Need to create barcodes in Illustrator for label

[jdc]

JoeM wrote:
I think it was QR codes. Vector because you can then obviously scale the size of the code, if you are dealing with a graphic.

I just found a font that will do what I need here: http://www.morovia.com/free/code39-font/
Thanks Paul F.!

We used a font in the olden days as well (1995?) but this was for an actual food packaging where we were doing tons of codes everyday...

Much like our conversation with QR codes, barcodes should be a 1 bit BW file. There is simply No reason It can't be scaled to any size without losing resolution. So any free barcode site would work fine.

[Buzz]

jdc wrote:
[quote=JoeM]
I think it was QR codes. Vector because you can then obviously scale the size of the code, if you are dealing with a graphic.

I just found a font that will do what I need here: http://www.morovia.com/free/code39-font/
Thanks Paul F.!

We used a font in the olden days as well (1995?) but this was for an actual food packaging where we were doing tons of codes everyday...

Much like our conversation with QR codes, barcodes should be a 1 bit BW file. There is simply No reason It can't be scaled to any size without losing resolution. So any free barcode site would work fine.
The theory is fine, until reality bites you in the butt... then you need to pay close attention to your "scaled to any size" which is needed to match the equipment being used. Some codes and/or scanners have weird white space requirements, such that the code may need a certain thickness border around it to define the white space to read properly, and you may need to adjust the width of the border when scaling the code to keep the equipment happy... a code that might read fine on one scanner may need a border that is one point thicker to read properly on another scanner. It can be a lot of fun/work to get "any free barcode site to [would] work fine". Code 39 has its intracharacter spacing and line thickness specs that need to match the scanning equipment as its annoying details. The more precise the equipment being used is, the easier the whole process becomes.
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[mrlynn]

Haven't thought about barcodes in years. As I recall, back in System 7 (?) days, I used to have a bar-code generator utility: type in the numbers, and it would create the code, which could be cut and pasted.

Of no relevance now. Just a recollection.

/Mr Lynn

[JoeM]

Thanks everyone, great info here. I'll be working on the barcodes on Monday. This info will be a real help.

[D. Lawson]

If I'm not too late to the party, I have been using the "extended" version of this font for the past few months (included in the .zip file with the regular version):

http://www.barcodesinc.com/free-barcode-font/

Inventory is labeled and then scanned with a Motorola/Symbol LS2208. No issues at all so far.