Barcoding Guide

Your quick guide to barcodes and its related technology

A Quick History of Barcodes

Barcode technology is an old but reliable way of managing inventories. First

invented in 1952 by Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver, Barcoding
was widely adapted for commercial use by the early sixties, and though
technology has transformed many commercial processes by leaps and bounds
over the decades, bar coding remains the best and most popular way to keep
track of products through data.

Put simply, bar codes are a

machine-readable piece of data
that describes something—a
product, a loading dock, a storage
area. Whatever you need it to
describe, barcodes can do it, then
relay it back to you through a simple
scanner.

Megastores like Home Depot rely

on barcodes not only to keep track
of inventory and purchasing, but
also to figure out where items live
within the store. A business as large
as Home Depot can’t just rely on
employee memory to assist their customers; it needs the depend on barcodes
to help.

With the advent, and subsequent proliferation, of smart

phones, QR Codes have become increasingly popular in
recent years. These codes are often used to acknowledge
coupons or recognize your rewards membership without
the need to pull out your wallet or keychain tag. Loss
prevention is also an area in which barcodes can help.

Everywhere you look, businesses use barcodes to make

their jobs more efficient and easier.

Bar Code Labeling Guide www.creativesafetysupply.com/guides | 1-877-356-6584

Barcodes in Industrial Settings

While retail businesses like department stores and supermarkets are what most
people think of when they think of barcodes, manufacturers make use of barcode
technology, too. Here are some of the most common uses of technology in
industrial settings:

Machine Tagging – tagging machines with barcodes makes it easy to locate

equipment and manage when maintenance is needed.

Package Sorting – barcodes make sorting packages easy and headache-free.

Shipping companies like FedEx are able to sort, deliver, and track parcels thanks
to bar coding technology.

Time Tracking – Many companies have transitioned to using barcoding to track

employees’ time In lieu of the loud, antiquated punch clock.

Access Control – Companies with restricted access areas use barcode technology
to either grant or deny access through the code on an employee’s ID badge.

Bar Code Labeling Guide www.creativesafetysupply.com/guides | 1-877-356-6584

What Types of Labels Can You Use?

Barcodes can be printed on any type of label. Creative Safety Supply’s standard
labeling supply can last for years in the right conditions without any smudged
lettering or faded colors. With that being said, there are a variety of other label supply
options available as well to use for barcoding purposes, some of these include:

• Magnetic supply that be used on metal racks or equipment

• Reflective supply can be used for areas that need more visible labels

• Removable supply can be used in areas where items on racks are

changed frequently

• Totem rack labels are also useful in tight areas with numerous racks
and items

Creative Safety Supply also offers two different kinds of scanners that are
LabelTac® compatible. With either of these scanners you will be able to make
labels on demand and rapidly scan your way through the workplace.

www.creativesafetysupply.com/ www.creativesafetysupply.com/
labeltac-wireless-barcode-id-scanner/ labeltac-barcode-scanner/

Bar Code Labeling Guide www.creativesafetysupply.com/guides | 1-877-356-6584

Making Barcodes

Companies that want to implement barcoding into their facility need to have a
way to print bar codes. It’s possible to get pre-printed barcodes, but this process
is slow and often requires large, sometimes cost-prohibitive purchases. For most
companies, purchasing an industrial label printer is a more cost-effective solution
than ordering pre-printed barcodes.

LabelTac® industrial label

printers are the best printing
solution available. The printers
in the LabelTac® line are built
for mobility and longevity, and
it comes with intuitive, world-
class LabelSuite™ label making
software. The software makes it
easy to create barcodes, OSHA-
compliant labels, and so much
more.

No matter its intended purpose,

Barcode technology makes your
job easier. www.creativesafetysupply.com/labeltac-printer-models/

Improve your inventory management

with durable LabelTac® labels.

Click the link below to get free sample labels. See for yourself if
LabelTac® has the best labeling strategy for your warehouse.

What’s included:
- A selection of LabelTac® barcoding labels
- SafetyTac® shape samples for floor marking
- A comprehensive installation guide

Bar Code Labeling Guide www.creativesafetysupply.com/guides | 1-877-356-6584

 Shop top-ranking products
for organization, labeling, and safety

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 Making Barcodes with LabelSuite™

LabelSuite™ Makes Barcoding Simple

Creating barcoding systems for your inventory has never been simpler, thanks to the
intuitive, easy-to-use LabelSuite™ software that comes free with all LabelTac® industrial
printers. Follow the steps below to create the barcodes you need.

Making 1D Barcodes

Within the Barcodes tab of LabelSuite™ is the Barcode Generator. From here, you can
add various barcode formats to your label template. Supported barcode formats include:
Code 128, Code 39, EAN- 13, EAN-8, and UPC-A. Once a barcode has been inserted into
your label canvas, you can edit its advanced options by highlighting the barcode, then
selecting the Barcode tab from the LabelSuite™ Toolbar.

Adding a Barcode
Starting from a blank label template, navigate to the INSERT tab and select the
Barcode dropdown.

Making Barcodes with LabelSuite™ www.creativesafetysupply.com/labelsuite/ | 1-877-356-6584

Choose a barcode format from the dropdown menu.

Resize and change the location of the barcode on your label by left clicking
and dragging on the dotted outline of the selected barcode.

Editing a Barcode
With the barcode selected, click FORMAT on the menu bar.

Click on the blue Barcode Data button and edit the content of the barcode.

Use the addtional controls on the menu bar to further edit the barcode to your needs.
You can change the font, font size, and weight. You can also change the location of the
human readable data so it appears above or below the barcode, as well as the spacing
between the two elements.

Making Barcodes with LabelSuite™ www.creativesafetysupply.com/labelsuite/ | 1-877-356-6584

Making QR Codes

QR Codes (2D barcodes) can include more data than 1D barcodes. They can also be
scanned by smartphones to open a URL. Making and editing QR codes using LabelSuite™
is the same as with 1D barcodes.

Select the BARCODE option and then QR Code from the dropdown. Type in the text you
want to use.

Resize and change the location of the QR Code on your label by left clicking and dragging
on the dotted outline of the selected barcode.

Linking to a Database

Using your data program (MS Excel, for example), set up a spreadsheet with the data you
want to use (be sure to save as .csv Comma Delimited). Our labels will have 2 fields. The
header names will be used to help set up the template in LabelSuite™.

Making Barcodes with LabelSuite™ www.creativesafetysupply.com/labelsuite/ | 1-877-356-6584

In LabelSuite™, create a new label with the 2 fields. Insert a text box for the
DESCRIPTION field and then make a barcode using the barcode generator.

Style the label using the text and barcode formatting options.

Left click on a text box on the label to select it.

In the FORMAT tab, click the blue Data source button and then the IMPORT NEW DATA
button. LabelSuite™ will help search and import the spreadsheet you want to use.

Pro tip:
Embedding spreadsheet into template means the template saves that information so you can
share template with data already imported

Making Barcodes with LabelSuite™ www.creativesafetysupply.com/labelsuite/ | 1-877-356-6584

In the DATA SOURCE OPTIONS window, choose Preserve external file linking in the
Embed options dropdown. Make sure the Data source columns have header labels
button is checked. Click DONE to close this window.

Left click on the barcode field on your label to select it. In the FORMAT tab, select
Barcode Data and click the Data file button.

Select the column you want to use from the Data column dropdown. Click DONE.

Making Barcodes with LabelSuite™ www.creativesafetysupply.com/labelsuite/ | 1-877-356-6584

Select the remaining field on the label template by left clicking. Click Barcode Data
from the FORMAT tab. In the window that opens, click the Data file and Generate
from data file buttons.

In the window that opens, select your spreadsheet from the Available data file field.
Select the data you want to use from the Data column dropdown. and then click
DONE to close the window.

Your data-filled labels have now been created.

To adjust range and other printing options, click the PRINT tab, then select Print preview.

Making Barcodes with LabelSuite™ www.creativesafetysupply.com/labelsuite/ | 1-877-356-6584

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