Barcoding News

Includes Revision Control, new Print Utilities and more!

In addition to Windows 7 compatibility, Seagull BarTender version 9.2 introduces three new companion applications, support for scanners and cameras, new integration features and more.

“Librarian” Provides Secure Revision Control
The brand new BarTender Librarian lets large groups of users, designers and administrators cooperatively and securely manage the storage and revision of label formats and other files (Requires Enterprise Print Server edition).

• Improve Security: Store label formats in a secure database instead of “loose” on your hard drive.
• Manage Workflow: Specify custom states (such as “Proposed” and “Published”) and which users can make changes.
• Track Revision History: Store each new document version with user comments and a timestamp.
• Rollback: Revert to earlier versions when desired.

“Batch Maker” Lets You Combine Multiple Label Jobs
The new Batch Maker utility makes it easy to specify a list of multiple label formats to print as a single “batch.” Batches can be printed from within Batch Maker itself, as well as from BarTender, Print Station and Windows Explorer.

Commander Now Returns Status Response
Programs that control BarTender using the Commander middleware application can now receive back important status information, either by reading a TCP/IP port or a file.

“Print Station” Launches Print Jobs with a Single Mouse Click
The new BarTender “Print Station” utility gives non-technical users easy point-and-click label printing without ever having to see the inside of a label design program.

• Incredibly Easy: To launch a print job, users simply click on the desired label format, Batch Maker job or BarTender XML script.
• Optional Prompts: Fully supports BarTender’s optional pop-up “prompt” screens.
• Full Screen Mode: Allows PCs to be used as dedicated print stations.

Scanner and Camera Support
As an alternative to importing existing files when adding graphics to your labels, BarTender can now acquire images directly from any TWAIN or WIA device. In addition to printing images as part of a label, you can take pictures of existing labels and use them as design templates when converting from legacy software packages.

From Sampling to Sequencing, Bar Coding Helped Celera Discover First

For some companies, asset tracking is simply a way to save money by using bar code
labels to keep tabs on computers and other company equipment. But for Celera Genomics of Rockville, MD, using bar code labels to keep track of DNA samples and test results is an absolute necessity. Celera, the first company to sequence and map the human genome (the genetic blueprint of humanity), was managing procedures, critical machinery, raw materials, and data long before their scientific breakthrough.

“From the onset of our mission to genetically define ‘human,’ we realized that keeping tabs every step of the way was a must to ensure our results and validate our findings,” says Celera Genomics’ director of quality systems, Peter Amanatides. “Coming from a logistical background, I was familiar with the benefits of bar code printing and scanning. We decided to implement the technology here to drive our sequencing process and structure the procedures around it.”

Celera’s first challenge was to find a label that would withstand the unusual conditions of a gene-sequencing lab. The labels needed to be water- and chemical-resistant, heat- and cold-tolerant, and maintain visual and scanning readability while staying affixed to the plates and equipment.

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Challenge
Compliance chargeback fees due to unscannable shipping labels.

Solution
Dedicated printers provide maximum readability for error-free scanning.

Results
Productivity has increased by 20% and label accuracy is 99.9% or better.

Products
High-performance Xi Series printers for their reliability and mission-critical performance.

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Challenge
Bergen Brunswig, based in Orange, California, is the third-largest wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical and medical supplies in the United States. The distributor needed shipping software that could fit the needs of its new direct-to-consumer fulfillment service to various on-line drug stores, run on the company’s AS/400, and be easily integrated with its primary distribution system, ASW by IBS. The company also needed to integrate electronic scales and bar code printers to allow for package labeling and tracking.

Solution
Bergen Brunswig met its Internet Fulfillment Center’s shipping system requirements through software, produced and installed by an IBM Business Partner. The software integrates seamlessly with the IBS system, electronic scales, and thermal, on-demand barcode printers from Zebra Technologies.

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Challenge
When a major Texas-based computer manufacturer made the leap from traditional order fulfillment to customized computer assembly, it had to employ a new system that would enable it to track the assembly process from the moment a customer places an order until the delivery of the finished product.

Solution
The company installed wide-format Zebra® printers to produce work-in-process (WIP) job tickets: letter-sized documents that provide specific assembly and delivery instructions and guide the assembly of each product until it arrives at the customer’s doorstep.

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More and more hospital patients are being treated like loaves of bread.

Pharmacists and technicians at the Lakeland Regional Medical Center use the Talyst barcoding system that assists pharmacists in accurately preparing and packaging drugs for patients.

That’s a good thing, nurses and hospital administrators say.

Like the scanner that reads bar codes in the grocery, Polk County hospitals are bringing bar-code technology to the bedside, all in the name of patient safety.

Medication errors harm at least 1.5 million people every year, with a conservative estimate of 400,000 preventable drug-related injuries in hospitals each year, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies reported in 2006.

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Epson Announces Broadening of Thermal Printer Line
Company Leverages Core Strengths to Expand to New Retail Segments

Epson, a leading supplier of value-added Point of Sale (POS) solutions, announced that it will deliver a series of new thermal printers to expand its portfolio of transaction printers. These new printers are designed to meet the needs of smaller retailers and food service operators while providing expanded functionality to its traditional, larger retailer customer base. Over the next two quarters, Epson will introduce three new products:

• A compact, thermal printer with all-front access for use in specialty POS solutions and kiosk applications
• An all-inclusive packaged thermal printer for small retail and food service applications
• A next generation thermal printer designed for customers who require full-featured printing functionality

With the addition of these new products to Epson’s existing thermal printer family, the company will offer the most comprehensive line of single-station thermal POS printers to satisfy the needs of every segment of the retail industry at every price point.

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Bluetooth Mobile Printers Keeps Blue Devils Mobile
Challenge
Whether watching their beloved Blue Devils play basketball or going about their business on campus, students at Duke University in Durham, N.C., are seldom standing still. The university’s widespread use of handheld computers serves students on the go with mobile concessions at events, portable point-of-sale for busy bookstores and other innovative offerings. Now Duke is implementing Zebra MZ 220 mobile printers with Bluetooth® wireless technology and new handheld computers so it can create more mobility and innovation.

The DukeCard is the school’s student ID card, which can also be used for purchases and services throughout campus and the surrounding community. The DukeCard office supports 600,000 daily transactions from nearly 1,800 card readers. Duke University Stores, which runs 25 different retail and office services operations on campus, generates the most sales per student of all independent college store systems in the United States. Campus retailers and student organizations can also process DukeCard transactions using the hand-held computer’s built-in card reader.

“Bluetooth has given us a lot of flexibility. Once we got away from a tethered solution, we could use our mobile devices in places where it was difficult in the past,” says Matthew Drummond, director of Duke University’s DukeCard office. “The system is very convenient to use, and lets us offer mobile concessions at sporting events, concerts and other events.”

All financial transactions must comply with federal electronic funds transfer rules, including the Regulation E requirement to offer a receipt with any transaction. When Duke wanted to expand its services, it needed to find mobile printers that could meet both common and unique requirements.

“Durability is important in our mobile equipment. We hand these devices out to college students. They carry them all around campus. They’ll put them in their book bags, forget about them, and throw the book bags around,” says Drummond. “Battery life was also very important. Student groups can check out the devices for up to a week at a time, so we wanted to get a week’s worth of use on a single charge. We didn’t want to hand out chargers and worry about keeping track of them.”

Because the mobile system is used by student organizations on a temporary basis, it needed to be easy to learn and use for workers with no previous experience and limited training.

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As the fastest choice for rugged mobile receipt printing, the Intermec PB21, PB31 and PB51 deliver a clear productivity advantage for workers on-the-go. Built to easily withstand the bumps, drops and spills of fast-paced mobile usage, they provide performance you can depend on, day after day.

Overview

What started as utilizing a “leftover” from the previous owner turned into a dual-purpose printer in the busy kitchen at LaPiazza Italian Restaurant in Lititz, PA. When Guisippe Gambino and his family took over the property and established LaPiazza Restaurant over 2 years ago, as is normal when a new restaurant takes over an existing restaurant setup, some POS equipment is left behind from the former occupants. One piece of equipment that remained in the kitchen was the Star TSP650 thermal printer, along with a few rolls of MaxStick® paper.

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