Konica Minolta Darwin VDP Software - Manual (Page 78)

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T EC - I T B a r c o d e So f t w a re R e f e re n c e
Appendix B: Creating Optimal Barcodes
B.1 General
Generating optimal barcodes means to
1. Determine the optimal barcode size required by the application (see section B.2)
2. Maintain a minimal quiet zone to guarantee the readability of the barcode (see section B.3)
3. Produce the best possible output on the target device (see sections B.4)
The last and most important step, the optimization for the output device, is described in detail in
sections B.5 and following. It is described how the optimization is supported by TEC-IT barcode
software. Furthermore it is described what you should consider when printing barcodes directly or
when using barcode images. In the last section the approach for optimizing barcodes is illustrated
with some code examples.
B.2 Barcode Size
Primarily the barcode size is determined by the application where the barcode is used. The scanner
hardware and the projected reading distance define an upper and lower limit for the barcode size
(see also Barcode Reference, section 4.2.3).
In addition, some barcode specifications provide guidelines for the barcode size. This is either:
 An obligatory size with only little tolerance
(most postal barcodes like USPS Postnet, Australian Post Codes,
…)
 A list of recommended sizes or module widths,
e.g. a standard size and a number of magnification factors to choose from
(UCC/EAN-128, UPC, ITF-
14, …)
 A recommended minimum module width
(Code 128, …)
When using the barcode in an industry or transportation label the required barcode size is usually
exactly specified. The label specification provides the required information.
B.3 Quiet Zone
To guarantee the readability of the barcode a certain quiet zone around the barcode should be
maintained. The quiet zone depends on the type of the barcode:
 Linear Barcodes
As a rule of thumb for linear barcodes the quiet zone should be ten times the module width.
For some barcode types a recommended minimum is explicitly given by the specification.
 2D Barcodes
The quiet zone depends on the actual barcode type. A rule of thumb cannot be given but
using 10 times the module width could fix possible problems.
 GS1 DataBar Codes
Due to the technical nature of these barcodes no quiet zones are required. Only for symbo-
logies with an added composite component you have to maintain a certain quiet zone.