Article: Sabarcodes.co.za
ONLINE BARCODE PURCHASE – THE FOUR STEP PROCESS There was a time when just about any retailer or supply chain manager had one of the most tedious job in the world – taking stock on a regular basis, predicting high and lows in levels and initiating purchases or stock clearance drives. All these functions had to be managed on a manual basis which meant that the life of a stock manager would begin and end in the store room! But today, barcodes and related stock taking technology has become part and parcel of everyday life for such personnel. This system has generated massive relief in the life of managers who have to deal with stock management and purchases on a regular basis. If you have still not adopted the technology in your system, this article will help you figure out how to move ahead with things. There are four main steps that you need to follow when purchasing barcodes for products. Let us examine each one in detail.
The first step you will have to take is getting a barcode number allotted to a particular product. You will have to understand that no two products in the world will ever have the same barcode number. There is a centralized authority operating to manage this task called GS1 organization which will have to be approached for the purposes of generating a unique barcode to signify your product. There is of course, a small cost associated with the application but if you are serious about marketing your product worldwide, this expenditure will definitely be worth it. Once you have a barcode number allotted to your product, the next step will be generating the barcode image. The policies of GS1 organizations will vary from country to country. For example, the GS1 of the US will provide you with the barcode image along with your number. In case you haven’t received the same, you will have to create one for providing with your product. To convert your barcode number into an image ready for use, you can either use barcode 'fonts', or use software specially designed for the job. The software solution will almost always create higher-quality results than barcode fonts. Once the barcode is image ready, you should get it printed into the label design and packaging of your product. This will now become a part of the universal identity of the product you are manufacturing and will therefore, help you in setting its standard identification in the market. Testing is an important aspect of process of getting a product barcode. This image will be read by millions of retailers across the world to identify your product. You need to test your barcode, to check that it scans properly using a variety of barcode scanners. At the very least, test it using a number of different scanners better yet, buy (or hire) a dedicated barcode image verifier, to make sure your barcode image is really topnotch.
In case you need more information about online barcodes, visit Sabarcodes.co.za.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dave Hawkins is an expert when it comes to new age barcode technology. He also likes to write many interesting articles and blogs on the topic, helping people understand the basics of these systems and adapt them in their business/professional life. For barcode registration and other information, he recommends SABarcodes.co.za as the most trustworthy website.