barcodes on reports

[Gerd Sechting]

I need to print barcodes on reports of MS Access.
Can someone recommend a methode to solve this problem?
Currently I use a barcode generator and type in the number
which is needed on the report.
The barcode generator created the barcode.
I copy the barcode to the clipboard and insert it in a
graphical application like Paint.
In Paint I have to adjust an appropriate size which should
be suitable for the report.
In Access I have to change to the design view of the
report and insert the - in this way prepared - barcode.
I think it is a very long winded methode and I can't to
expect of doing so to our office workers.
I would be very grateul if someone could help me in this
situation.

Thanks!
Gerd

 

[Tony Oakley]

I need to print barcodes on reports of MS Access.
Can someone recommend a methode to solve this problem?
Currently I use a barcode generator and type in the number
which is needed on the report.
The barcode generator created the barcode.
I copy the barcode to the clipboard and insert it in a
graphical application like Paint.
In Paint I have to adjust an appropriate size which should
be suitable for the report.
In Access I have to change to the design view of the
report and insert the - in this way prepared - barcode.
I think it is a very long winded methode and I can't to
expect of doing so to our office workers.
I would be very grateul if someone could help me in this
situation.

Thanks!
Gerd

You need a barcode font usable in reports, like the one available from here:
http://www.bizfonts.com/free/

Bare in mind that the free font only prints numbers though.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gerd Sechting]

-----Original Message-----

You need a barcode font usable in reports, like the one available from here:
http://www.bizfonts.com/free/

Bare in mind that the free font only prints numbers though.

Hope this helps.
--

Tony Oakley (Microsoft Access MVP)
GSXR1300R Hayabusa
300hr 240GB TiVo

.
Thanks for the fast help. It has worked.

Great.
Gerd

 

[MontereySoft]

You may take a look at http://montereysoft.com. They have a free Code39 font there.

Tom

 

[Thomas Lutz]

The best way to print bar codes from an Access database report is to
use a bar code ActiveX control. Fonts produce poor quality bar codes
that can be difficult to read. With fonts, you also have to add start
and stop codes to the bar code data and you also have to calculate
check digits yourself. A good bar code ActiveX control will do
everything for you and it will also be much easier to use - in
addition to printing much better quality bar codes.
The best bar code ActiveX control available is the TAL Bar Code
ActiveX control. You can download a trial version from complete with
an Access database sample that shows how to use it from:
http://www.taltech.com/TALtech_web/products/activex_barcodes.html

 

[Tony Toews]

The best way to print bar codes from an Access database report is to
use a bar code ActiveX control. Fonts produce poor quality bar codes
that can be difficult to read.

FWIW we downloaded a free code 3of9 font from somewhere. Clients have
never mentioned a problem with scanning from either laser printed or
thermal imaging plastic bar code printers.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

 

[Mike Painter]

I'd be very interestd in finding out the basis of this statement.

 

[Thomas Lutz]

A font is a collection of graphic elements that are assigned to each
of the characters in the ASCII or ANSI character set. Because most bar
code symbologies encode data by mapping specific characters to
specific bar and space patterns, it is possible to use fonts to create
bar codes. Unfortunately, fonts have many inherent problems when they
are used to create bar codes.

The most important problem with fonts when they are used to create bar
codes is that they are not "intelligent". Almost every bar code
symbology has features like start and stop patterns, check digits,
guard patterns, quiet zones and bearer bars. When you use a font to
create a bar code you cannot simply select the text for the message
that you want encoded and select a bar code font. You first have to
insert special characters for the start and stop patterns as well as
manually calculate and insert a special character for the check digit.
In almost all cases you have to use a special program provided with
the font to calculate and add check digits and insert start and stop
patterns. Another problem with fonts is that they cannot be scaled in
a single direction in most application programs. Some specialized
desktop publishing programs allow stretching of fonts in a single
direction however most database or word processing programs do not.
This means that if you increase the size of a font, both the height
and the width change. When creating bar codes, it is extremely
important that the width of the bars and spaces remain constant.
Typically the height of a bar code font is not adequate and it must be
scaled up. When you do this by increasing the font size, the width of
the bars and spaces as well as the overall width of the bar code
increases proportionally which causes the bar code to be rendered out
of spec. In general fonts are the poorest choice for creating bar
codes. They offer the least control of all possible methods for
creating bar codes.

According to the Uniform Code Council:

"Bar code fonts have been known to create EAN/UPC symbols with serious
quality defects. The problems may be caused by the inherent design of
the font, operator input, or a combination of both..." Uniform Code
Council, Inc., Guidelines for Providers of EAN/UPC Symbol Design
Software, 1997, Page 13.

"For these reasons, extreme caution should be used when producing
EAN/UPC symbols with bar code fonts. They should only be used by
highly experienced bar code design professionals utilizing appropriate
controls"