question on bar code, sn labels

I have a project coming up that requires individual items to be serial numbered. I have done this in the past and it is a pain in the neck. If you don't keep track of them, then there is no sense doing it. Anyways. I was wondering if anyone has any specific experience with buying pre-printed serialized labels with bar codes, and as they are applied, scanning the bar code so to keep track of things.
thanks

I have bought serialized bar code labels and scanned them as applied (along with capturing other information about the item to which the label is attached.) But I am not sure what you are asking about.

We made our own barcode labels using a Brother P-touch labelprinter.
It has that function build-in.
Then you can use your own numbers..

Best regards
Søren

Bar code numbers is just a true type font thats easy to find on line. Hence you can print the lable to be the same as the parts number. Makes it easy to keep track of then.

I did not form that question very well. Point is, product will be 2-3000 per month, I do not want to print the labels myself, but instead purchase small high quality labels already numbered with the corresponding bar code. Possibly in pairs so the second matching number would go on the exterior of the carton.
Question is , does anyone have specific recomendations for sources for serialized labels and a bar code scanner and software for doing all this? No reason to re-invent the wheel [I tried that but someone beat me to it].

I have only used existing or printed barcode labels. As Søren says, the Brother P-Touch labelers have barcode capability. You can also use OpenOffice and print the barcodes on Avery style labels on sheet. Print a whole sheet of them and then peel-and-stick as needed. OpenOffice will do 1D and 2D labels. Microsoft Office probably has similar functionality.

If the parts need something more durable than a stick on label there are parts marking systems I have seen at EASTEC that will etch the barcode right in to the surface of the part in such a way that it is readable by common barcode scanners.

I really like barcodes as a method of marking parts. It makes inventory SO much simpler and more accurate by eliminating the tedium of reading the number and checking it on a list or writing it down. Still good to have the label have a human-readable number underneath the code though.

-DU-

PM sent regarding a source. Contact me if you have questions - I've been involved with bar code equipment and tracking software for 20 years.

If you need really rugged "OEM" type tags, I believe this outfit is the one I ran across some years ago. I got some samples of their rugged Aluminum labels and was impressed with the quality.

Asset Tags & UID Labels - Durable Bar Code Labels for Asset Management - Camcode

There's a zillion labels sources. At risk of stating the obvious, "bar code labels" are just labels that happen to have some ink arranged as bar codes. Virtually any label maker can offer bar code labels, though there are also many companies that specialize, eg:

Preprinted and Custom Barcode Labels

There are lots of application questions. Label size and shape, bar code symbology, adhesive type, label stock (paper, vinyl, etc), format (roll, sheet, etc) None of these are bar code specific -- they are just questions about labels. And of course all the questions about how the labels are to be applied (manually, automatically, etc)

Similarly, scanning itself is utterly simple, but there's basic application questions you have to ask. Equipment available to scan bar codes includes: $25 USB scanners (attach to computer); proprietary hand-helds ranging from $500 to $5000; iPhone camera.

Just putting a label on something and then scanning the label accomplishes relatively little. Most commonly, you have some sort of application that has other data about a thing (such as an inventory system) and the serial number (represented as bar code) is then associated with an instance of that thing in the inventory system.

If all you do is scan a label on the item, it's not much different than if you just scanned the label on the roll it comes on; the information in the scanner is no different. In other words, by just scanning a label, you're not associating that serial number with anything -- you're just reading the number.

The overall point being bar code labeling and scanning, per se, is utterly simple. You can be doing it for under $100 in a couple hours. But you need an objective and application/process design to make it meaningful.

surplusjohn,

Sorry but I started my reply last night and posted it before I read you latest. If I am reading you correctly what you want is a "turnkey" solution, yes? If so, just about every barcode reader company makes or is partnered with someone who makes such solutions. Most of them are scaled to the requirements of places like Home Depot or grocery store chains. IOW for systems that will handle tens to hundreds of thousands of items. 2-3K items/mo is chicken feed. So, yes, that wheel has already been invented but it has evolved to the point where it is a high speed rail system and what you want is a bicycle wheel.

There are still companies that make the bicycle wheel scaled systems and we use one here at the college where I work for the Chemistry department. I will ask them what system they use, how they like it, and how much it cost then relay what they say. They have to label about 3K items in some months and none in others (just keep track of them.)

All that said... I didn't re-invent any wheels for my system. I simply put it together out of off-the-shelf parts. database+printer+scanner... done.

If your customer is requiring you to label the parts for their system then they should be supplying the numbers. They should send you a list of numbers that they want in CSV, tab-delimited or whatever plain text file. They should also specify which of the many barcode styles they want. It does no one any good if you use something that they can't read. The simplest solution for both parties would be if they let you use standard Avery style labels that you can print from your laser printer and they supply the software and scanner. The software should be capable of having the printer print three parallel columns of labels. Each row of labels on the sheet has the same code. first for the part, second for the box, and the third to keep track of which parts and boxes have been labeled at a glance. Otherwise they should specify the software and scanner that will be compatible with their system.

-DU-

There are some "gotchas" if you print your own labels that can affect scan quality, though the readers are generally much better than they used to be. The size (X dimension and ratio), symbology, aspect ratio and quiet zone affect things. Some retailers have quality specs that penalize vendors for providing poor grade labels.

USMCPOP said:

There are some "gotchas" if you print your own labels that can affect scan quality, though the readers are generally much better than they used to be. The size (X dimension and ratio), symbology, aspect ratio and quiet zone affect things. Some retailers have quality specs that penalize vendors for providing poor grade labels.

Click to expand...

Edit: If you want to print your own labels, I'm partial to Zebra printers, at least the mid-range ones like the 105SL.