Australia
Bar Code Quality & Verification Presented by: John Lane Mgr Testing Services
Agenda Australia
• 6 steps to quality bar codes - including common causes for non-scanning bar codes • Submitting products for testing • How is my bar code tested? / reading verification reports
© 2008 GS1
Australia
Š 2008 GS1
Bar code quality - Get it right the first time
Key steps to consider Australia
1. Colour – Print contrast 2. Bar code width – Magnification 3. Quiet Zones (light margins ) 4. Bar height 5. Print quality 6. Location © 2008 GS1
1. Colour – Print contrast Australia
9 312345 678907
X X © 2008 GS1
• Light background, ideally white. • Dark bars, ideally black. • Solid colours. • Avoid reflective colours. • A gloss coat might reduce the print contrast. • A transparent wrapping diminishes the contrast.
1. Colour – Print contrast Australia
X © 2008 GS1
X
2. Magnification - Bar code size Australia
EAN-13
80%
100%
150% 200% Š 2008 GS1
Minimum for conveyorised scanning
2. Magnification - Bar code size Australia
ITF-14 50% Minimum for conveyorised scanning
100%
GS1-128
50%
100%
• For conveyorised scanning, the HIGHER end of the magnification range is recommended • Magnifications down to 25% are applicable for other environments © 2008 GS1
3. Quiet Zones – Light margins Australia
• Area to the left and right of all bar codes • Enable scanner to determine start and end of the bar code • Must keep all graphics, dark colours clear of these areas
© 2008 GS1
3. Quiet Zones – Light margins Australia
X © 2008 GS1
4. Bar code height Australia
• EAN/UPC Symbols have a nominal (target) size • Nominal bar codes have a fixed relationship between the width and height to enable omnidirectional scanning Nominal bar code
Truncated bar code
0 0
12345 67890
12345 67890
5
5
Scanner beam fails to read bars © 2008 GS1
50
5. Print quality Australia
• Clear crisp well defined bars • Watch for voids and smudging • Print quality requires regular ongoing checks • There must be enough contrast between the dark bars and the light spaces for a scanner to be able to read the bar code
X © 2008 GS1
6. Location - retail trade items Australia
• General recommendation for location is towards the lower right of the back of the product. • Lower right of another face is acceptable where the back of the product is unavailable. • Base of a product will continue to be acceptable but is NOT preferred.
© 2008 GS1
6. Location Australia
9 6
X
X
1 41 41 00 08 6
Scanners DO NOT scan around corners
6
14141 00086
9
Avoid package seams or seals Š 2008 GS1
Australia
X
Š 2008 GS1
6. Location - non-retail trade items Australia
Locate bar code on a minimum of two adjacent sides Minimum of 19mm from either vertical edge (including light margins)
*32mm * The 32mm measurement is from the bottom of the bars.
Š 2008 GS1
Agenda Australia
• 6 steps to quality bar codes - including common causes for non-scanning bar codes • Submitting products for testing • How is my bar code tested? / reading verification reports
© 2008 GS1
Submitting your products Australia
• Present products in their final form • Loose labels, unformed packaging or artwork are acceptable but the results obtained may alter once the product is in its formed state • Whole cartons can be sent flattened for a complete assessment (please note that a removed bar coded piece/panel of a carton cannot be assessed as a complete sample) • Heavy/bulky items should not be submitted. Empty, flat packaging or loose labels must be submitted for testing in this case.
• Download and complete the GS1 Australia bar code verification request form: http://www.gs1au.org/services/barcode_testing/
• Submit this form with the products to GS1 Australia, Melbourne or Sydney © 2008 GS1
Agenda Australia
• 6 steps to quality bar codes - including common causes for non-scanning bar codes • Submitting products for testing • How is my bar code tested? / reading verification reports
© 2008 GS1
Bar Code Verification Australia
What is it, and who can use it? • A assessment of a bar code against GS1 Standards and ISO bar code quality standards • Products are tested, and a conformance report is generated providing assessment outcomes and recommendations • The service is available to all companies producing / using GS1 bar code symbols
© 2008 GS1
Bar Code Verification Australia
Why use the Service? Save time, save money • Rectifying ‘poor’ bar codes incurs unnecessary costs - it is better to “get it right the first time” • Decrease the time it takes to get your product to market
Reassurance – bar codes which scan first time, every time • The verification process assesses the likely scanning performance of a bar code and how closely it conforms to specifications • Provides the reassurance that the bar code symbol will scan correctly throughout the supply chain © 2008 GS1
Verification of bar codes Australia
• Verification of bar codes should occur both during symbol creation and after product manufacturing. • Verifiers are not scanners • A scanner reads the bar code • A verifier assesses quality • The trained eye can spot many bar code quality issues, but a verifier will assess the finer details.
© 2008 GS1
Bar code verification reports Australia
• Assessed as either “Interim” or “Final” • Indicate compliance with GS1 standards • Issued by GS1 Australia upon completion of testing • Provide recommendation for improvement if necessary • Are valid for 12 months from date of issue • Help avoid interpretation problems between trading partners © 2008 GS1
Verification against ISO standards Australia
• ISO verification looks at the bar code in a similar way to the way a scanner sees it. • ISO 15416 verification method is fully compatible with the ANSI standards (released by the American National Standards Institute) • It assesses the quality of the symbol compared to a perfect symbol resulting in a grade between 0 and 4. • For more detailed information, refer to the technical fact sheets available on our website: © 2008 GS1
www.gs1au.org/information_library/technical_fact_sheets.asp
Interim verification reports Australia
• Provided for artwork samples (laser prints, bromides, mock-ups, colour proofs...) • Assess magnification, bar height, quiet zones, validity of the GS1 number and scanning environment • Do not assess location and ISO parameters • Are accepted by most major retailers to initiate the buying process • As a general rule there is a 6 week window from the date you submit the interim report to the retailer until the need to supply them with a full report. It is strongly recommended that the complete, formed items be submitted once printed, to obtain a final report.
© 2008 GS1
Interim verification report Australia
Š 2008 GS1
Final verification reports Australia
• Provide complete assessment of scan rate, traditional parameters and ISO parameters against appropriate scanning environments • May be required by some retailers • Major retailers in Australia and New Zealand accept verification reports issued in either country
© 2008 GS1
Australia
Reports are valid for 12 months
Overall Performance Product and bar code details
Scanning Environment
Š 2008 GS1
Overall ISO Grade Achieved
Actual values / outcomes as assessed Australia
Required value / range of values
Traditional Parameters
Parameter Pass / Fail
ISO Parameters
ISO Grade Achieved
Parameter Pass / Fail
Š 2008 GS1
GS1 Australia Services and Support Australia
GS1 Help Desk: 1300 366 033
GS1 Website:
www.gs1au.org GS1 Australia services
Š 2008 GS1
Australia Australia
Questions ? Thank You For Your Participation
GS1 Australia
T 1300 366 033 W www.gs1au.org