Web Printing Service for Barcode Labels and Supplier Labeling

New Web-based Label Printing System

TEC-IT introduces a new 100% browser-based printing system for industry forms and barcode labels. Users of TFORMer Online now create and print arbitrary labels and forms completely independent from label printing software or operating systems. Variable label data is entered manually directly in the browser or imported from an online database (Google Gocs™ spreadsheets). Output is created as PDF and can be printed on any printer.

Print Labels Anywhere and Anytime

With TFORMer Online you establish a distributed label printing system easily. Share label printing functionality with partners, suppliers and customers. The system works with all browsers on all operating systems, local software installation is not required and label design efforts are eliminated completely. Ready-to-use label templates for VDA-4902, MAT labels, Odette, Galia ETI-9, AIAG B-10, GS1 GTL, Caterpillar shipping parts identification and others are available for immediate use.

Supports Google Docs™ Online Spreadsheets

It's your choice! Create the labels with manually entered data or import variable label data stored in Google Docs™ spreadsheets. Google Docs™ is a free online service provided by Google. It enables you to maintain spreadsheets completely in your browser and provides convenient table-based data entry. Entered data is stored automatically online, there is no need to re-enter values for future printing sessions. In order to use Google Docs™ as database for TFORMer Online you need a Google account.

Evaluate TFORMer Online Now

Try this new web printing service for free or watch this video for an overview:



TFORMer Online is the perfect online printing solution:

• for distributed label printing requirements,
• for establishing a supplier labeling system
• if standardized label quality must be provided to partners, suppliers and customers,
• if your printing volume does not justify special purpose software,
• for eliminating time consuming label design efforts,
• for automated label and PDF creation as part of your online system (e.g. via web services),
• and for label printing on all operating systems.

Interested? Please contact TEC-IT for pricing, integration possibilities and guidelines.

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IDAutomation Newsletter: October 2010

by Nate Schubert

64-Bit Office 2010 Incompatibility Update

The compatibility problem with the 64-bit version of Office 2010 and our ActiveX Controls, VBA Macros and the Word/Excel Add-In have been resolved. We have re-engineered these products to work with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Office 2010, and all updates were released as of October 19, 2010.

Download the current version of any affected IDAutomation products with an active Priority Support & Upgrade Subscription.

USB Barcode Scanner and Stand in Gray for $99

There is still time to take advantage of our special on the GS1 DataBar USB Barcode Scanner Kit in Gray, which includes a matching stand for the low price of $99, before supplies run out. This USB scanner is completely DataBar compliant and supports all DataBar barcode types, which will be required by GS1 in all retail checkout systems by January 1, 2011. This special price is a $40 savings over our popular IDAutomation USB Barcode Scanner with DataBar in Black and stand at list price.

Barcode Video Tutorials

To assist our customers with implementing and working with our products, we have put together a group of training videos:

Knowledgebase Articles

• What is The Difference Between 1D and 2D Barcodes?
• What are The Different Code 128 Barcode Standards?
• How to Change and Set Specific Barcode Font Heights.
• Should The Crystal Native Generator be Installed on The Receiving PC?
• Barcode Word Mail Merge
• Printing MICR Bank Checks Using The Check Design Application
• Label Software - Microsoft Data Connectivity Component
• How to Create ISBN Barcodes Using the Image Generator (and OCR Fonts)
• Create GS1-128 Compliant Barcodes Using The IDAutomation Barcode Image Generator
• How to Use the Barcode Recognition Software
• How to Create Barcodes in OpenOffice Calc
• Create Intelligent Mail Barcodes with Postnet Fonts
• Create Barcodes (Standard Barcode Types) Using Universal Fonts
• How to Create Barcodes in Crystal Reports Using Fonts and Formulas
• Programming the SC5USB Barcode Scanner

Product Updates and Support Subscription Renewal

IDAutomation's Priority Support and Upgrade Subscription allows you to receive the latest version of the product, unlimited phone support, priority Help Desk support during work hours, and additional help desk support on evenings, weekends and holidays.

If the Priority Support and Upgrade Subscription has not been purchased or is expired, it may be activated from the appropriate link:

• Links for all products: http://www.idautomation.com/extended/about.html

If the Priority Support and Upgrade Subscription has already been purchased, log into the IDAutomation store and go to "Account" located in the upper right hand corner. On the Account screen, there will be a list of Recent Orders with a summary of what each order contains if there is more than one. Click on the "View Order" button of the order that contains the software to download. The download link will be located under the Digital Goods section of the online Invoice.

For customers who do not purchase the Priority Support and Upgrade Subscription, support is limited to our online knowledge base and the product support site. Product updates are only provided to customers with an active Priority Support and Upgrade Subscription.

Recent Press Releases

• New Release: Barcode Add-In for Microsoft Word and Excel
• Product Update: GS1 DataBar Barcode Image Generator
• Press Release: Patent Granted for Generating Barcodes Without Barcode Fonts or Graphic Objects
• New Product: GS1 DataBar Java Package
• Product Update: Java Barcode Package
• New Product: ASP.NET GS1 DataBar Barcode Web Server Control
• New Product: MaxiCode Font and Encoder
• New Product: GS1 DataBar ASP Barcode Component for IIS

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IDAutomation Joins AIM

by Nate Schubert

It's official! As of October 7, 2010, IDAutomation has teamed up with AIMGlobal in an effort to provide our industry-leading barcode generation fonts, components and software applications to an even wider range of those in need.

That's Great! But What is AIM?

The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility, or AIM for short, is the international trade association for providers of automatic identification and mobility technology solutions. They are the leading authority on barcode technology, RFID technology and Enterprise Mobile computing. Essentially, AIM serves to provide both information and direction in terms of automatic identification and mobile computing technology, to ease the process of integration into standard, every day business.

What is IDAutomation's Role?

In a nutshell, AIM is an organization that provides guidance and direction for the industries that IDAutomation specializes in. Without authority organizations like AIM, we would have more difficulty providing our excellent products and solutions to customers, because there would be a lot more confusion as to the direction of the industry as a whole.

What Does It All Mean?

Because we have teamed up with AIM, we are now able to provide their website visitors with solutions they can use to improve the speed of business processes, reduce inefficiences, and increase revenue. Who doesn't want that?

Check out the IDAutomation profile on AIM or visit our website for more information on the many ways we can help your business.

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Barcode Label Printing Software Basics

by Nate Schubert

If you have been keeping up with our recent articles, then you know that IDAutomation provides three basic types of barcode generation software:

• Barcode Fonts allow for barcode generation on a variety of operating systems, in a variety of applications like Microsoft Excel, Office, Access and much more.
• Barcode Components are environmental barcode generation products like Java. .NET and ActiveX controls which allow for barcode generation in environments where the particular component is installed on the user machine.
• Barcode Generation Applications which do not require fonts or components, and can be run from an executable for an all-in-one solution.

While we have discussed the basics of barcode fonts as well as information about ActiveX Barcode Controls, no barcode generation conversation is complete without talking about Stand-alone applications like the IDAutomation Barcode Label Software.

What is a Stand-Alone Application?

Simply put, a stand-alone application is a software program that can run independently of other components. In the case of barcode generation, our stand-alone applications do not require other fonts or components in order to work, and intead simply need to be downloaded and installed on the computer where they can be run as needed.

What Can Barcode Label Software Do?

IDAutomation Barcode Label Software is a stand-alone WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) label design interface application that allows you to create, design and print labels which can include barcodes. This product is useful for anyone who needs to print labels of any kind since it can include text, images, shapes and barcodes. The IDAutomation Barcode Label Software is especially useful when there is a need to create barcode labels to adhere to products, documents, or anything that may need to be tracked in an inventory system.

Benefits of IDAutomation Barcode Label Software

While barcode fonts or barcode components may offer greater compatibility with operating systems and environments, the IDAutomation Barcode Label Software can offer high-powered barcode label generation within Windows operating systems from Windows 98 up to Windows 7. Barcode label templates that are created and customized can be saved for later use, and custom label dimensions can also be saved for later printing. Because this is one of our flagship products, it is often updated to include the latest capabilities which means our customers can stay on the cutting edge of barcode label generation.

While it's great that the IDAutomation Barcode Label Software allows for barcode label generation on a variety of printers, label types, barcode types and windows operating systems, the database connectivity is perhaps the greatest benefit to businesses that need an easy fix in terms of connecting the database to the label software for large barcode label printing runs. The standard Barcode Label Software has built-in support for comma delimited text files, CSV, Microsoft Access and Excel files as a data source. The Barcode Label Software Pro version allows database connection with all of these types in addition to ODBC, DSN, Oracle and SQL Servers.

Another significant benefit to the IDAutomation Barcode Label Software is it's ability to use incremental features which can include numeric barcodes and text, and can be incremented at specific intervals. This allows the user to skip ahead to a specified numeric range without stopping the process entirely. Additionally, advanced printing capabilities allow the start label to be specified when unused labels exist on a page.

Drawbacks

While there aren't many drawbacks to the IDAutomation Barcode Label Printing Software, there are indeed some in terms of compatibility. Stand-alone applications are great because they contain everything you need to get the job done, but they aren't flexible for use outside of that specific purpose. Barcode fonts, for example, can be used in a variety of operating systems, applications, mediums while this product can be used only on Windows operating systems 98 and later. Macintosh users should consider using barcode fonts to meet their barcode label printing requirements, as those are compatible with Macintosh systems.

Final Words

There are a couple of different versions of the IDAutomation Barcode Label Software that you should be aware of, depending on different factors. Perhaps the most important factor is which type of barcode you actually need to print. If you're looking for a barcode label printing product that can print linear barcodes like Code 128, Code 39, Intelligent Mail, UPC and others, then the Barcode Label Software will be sufficient for your needs. If you need those linear barcode types in addition to 2-dimensional barcodes like Data Matrix, PDF417, QR Code or the MICR fonts, then the Barcode Label Software Pro version is what you need.

Since the IDAutomation Barcode Label Software is one of our most powerful products for creating and printing barcode labels, our technical support staff has provided a variety of video tutorials that may be useful, whether you have purchased the product or are still testing with a demo:

• Linking to External Data
• Creating a Custom Label
• Using Print Range Features
• Using the Fields and Variables Features
  
• How to Create Label Fields for Serial Numbers and Constants
• Creating GS1-128 Compliant Barcodes

The IDAutomation Barcode Label Software is available online via instant download with pricing from just $139 for a Single User License with options that range all the way up to company-wide use.

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TSC Auto ID America Partner Conference

TEAM TSC
PARTNERS’ CONFERENCE

Please join us for the inaugural “Team TSC Partners’ Conference”
TSC would like to thank you for your support over the years and cordially invite you to join us for our inaugural TSC Partners’ Conference. Please join us for a two day event on November 11th and 12th in the greater Los Angeles area. Below is an agenda and details of the event. We hope to see you all there and make this a great success.

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November 11th
Reception	2:00 pm - 2:45 pm PST
Product & Technical Training	3:00 pm - 5:00 pm PST
Depart for Dinner Cruise	5:00 pm PST
Dinner Cruise	6:30 pm – 9:00 pm PST
Depart for Hotel	9:15 pm PST

November 12th
Breakfast	7:00 am – 8:30 am PST
TSC Show Case	8:30 am – 10:45 am PST
Partner Round Table Discussion	11:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
Lunch	12:15 pm – 1:45 pm PST
Farewell	2:00 pm PST

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ActiveX Barcode Control Basics

by Nate Schubert

Our last article touched on the benefits and drawbacks of barcode fonts in terms of generating barcodes in a variety of different environments, applications, etc. While barcode fonts are able to create one barcode type from a font, components exist that allow generation of many different barcode images that can be streamed into applications both internally and across the web. One such component is the ActiveX Control, which we will be discussing today.

What Is ActiveX?

ActiveX was first introduced by our friends at Microsoft in 1996 as a means to bridge the gap between programming languages in various applications so that different applications and environments can be compatible with one another through a common component. Essentially, ActiveX Controls can be thought of as a translator of sorts. Many Microsoft applications use ActiveX controls such as Excel, Visual Studio, Internet EXplorer, Office and much more. ActiveX isn't limited to just Microsoft, however, and seems to have taken off on the web which has resulted in many web browsers allowing ActiveX compatibility. Because ActiveX is in pretty wide use, it provides a fair amount of flexibility between applications.

What Does The ActiveX Barcode Control Do?

The IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Control is a graphic object that can be embedded into an Application, web browser or even onto a web page and used to create barcodes as graphic images in .WMF format without bitmaps or special fonts. Installing an ActiveX Barcode Component to meet your generation needs is a great benefit when you need a dynamic barcode image to live in an application or on the web.

The Benefits of ActiveX Barcode Controls

One of the good things about using an ActiveX Control for barcode generation is compatibility. Virtually every Microsoft Application and almost all web browsers allow installation of ActiveX Controls, which means this barcode generation component will not only work to generate barcodes on a variety of computers and from the web, but can also view them.

Another great thing about creating graphic barcode images with ActiveX Barcode Controls rather than using barcode fonts is that those barcode images can actually be saved independently of the file, from the web for example. This will most likely provide the greatest benefit in terms of Internet barcode generation, meaning a greater number of your visitors will be able to view the barcode. The same can be done by embedding barcode fonts into the web page, but the process can be more complicated than using ActiveX Controls.

Lastly, the IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Control is capable of generating a variety of different barcode types such as Code 128, Code 39, Intelligent Mail, UPC, Data Matrix, PDF417 and much more whereas barcode fonts allow the creation of only that specific barcode type. So, ActiveX Barcode Controls provide greater flexibility with respect to which types of barcodes can be generated.

Drawbacks of ActiveX Barcode Controls

One of the main drawbacks of using an ActiveX Barcode Control is the fact that ActiveX must be installed on the system where the barcode will be generated or viewed, or the object simply will not work. Many different applications and web browsers support ActiveX so this is not normally an issue, but some still do not and this will render ActiveX-based components useless.

Are ActiveX Barcode Controls Best For You?

Ultimately, deciding to go with an ActiveX Barcode Component over Barcode Fonts or a different barcode generation component will come down to the environment you are operating in as well as which, and how many barcode types you need to generate. IDAutomation ActiveX Barcode Controls are available in both Linear and Linear + 2D for optimal flexibility in the type of barcodes you need to create. Here are some additional benefits of our ActiveX Controls Package:

• Compatible with 32 and 64-bit Windows operating systems.
• Compatible with any application that supports COM or ActiveX components.
• Barcode Image Generator included for pasting barcodes into other applications or saving a a graphic WMF file.
• Works as a DLL and does not need to be loaded onto a form.
• Licenses from $199 with 30-Day Priority Support & Upgrade Subscription.

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