required in making and using barcodes most effectively. They will have the materials, printing processes, and knowledge essential to the very best results.

Express is a producer of premium identification products including every type of barcode label possible. Whether it is a basic UPC or a more complex 2D code needed, their team can work with you to ensure full compliance with your industry’s standards, as well as offering an array of additional items that include tags and other labels. Don’t struggle to use and design barcodes on your own when there are resources available for optimal identification, tracking, and barcoding systems.