User Manual

Setting Description
[Type] • [1D bar code]
Linear or 1D barcodes use a series of variable-width lines and spaces to
encode data. Linear barcodes hold just a few dozen characters, and gen-
erally get physically longer as more data is added.
1D barcodes are dependent on database connectivity to be meaningful. If
you scan a UPC code, for instance, the characters in the barcode have to
relate to an item in a pricing database to be useful.
• [2D bar code]
2D barcodes use patterns of squares, hexagons, dots, and other shapes to
encode data. They can be much smaller while holding more data (hun-
dreds of characters) than 1D codes. Data is encoded based on both the
vertical and horizontal arrangement of the pattern, thus it is read in two
dimensions.
A 2D barcode doesn't just encode alphanumeric information. These codes
can also contain images, website addresses, voice, and other types of bi-
nary data. That means you can make use of the information whether you
are connected to a database or not. A large amount of information can
travel with an item labeled with a 2D barcode.
[Resolution]
The width of the barcode depends on the number of characters encoded
and the type of barcode. A barcode can only be decoded if each bar and
each space can be scanned. If the bars and spaces blur into each other then
it makes it harder, if not impossible, to decode the barcode. The width of the
barcode is measured in pixels. The resolution is the detail the barcode
holds. A higher resolution means more barcode detail. Smaller barcodes
must be printed at high resolution to be encoded accurately.
Horizontal and
vertical margin
In barcode technology, a quiet zone is the blank margin on either side of a
barcode that's used to tell the barcode reader where a barcode's symbology
starts and stops. The purpose of a quiet zone is to prevent the reader from
picking up information that does not pertain to the barcode that is being
scanned. The blank margin will not send a scanning signal, hence the name
"quiet".
• [1D bar code]
A 1D barcode should have a quiet zone of at least 6 mm on each horizon-
tal side and at least 1.6 mm on each vertical side.
• [2D bar code]
A 2D barcode should have a quiet zone of at least 2 mm on each side.
When the barcode is rotated, the minimum values for the quiet zone are ro-
tated accordingly.
[Rotation]
You can rotate the barcode. You cannot rotate the frame.
[Encoding] The selected barcode type determines which barcode encodings are availa-
ble to you.
4
Add a text, image, or barcode frame
Chapter 5 - The [VDP] workspace
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