To
print EAN-13 bar codes
that will scan fine with Macintosh, including the very latest Mac OS X,
you need the most precise EAN-13 Macintosh barcode font, and just as
importantly, a system that will compute for you which characters to
use. This is, plain and simple, what this package is all about. Install
the program, and that's it ! You do not need to know esoteric commands
and bizarre calculus to use this product. You will be producing perfect
bar codes in minutes.
How
does it work?
Our
exclusive Barcode Wizard™
program will let you very simply enter the product code (SKU), and
process it to obtain right away the data you need to print.
EAN-13
bar codes are used
widely in Europe and gradually all over the planet to print product
codes that will be recognized by point of sales scanners, as well as
robots or hand held devices, used to manage inventory. Bar codes are
the closest graphic representation of the series of zeros and ones used
by computers to represent numbers. Without going too much into
technical details, bar code fonts are not as easy to use as regular
fonts, because computers need to verify the value of the product code,
and the way they "think" is widely different from the human way.
Because of that, some calculus is required to print correct bar codes.
This is the job of the enclosed Barcode Wizard.
Just
for the fun of it, here
is the way the "check character" is computed for 123456789012.
The
parity check character
is computed from the total of even position digits, multiplied by
three, then substracted from the closest multiple of ten.
Parity check character = 2 + 0 + 8 + 6 + 4 + 2 = 22 * 3 = 66 + 1 + 9 +
7 + 5 + 3 + 1 = 92
Then, look for the closest multiple of 10 to 92, which is 100 and
substract the total.
100 - 92 = 8 (Parity check character)"
There
is no doubt the Barcode
Wizard™ will save you aspirin and time!
Important
: this product is
intended for end-users only, Therefore no code or algorithm is
available for database developments such as MS Access can be provided,
Developpers should look for other sources to implement EAN-13 within
their applications.
The
Barcode Wizard™
The
Barcode Wizard™ takes out
of creating bar codes all the cruel calculus usually needed for bar
code fonts. All you need to know is the product code ; the program will
automatically generate the intricate character chains needed to print
scanable bar codes. It comes in two versions ; one for Mac OS X in
native mode, the other for Mac OS 9 and under (Mac OS 8 minimum). The
fonts will work under all versions of the system back to 7.5.
Here
is the process:
1
Enter the item
(product) code in the top box
2 Click the "Process" button
That's
it! In seconds, the
Barcode Wizard™ has created automatically two important pieces of
information: the barcode itself. It has been copied by the program into
the Windows clipboard, you can now paste into any standard Windows
program such as word processors, desktop publishing programs, Excel,
Word, Access or any graphic program. All you got to do to paste the
result in your favorite application is to use the Edit/Paste menu
command, or the standard Control-V keyboard shortcut (in standard
Windows programs).
The
second piece of
information is the character chain used to generate the bar code with
the EAN13 Match™ font. In effect, what a standard font would show
instead. This information can be useful to understand the complexity
involved, if you where to use the font without the help of this
lifesaver program! This bit of information can also be useful for
printers and programmers.
The
Barcode Wizard™ can also
generate EAN-8 bar codes. Today, EAN-8 is seldom used.
Please
note that in case you
entered a product code shorter than the required length, it will
automatically be padded by zeros. The same thing occurs when you switch
to EAN-8 and back, as the product code will be shorter for EAN-8.
You
can also print the bar
code, to see how it will look on paper, by using the File/Print
command, as in any standard Windows program. Printing size is optimal
at size 90. Smaller may not scan, larger may not fit on standard
stickers. You may want to compare your printed result to commercial
packages. Simply enter the product code from an "off the shelf" box in
the Barcode Wizard™ to print and tune your graphics. Please note that
most U.S. Made products use a different barcode standard, called UPC,
which is quite different. In general, EAN-13 codes do not start by
zero, but rather by 3 (France) or 5 (Germany) for instance. Another
difference is that usually, UPC bar codes have small digits on each
side of the bar code, when EAN codes usually do not have small digits
on the right hand side. At any rate, if you enter an UPC code in the
Barcode Wizard™ for EAN-13, it will not look at all like the original,
where an EAN-13 barcode will look identical.
This
package is an evaluation
version, where the digits 1 and 6 have been replaced in the font by a
watermark, which cannot be scanned. However, as long as your product
code does not contain these digits, the generated bar code will be
scanable.
The Barcode Wizard™ Tryout version is identical to the final,
registered product, except it provides an extra button to order the
final product.
This
simple to use,
affordable package is not meant to introduce users to the beauties of
rocket scientist EAN-13 parity check calculus, as some other packages
out there seem to conduce. Our goal is rather, to provide a convenient
tool for the business community. With a simple font and program, you
can start producing scanable bar codes for your packaged products in
minutes, and center your energies towards selling it, the very reason
why bar codes are so widely used today.
This
package contains NO
complicated VBA sources, NO intricate macros. It is intended for use
with the simple Barcode Wizard.
Do you want
to try this exclusive package before you buy ? Just download
the
free tryout package below.
