The dos and don’ts of serialised numbering and coding

Barcodes are ubiquitous in retail and logistics. However, it is essential to note that only a handful of print manufacturers can offer these prints reliably. Care must be given for sequential coding with the kind of consistency, durability and accuracy associated with bulk commercial print.

Unlike the barcodes found on many supermarket products, serialised barcodes assign a unique identifier to each item. This helps management systems keep track of items for traceability and record keeping. As such, they tend to be areas of importance or value. They’re often use for medical test results, product authentication measures and company assets. This means that quality is of the utmost importance.

Barcodes are meant to be read (or scanned) by a machine with the associated information represented by parallel lines of differing width. Consequently, readability is paramount. Often, serialised barcode labels are produced using thermal printers and, whilst this type of printer is a mainstay of the label industry, there are some important disadvantages to consider when purchasing thermally printed coded labels.

For example, if the thermal head is either old, dirty or set incorrectly the print quality suffers resulting in poorly scanning, gnarly print – some of you who have struggled to scan a marked down supermarket item may have experienced this extremely frustrating situation. If so, imagine if this comprised part of your job? Additionally, many thermal printers transfer ink in from a wax or resin ribbon. These ribbons are often supplied in different grades and a mismatch between ribbon grade and label substrate can result in disastrously fragile ink key.

Choose Edge Stickers

This does not happen with Edge. We supply barcode stickers made using modern digital inkjet heads. We deliver crisp always-scanning print with both the durability and aesthetics of UV ink. In addition, this process greener and delivers exceptional economies of scale due to increased running speed and extremely low levels of waste materials in the production process.

Thinking of barcode stickers for your business? Talk to Edge about your requirements now!