Barcode Quality

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Recent announcements from Walmart about barcode quality compliance for shipping cases have raised questions about which print technology produces the easiest to read barcodes. While the fate of the Walmart rule remains unclear, it always makes sense to ensure your barcoding is the highest possible quality.

The readability of a barcode isn’t subjective – it can be measured against the ISO/IEC 15416 standard for barcode print quality. When verifying a barcode against the standard, a number of parameters are measured and an overall grade produced that ranges from “A” (best) to “F” (fail).
Because one parameter that is measured is contrast, the best scoring (most readable) grades are achieved by printing a black barcode on a white background – usually on a label. Printing directly onto a corrugated case has lower contrast and is always more difficult for the scanner to read, even if everything is set up and maintained perfectly.

Our partner ID Technology offers two core label technologies to provide maximum barcode quality on your trays, cases and pallets, pre-printed labels and print & apply labeling. Labels of both types are made in six label manufacturing plants, where we match adhesives and facestocks to match your application exactly.

Pre-printed barcode labels are printed on flexographic or digital label presses, using the best materials on the market.

Contact us with any questions regarding Barcoding.

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