ASTRA™

Millennium Range

Barcode Labelling

part of the

ASTRA Desk Top Accounting

range of integrated software for

Advanced Business

Control

© 1981-2006 Stephen H Alsop

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Contents

Contents 3 Introduction 4

Supported Hardware 4 Producing Barcode Labels 4 Uses of Barcode Labels 4 Barcode Readers 5

Installation 6 Integration with other Sections 6 Setup 6

Stand Alone System 6 Barcode Stationery Setup 6 Menu Permissions 6

Barcode Labels 7 Type 7

Barcode Types menu 7 Options 7

Barcode Options menu 8 Auto CRC 8 Bar Thick to Thin Ratio 8

Font 8 Barcode Font menu 9

Size 9 Barcode Font Size menu 9

Style 9 Barcode Font Style menu 9

Creating a Single Label 10 Creating a Single Barcode Label window 10

The Barcode or Text Items 11 Copying a Barcode Label 11 Saving the Barcode Parameters 12

Creating Batch Labels 13 Create Batch Barcode Labels menu 13 Create Batch Barcode Labels window 13

Creating Goods In Labels 15 Creating Goods In Labels window 15

Appendix A - Troubleshooting 17 Appendix B - Types of Barcode produced by ASTRA 18 Index 20

Introduction 3

Introduction Supported Hardware This section of ASTRA is only available on Apple Macintosh. If you would like to be notified when this section becomes available for the PC, please send an email to Sales@AstraAccounts.co.uk stating your company name and serial number.

Producing Barcode Labels This section of ASTRA can be used on its own or integrated with other sections to produce individual high quality Barcode Labels on various types of printers. The Barcode Labels can be saved to disk or copied to the clipboard and scrapbook as PICT files for use in other applications such as drawing packages, word processing and DTP. Barcode Labels can also contain text and pictures pasted from other applications, eg the company logo, a picture of the product, etc. When integrated with the Stock, Purchases, Purchase Order Processing, Sales and Product Tracking sections, batches of labels may be produced automatically, ie

- Stock section to produce labels in Stock Code, Category and Location order. - Purchases section to produce labels in Supplier order. - Purchase Order Processing and Stock sections to produce labels at 'Goods In'

time or produced later in 'Stock Receipts' order. - Sales section to produce labels in Customer order. - Product Tracking to produce labels in Serial Number order.

The 23 families of barcode types which can be produced by ASTRA are described in Appendix B.

Uses of Barcode Labels A Barcode Label is speedily converted by a barcode reader into text which can be used by ASTRA to provide an ideal method of identifying items or accounts. Barcode Labels may be used in most applications where codes are required, eg stock codes, account codes, membership cards, etc. In a retail environment Barcode Labels can eliminate the necessity for individual items to carry price stickers as Barcode Labels are speedily read by a barcode reader at the point of sale and used by ASTRA to access stock records and prices. This also reduces keyboard entry errors as the stock codes do not need to be typed in. When it is not convenient for Barcode Labels to be

Introduction 4

attached to stock items, a catalogue of labels can be produced using a word processor or DTP system for use at checkouts.

Barcode Readers Various suitable Barcode Readers are available including bar wands, hand held and flat bed laser scanners. Such units are available from S&S.

Installation 5

Installation Integration with other Sections Barcode Labels can be produced when this section is used as a stand-alone system, however, when it is integrated with the Stock Control, Purchase, Purchase Order Processing, Sales and Product Tracking sections of ASTRA, defined batches of labels may be produced, eg by stock code order, by stock category order, by stock location order, by supplier order, by goods in order, by customer order, by serial number order or at the time of receipt of the goods.

Setup Installation of the system, the creation of a data file, the setting up of all user options and the stationery and printing setup can be found in the Inside ASTRA manual. If Barcode Labelling is being added as a new section please note any enclosed update instructions and read the Read Me text file as they contain the update procedures. Ensure they are carefully noted and implemented. If any uncertainty exists about the update procedures please contact either the dealer who supplied ASTRA or S&S. Stand Alone System If this section is being used as a stand-alone product please ensure that a data file has been created for ASTRA to save its parameters. The file can be the minimum size. Barcode Stationery Setup Refer to the Inside ASTRA manual and ensure that the correct parameters have been entered, ie printer driver, printer name, paper size and margins, page setup, job setup, number of labels on a page, label sizes and when used, PICT form names. Menu Permissions Operators will only be able to use the sections that they have been authorised to access in the menu permissions.

Barcode Labelling 6

Barcode Labels This section is found under the File menu.

Barcode Labels menu

Type Select the required type of barcode. Their descriptions appear in Appendix B.

Barcode Types menu

The barcode type can be changed after the barcode digits have been entered and the label drawn. Any invalid characters in the new type of barcode will be removed.

Options

Creating A Single Label 7

Select the required options for the barcode. These can be changed after the barcode has been drawn, which may cause the barcode to be re-drawn.

Barcode Options menu

Auto CRC When selected, a CRC checksum digit is automatically calculated and displayed after entering the barcode digits. This extra CRC digit is sometimes used by barcode readers as a validity checks to minimise fraud. Bar Thick to Thin Ratio The thick to thin ratios of the black and white bars can be altered to 2, 2.5 or 3 for certain barcodes only, eg 3 of 9. This is to try and compensate when using poor definition printers or barcode readers. Select the barcode by clicking on it then make the appropriate menu choice. The 2.5 value will sometimes be a compromise depending on the actual pixel width of the barcodes.

Font Select the required font type from the menu, or use the relevant command keys for the selected text item on the barcode label. The font list menu will be dimmed if a text item is not selected.

Creating A Single Label 8

Barcode Font menu

The available font names in your computer will probably be different.

Size Select the required font size from the menu for the selected text item on the barcode label. The size menu will be dimmed if a text item is not selected.

Barcode Font Size menu

Style Select the required font style from the menu, or use the relevant command keys, for the selected text item on the barcode label. The font style menu will be dimmed if a text item is not selected.

Barcode Font Style menu

Creating A Single Label 9

Creating a Single Label Select this option from the Barcode Labels menu. This also needs doing before printing batches of labels because the type, style and position of the items as used on the single label are also used when producing batches.

Create Single Barcode Label menu

The example below is a 3 of 9 type of barcode with a label PICT or EMF form and an additional picture pasted from the scrapbook.

Creating a Single Barcode Label window

Select the Barcode Type, as explained earlier, then enter the barcode information after which the relevant items will be drawn on the label. Clicking on any of these items selects it and the item is seen surrounded by small drag boxes. If the selected item is text, the font name, style and size can be altered using the relevant menus as explained previously. If the actual barcode element is selected, it can be made deeper or shallower by selecting one of the black boxes at the bottom or the top of the barcode and dragging it up or down as required. To make the barcode wider or narrower, use the Line Width, Pixels pop up menu. Any selected item can be repositioned by dragging it. If a label PICT or EMF form is used it is drawn on the label and cannot be selected, moved or resized. The dotted line displays the label size as specified in the Barcode Label Setup. Any items placed outside this area will not be printed. If the label area is larger than the window, use the scroll bars or enlarge the window to suit. Barcode - enter the characters then move to the next field. If sufficient characters have been entered the barcode will be drawn. It can then be

Creating Batch Labels 10

selected, moved and resized. Only valid characters for that particular type of barcode can be entered into the barcode digit field. Note that when producing a 3 of 9 barcode, lowercase characters are converted to uppercase. If an existing barcode type is changed any invalid barcode digits will be removed. If there are still sufficient digits for the new type, the new barcode will be re-drawn. Add-on - if used, enter the required add-on digits. This field will be dimmed if the type of barcode does not use add-ons. Description - enter a description of up to 40 characters if required. Price - enter a price if required. Number of labels - enter the number of labels which are to be printed, from 1 to 99. Start at Column and Row - these values are incremented automatically and will not need to be altered unless printing is to begin on a part used sheet of labels. If so, enter the appropriate starting column and row values. Printer - the barcode labels will be produced on the printer as specified in the Barcode Labels, Single Barcode Label setup section. Screen - the labels will be printed to a screen window. This can be used to view the layout ready for final printing. Disk - a standard Save Dialog box will appear to select into which folder and onto which disk the labels will be saved. They are saved as individual PICT or EMF files which can be edited using standard drawing packages. They can also be placed in other applications such as DTP and word processing. Press the enter key or click the OK button on the ribbon menu to proceed to print the labels.

The Barcode or Text Items Clicking on one of these items selects it and a drag box will be seen. Whilst the mouse button is held down the item can be dragged to a new position.

Copying a Barcode Label Select the barcode label and use the standard Edit menu Copy function. It can be pasted from the clipboard into the Scrapbook or into another application such as a word processing, drawing or DTP system.

Creating Batch Labels 11

Saving the Barcode Parameters When the window is closed, the barcode parameters, ie the type, options, positions, sizes and fonts are saved automatically, ready to be used next time or when batch labels are produced.

Creating Batch Labels 12

Creating Batch Labels Select this option from the Barcode Labels menu.

Create Batch Barcode Labels menu

This option is only available if other sections of ASTRA are installed as explained in the Introduction to this manual. Before printing a batch of labels follow the previous instructions to create a single label as a template for the type, options, positions, sizes and fonts of the items. A window similar to the following example will appear. This is where the requirements for the batch are entered

Create Batch Barcode Labels window

Order - select the required order of batch label production. Note: If Stock Receipts are chosen, enter a Start and End At date for the period it is required to print labels. All goods received via the stock Incoming Goods section, between and including these dates, will have labels produced showing the appropriate details. Start and End at - enter the required starting and ending at values. These will vary with the choice of the order. Enter the appropriate codes, dates, etc and ASTRA will display the relevant descriptions.

Creating Goods In Labels 13

Invalid Codes - if a code is not valid for the specified barcode type, the label will not be produced and can either be ignored or a warning given. This can happen if for instance the code contains alphabetic characters eg. S&SC12, but the Barcode Type is numeric only, such as EAN-13. Labels can be printed to the screen to find any invalid codes. Price - batch labels can be produced showing a price which has been taken from the stock details file. Select the relevant price and whether it is to be printed inclusive of Tax. Number of labels - enter the number of labels which are to be printed, from 1 to 99. Start at Column and Row - these values are incremented automatically and will not need to be altered unless printing is to begin on a part used sheet of labels. If so, enter the appropriate starting column and row values. Printer - the barcode labels will be produced on the printer as specified in the Barcode Labels, Batch Barcode Labels setup section. Screen - the labels will be printed to a screen window. This can be used to view the layout ready for final printing and to check for any invalid barcodes. Disk - a standard Save Dialog box will appear to select into which folder and onto which disk the labels will be saved. They are saved as individual PICT or EMF files which can be edited using standard drawing packages. They can also be placed in other applications such as DTP and word processing. Press the enter key or click the OK button on the ribbon menu to proceed to print the labels.

Creating Goods In Labels 14

Creating Goods In Labels Barcode labels can be produced as goods are received if Barcode Labels is integrated with Stock and Purchase Order Processing. Refer to the Stock Control manual for details of how to receive incoming goods. After the goods have been ‘ticked’ as received the option of printing barcode labels for these items is given before filing the receipts.

Creating Goods In Labels window

No of Barcode labels - enter the number of labels which are to be printed, from 1 to 99. Start at Column and Row - these values are incremented automatically and will not need to be altered unless printing is to begin on a part used sheet of labels. If so, enter the appropriate starting column and row values. Invalid Codes - if a code is not valid for the specified barcode type, the label will not be produced and can either be ignored or a warning given. This can happen if for instance the code contains alphabetic characters eg. S&SC12, but the Barcode Type is numeric only, such as EAN-13. Labels can be printed to the screen to find any invalid codes. Price - labels can be produced with a price taken from the stock details file. Select the relevant price, the Price Level, the Currency and whether it is to be printed inclusive of Tax. Printer- the barcode labels will be produced on the printer as specified under

Appendix A 15

the File menu - Setup - Stationery - Goods In Barcode Labels. See the Inside ASTRA manual. Screen- the labels will be printed to a screen window. This can be used to view the layout ready for final printing and to check for any invalid barcodes. Disk - a standard Save Dialog box will appear to select into which folder and onto which disk the labels will be saved. They are saved as individual PICT or EMF files which can be edited using standard drawing packages. They can also be placed in other applications such as DTP and word processing. Press the enter key or click the OK button on the ribbon menu to proceed to print the labels.

Appendix A 16

Appendix A - Troubleshooting Items are not appearing on the Label - they have probably been placed outside the perimeter of the label or the label size has been made smaller. To bring the items into view inform the system supervisor who will need to enable ‘Bring Barcode Items into View’ in the Utilities - Reset Flags section. Text is not altering - the text item must be first selected before choosing a new font type, size or style. Barcode is not copying - the barcode must be first selected before copying it to the clipboard. Prices are not available on batch production - check that the menu permission is available. Batches not working - ensure that the appropriate integrated sections of ASTRA have been installed. Barcode Label Form is missing - ensure that the correct PICT or EMF form is in the correct stationery folder. This stationery folder should be situated on the same disk and in the same folder as the Data file. The Stationery Setup must hold the correct name of the stationery folder.

Appendix B 17

Appendix B - Types of Barcode produced by ASTRA EAN stands for European Article Numbering. EAN-8 These are 8 characters in length and are numeric only. They are a shortened version of the EAN - 13 digit code for use on smaller packets. EAN-13 These are 13 characters in length and are numeric only. They are found on most of the retail stock items throughout Europe. Eventually all retail goods may be marked with this family of codes. They contain a checksum digit for security against fraud. The first digit of the barcode usually signifies the country of origin of the goods, eg 5 is from the UK. UPC-E These are 6 characters in length and are numeric only. They are found on smaller retail products originating in America or Canada and are converted to 8 digit EAN by adding zeros at the beginning. This enables them to be used in European retail checkouts. UPC-A These are 12 characters in length and are numeric only. They are usually found on retail products originating in America or Canada and are converted to 13 digit EAN by adding a zero at the beginning of the number. This enables them to be used in European retail checkouts. 2 Digit Add-ons 2 digit Add-ons to EAN, UPC-A, UPC-E. An extra 2 numerical digits are sometimes added to the above codes on such items as magazines to include additional information such as the month of the issue. 5 Digit Add-ons 5 digit Add-ons to EAN, UPC-A, UPC-E. Books and magazine publishers use the 13 digit EAN barcode to store the ISBN number. They sometimes add an additional 5 digits to contain the published price of the item for reading by automatic checkout machines. Unfortunately this is of little use when prices change. Retailers using ASTRA can ignore these add-ons and just use the stock code to look up the current prices. The foregoing barcodes generally require good quality printing and are therefore usually printed as part of the manufacturer's original packaging. If barcodes are added later to monitor in-house product or equipment movement, the following codes are often used as they do not need such accurate print. They are not usually used on retail products

Index 18

ITF-14 These are 14 characters in length and are numeric only. They usually contain a checksum digit to give some security against fraud. DUN-14 These are 14 characters in length and are numeric only. They usually contain a checksum digit to give some security against fraud. DUN-16 These are 16 characters in length and are numeric only. They usually contain a checksum digit to give some security against fraud. The following barcodes can be of varying length: 2 of 5 There are several versions of this type of barcode which are called Industrial, Matrix and Interleaved. They are all numeric and can contain varying number of digits. They are used mainly for in-house codes and can sometimes be found on shoe boxes in the UK. The size, style and colour of the shoes are usually encoded in them. 2 of 7 These codes are sometimes called CodaBar or Monarch. They are essentially numeric together with several additional characters. They are usually found on photographic envelopes and on packets of blood in UK hospital blood banks. The first and last characters, ie the start and stop characters, are letters which must be entered in matching pairs, ie a/t, b/n, c/*, d/e. The valid characters are '0 to 9' and '- $ / . +', plus the start and stop characters, so a valid code could be 'a1099t'. 3 of 9 These can be of varying length and can contain both numbers and uppercase characters, together with 7 additional characters. They are second in popularity to EAN types because characters other than numbers can be included. They are usually found on high value stock items such as serially numbered electrical goods. The valid characters are '0 to 9', 'A to Z', '- . $ / + %' and a 'space'. The start and stop character is '*' which is automatically added when a label is created and ignored when the label is read. They are usually printed without a checksum digit. Plessey These codes are sometimes found on library books in the UK, they are relatively rare. Valid characters are the hexadecimal range, ie '0 to 9’ and ‘A B C D E F'. They usually contain a checksum digit to give some security against fraud.

Index 19

Index A accurate print 18 additional characters 19 additional information 18 Add-on 11 alphabetic 15 America 18 Auto CRC 8 automatic checkout machines 18 B Bar Thick to Thin Ratio 8 Barcode 10 Barcode is not copying 17 Barcode Label Form is missing 17 Barcode Label Setup 10 barcode parameters 12 Barcode Readers 5 batch labels 12, 13 Batches not working 17 black and white bars 8 C Canada 18 checksum digit 18, 19 checksum digit 8, 19 clipboard 11 code is not valid 15 codes 13 column 14, 15 Copy 11 Copying 11 country of origin 18 CRC 8 current prices 18 D dates 13 Description 11 Disk 11, 14, 16 drag box 11 drag boxes 10 dragged 11 DTP 11 E EAN 18 Edit 11 ending 13 equipment movement 18 European Article Numbering 18 European retail checkouts 18

Index 20

extra CRC 8 F first digit 18 Font 8 font list 8 font names 9 font size 9 font style 9 fonts 13 fraud 8 G goods are received 15 Goods In Labels 15 H hexadecimal 19 I ignored 15 Illustrations

Menus Barcode Font 9 Barcode Font Size 9 Barcode Font Style 9 Barcode Labels 7 Barcode Options 8 Barcode Types 7 Create Single Barcode Label 10

Windows Create Batch Barcode Labels 13 Creating a Single Barcode Label 10 Creating Goods In Labels 15

inclusive of Tax 14 incoming goods 15 in-house codes 19 in-house product 18 integrated 17 Integration 6 invalid barcode digits 11 Invalid Codes 13 ISBN number 18 J K L label area 10 label PICT form 10 library books 19 lowercase 11 M magazines 18 manufacturer's original packaging 18 Menu Permissions 6 month of the issue 18 moved 10 N

Index 21

new font 17 new position 11 No of Barcode labels 15 not appearing on the Label 17 not selected 9 Number of labels 11, 14 numeric 15, 18, 19 O Options 7, 13 Order 13 P pasted 10 photographic envelopes 19 PICT files 11 PICT form 10, 17 picture 10 pixel width 8 poor definition printers 8 positions 13 Price 11, 14, 15 Prices are not available 17 prices change 18 Printer 15 Printer 11, 14 printing a batch 13 Producing Barcode Labels 4 Q quality printing 18 R rare 19 repositioned 10 Repositioning 11 resized 10 retail stock items 18 row 14, 15 S Save Dialog box 11, 14 Saving 11 scrapbook 10 Scrapbook 11 Screen 16 Screen 11, 14 scroll bars 10 security against fraud 18, 19 selected item 10 Setup 6 sheet of labels 14, 15 shoe boxes 19 Single Label 10 Size 9 sizes 13 smaller retail products 18 Stand Alone System 6

Index 22

start 19 Start and End at 13 Start at Column and Row 14, 15 Start at Column and Row 11 starting 13 stationery folder 17 Stationery Setup 6, 17 Stock Control 15 Stock Receipts 13 stop 19 Style 9 sufficient digits 11 T Text is not altering 17 text item 9 thick to thin ratios 8 ticked 15 Troubleshooting 17 Type 7, 13 Types of Barcodes 18

2 Digit Add-ons 18 2 of 5 19 2 of 7 19 3 of 9 19 5 Digit Add-ons 18 CodaBar 19 DUN-14 19 DUN-16 19 EAN-13 18 EAN-8 18 Industrial 19 Interleaved 19 ITF-14 18 Matrix 19 Monarch 19 Plessey 19 UPC-A 18 UPC-E 18

U uppercase 11 uppercase characters 19 Uses of Barcode Labels 4 V valid characters 19 valid characters 19 valid code 19 validity checks 8 varying number of digits 19 view the layout 11 W warning 15 word processing 11

Index 23

X Y Z

Index 24