Sales Promotion with Trackable Coupons

Track Coupons Using Global Coupon Numbers (GCN)

You are a retailer, coupon issuer, distributor or a marketing agency and would like to distribute and track coupons?

Then you should think about applying for standardized and globally unique numbers for such purposes. Starting this year (2013) the GS1 organization in Belgium and Luxembourg maintains and issues global coupon numbers. Because such a GCN is based on the GS1 company prefix, it is worldwide unique.

Personalized and Non-Personalized Coupons

For non-personalized coupons only the so-called GCN part 1 is required to identify a coupon. For personalized coupons the coupon issuer needs to utilize GCN part 2 (basically a serial number) as well.

In addition each coupon must be assigned a coupon value.

GS1 DataBar Expanded for Coupons 

Based on the available space on your coupon, select either the GS1 DataBar Expanded or the GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked bar-code symbology.

The GS1 DataBar barcode encodes the GCN using application identifier AI (255). The value of the coupon is encoded by means of AI (390x). It is required that such a GS1 DataBar starts with AI (255) followed by AI (390x). The use of AI (01) along with AI (255) in a single coupon barcode is forbidden.

The barcode must be applied to each coupon. It does not matter whether you distribute paper coupons, eCoupons (printed by the customer) or digital coupons (e.g. coupons received and presented with smartphones).

GCN Barcode Maker Software

TEC-IT's barcode creator software Barcode Studio V15.1 was recently extended with a convenient assistant to support the creation of GCN barcodes with AI (255):

Barcode Studio's Global Coupon Number Assistant

Barcode Studio is a professional tool for creating bar codes. Single bar-codes as well as series of bar-codes are created in no time at all. Barcode data can be entered manually or imported from CSV files. The created bar codes are exported as bitmap or vector images for further processing. Barcode Studio V15.1, which also incorporates simple label printing functions, is available for Windows and Mac OS X.

A free, fully functional 10-day trial is available for download:

Barcode Studio for Windows
Barcode Studio for Mac OS X

About TEC-IT

+TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH provides high quality software in the areas of automated data acquisition and data collection, bar-coding, barcode extensions for ERP systems, label and form printing, report generators and output management. TEC-IT products are available for all major platforms, thus customers benefit from complete and versatile software solutions for all possible requirements. The company is located in Austria / Europe and can be reached via www.tec-it.com.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Be A Barcode Wizard with Barcode Studio!

+TEC-IT released the new version of Barcode Studio, the well-known bar code maker software.

Features

Barcode Studio V15 provides advanced support for international requirements and offers unmatched 2D symbology capabilities. Check out the appealing new features: 

• All Applications, All Countries - The new USPS Intelligent Mail package barcode enables the US Postal Service to enhance its package tracking. The Han Xin code is intended for applications in China. DotCode provides state-of-the-art direct product marking capabilities. 
• Go International - Now Russian and Polish language support is available in addition to English, German, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. 
• Perfect for Pre-Press - Overprinting support enables you to create the best possible bar code quality. 

The New Barcodes

USPS Intelligent Mail Package Bar Code (IMpb)

IM package barcode (IMpb)

The IMpb provides detailed package-level data and enables the US Postal Service to enhance its package tracking capabilities.

Han Xin Code

Han Xin 2D Code

The Han Xin Code is intended as the "National 2D barcode symbology of China". The strength of this 2D symbology is the optimized encoding of Chinese characters.

DotCode

DotCode

The DotCode has been developed for high-speed and on-demand printing on labels or directly on products. It's best suited for direct part marking (DPM) with ink-jets or lasers.

Free Download

Barcode Studio is available for Microsoft Windows and Max OS X. Just give it a try - the download of the 10-day trial is free:

Barcode Studio Download (for Windows)
Barcode Studio Download (for Max OS X)

About TEC-IT

+TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH provides high quality software in the areas of automated data acquisition and data collection, bar-coding, barcode extensions for ERP systems, label and form printing, report generators and output management. TEC-IT products are available for all major platforms, thus customers benefit from complete and versatile software solutions for all possible requirements. The company is located in Austria / Europe and can be reached via www.tec-it.com. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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New: Barcode Studio Creates Mobile Tagging QR-Codes with Shortened URLs

Data List with Shortened URLs

Version 12 of TEC-IT's barcode maker software will be released shortly. This post introduces the built-in URL shortener capabilities of the Barcode Studio update.

The new URL shortening feature provides 3 main benefits:

• Dramatically Reduced QR-Code Size
  URL shortening means squeezing a long URL into a shorter one. This is important when creating mobile tagging QR-Codes for vCards, meCards, SPARQcodes, etc. With URL shortening you reduce the amount of data to be encoded. Smaller, better readable, easier-to-share QR-Codes are the result.
• Free QR-Code Traceability
  URL shortening providers like Google (http://goo.gl) and Bitly (http://bit.ly) offer simple and free tracking features. More on this below.



Data Import Assistant

• Batch URL Shortening
  The data import assistant of Barcode Studio is able to shorten thousands of URLs with a single click.

Shortened URLs

You are not familiar with shortened URLs? Let me give you an example: A typical URL looks like this:

http://www.tec-it.com/software/barcode-software/barcode-creator/barcode-studio/Default.aspx

In total this example URL requires 91 characters. By shortening this URL you will get the following results:

• http://goo.gl/fnBby
  (when shortened with Google's URL shortener service http://goo.gl)
• http://bit.ly/c1ZTRO
  (when shortened with http://bit.ly)

The shortened URL requires only 19 (or 20) characters and still points to the same target URL. Just try it out by clicking on them!

QR-Code Tracking

A shortened URLs provide an easy way to analyze the usage of the codes. Whenever a shortened URL is used to visit a web-page the shortening provider tracks this event. It does not matter if the user scanned the code with a smart phone, simply clicked on it in a twitter status message or entered the shortened URL manually into the address bar of the browser. At the time being both providers offer publicly visible tracking statistics for free.

For Google's shortener service you get the tracking statistics by simply adding ".info" to the shortened URL: http://goo.gl/fnBby.info. When using Bitly just add the plus sign: http://bit.ly/c1ZTRO+

Privacy notice: Take care - the tracking statistics are usually publicly visible to everyone!

Free Release Candidate Downloads

A free pre-release is available for Barcode Studio on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Check it out!

Download Barcode Studio for Microsoft Windows

Download Barcode Studio for Mac OS X

About TEC-IT

Secret QR-Code

TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH provides high quality software in the areas of bar-coding, barcode extensions for ERP systems, label and form printing, reporting and automated data acquisition. TEC-IT products are available for all major platforms, thus customers benefit from complete and versatile software solutions for all possible requirements. The company is located in Austria / Europe and can be reached via www.tec-it.com.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Update! Barcode Maker Software for QR-Code vCards and More

vCard Data Import

Check out this post to learn more about the new features of Barcode Studio V11.6.

With Barcode Studio you quickly create high-quality bar code images for pre-press requirements and desktop publishing applications. More than 100 different linear and 2D codes are supported by this software!

The new release focuses on bar-code creation for mobile tagging with vCard and meCard QR codes and provides enhanced label printing features.

Features and Enhancements in Detail

QR-Code vCard Assistant

• Mobile Tagging
  2D codes for mobile tagging are now using the lowest possible error correction level. This minimizes the size of the generated barcodes.
• Intelligent Data Import
  It is possible to import predefined data formats for vCard, vCalendar, meCard, etc. in a structured way. This is especially helpful for mass-creation of business card bar-codes.
• Copy Counter for Label Printing
  The user can specify how many identical copies of a single label should be printed.
• ISBN / ISSN / ISMN
  The data assistant now makes it easier to enter codes in ISBN, ISSN, and ISMN format.
• Pixel Shaving
  For 2D codes like QR-Code or Data Matrix, the pixel shaving algorithm was improved.
• Appearance
  The appearance of several dialogs was improved.

Bug Fixes

• Label preview crash was fixed.
• The check for the bar code sizes was improved.
• Fixed the wrong display of the number of errors in the data list.

Free Trial with 10 Days Unlimited License

Demo downloads are available for Mac OS X and for Microsoft Windows. Check them out today!
Barcode Studio for Mac OS
Barcode Studio for Microsoft Windows
The above downloads are FINAL releases (as of 07/25/2011) - have fun!

About TEC-IT

TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH provides high quality software in the areas of bar-coding, barcode extensions for ERP systems, label and form printing, reporting and automated data acquisition. TEC-IT products are available for all major platforms, thus customers benefit from complete and versatile software solutions for all possible requirements. The company is located in Austria / Europe and can be reached via www.tec-it.com.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Create Popular QR Codes for Mobile Tagging and vCard Business Cards

Latest TEC-IT Press Release

Austria, TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH (tec-it.com), leading vendor of AUTO-ID and bar code software presents a brand new feature for the popular barcode maker software Barcode Studio.

“Even in Europe 2D bar codes – mostly QR codes- are becoming more and more popular. Especially the increasing need in marketing and mobile tagging is causing a rise in demand for 2D barcodes. In light of this development TEC-IT is responding with its new version of Barcode Studio.”
(Guenter Kriegl, CEO of TEC-IT )

Mobile Tagging, vCard Business Cards and More

QR code business card including
encoded contact details (vCard)

Creating 2D bar-codes for electronic business cards with vCard and meCard formats is simplified dramatically: The brand new assistant leads you through the data input with a multifunctional dialog box, the user just enters the contact details and the assistant takes care of generating the 2D barcode with the correct data formatting. No special knowledge is needed. What’s more, mobile tagging barcodes for events, Android Market search, WiFi networks, Twitter tweets, LinkedIn profiles and Facebook likes are supported for the user’s convenience as well.

Even industrial applications benefit from the intuitive assistant: Create GS1 barcodes by using predefined application identifiers (so called AIs) quickly and without any special skills. Barcode Studio inserts the FNC1 delimiter characters automatically.

Try and Test

Barcode Studio V11 can be downloaded from TEC-IT’s website www.tec-it.com. A completely free and unlimited 10-day test drive is available. The bar code maker software is available for Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and UNIX. Enjoy the product videos on YouTube.com to learn more about Barcode Studio

Please Contact

Susan Enzenhofer
TEC-IT Datenverarbeitung GmbH
Hans-Wagnerstrasse 6
A-4400 Steyr - Austria, EUROPE

Email
office@tec-it.com

Telephone/Fax
T ++43 (0)7252 72720
F ++43 (0)7252 7272077

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Create vCard Business Cards with QR-Codes

How to Create vCard Business Cards with Barcode Studio

Some users of Barcode Studio are unsure regarding the correct data format for creating barcodes for so-called 2D code business cards.
Such an "electronic” business card encodes the contact data in a QR-Code or a Data Matrix symbol. These codes can be scanned with your smartphone. The business card data is recognized automatically, you will never need to key in contact data manually! Most camera-equipped mobile phones are able to decode QR-Codes on such business cards (Data Matrix is not in common use until now).

The example outlined in this post contains vCard sample data (.xls and .csv files) and a setting file for Barcode Studio. This settings file (*.BCS) can be used immediately to create premium quality QR-Codes with Barcode Studio.

Creating a vCard Data Format

A vCard barcode must follow certain rules, the different elements of a business cards (e.g. the phone number) are tagged with prefixes. Some sample prefixes:

• Begin of vCard data: begin: vcard
• Name on card: n:
• Telephone number: Tel:
• Email address: Email:
• End of vCard data: end: vcard

Please ensure the accurate order of the single data elements! Refer to Wikipedia to get a list of available property prefixes and more information about the vCard format.

Step by Step: Create your own QR-Code Business Cards

Follow the steps to create your QR-Codes. Use the included sample files to see how the data is encoded:

1. Download and unzip the example specified below.
2. Use Microsoft Excel to enter your vCard data in the sample Excel file. Separate the data elements with a new-line. Enter a new-line by pressing "Alt" + "Enter" simultaneously in a cell.
3. Export your data as CSV file.
4. Start Barcode Studio and open the settings file (*.BCS).
5. Importing your CSV file: Choose the "Datalist" tab and click the "Import" button. Ensure the correct import settings as shown in the screenshot. In most cases you should use the Field Separator comma (,) and the Text Qualifier ("). If this doesn't work, please check the generated CSV file.
6. Now export your QR-Codes.



Import Settings

Free Sample File Download
In order to use the sample files make sure you are using the current version of Barcode Studio.

• Download Sample and Setting Files
• Download Barcode Studio
  

If you have any questions just contact TEC-IT via email or give us a call (++43 (0)7252 72720).

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Barcode Videos on Youtube - Update

Hello there!

This is an update regarding the available video playlists for barcode software from TEC-IT on YouTube.

NEW:

Barcode Maker Software (English)

Content:

Five videos demonstrating how to create perfect barcodes with Barcode Studio.

1. Create Perfect Barcodes Part 1: Barcode Studio User Interface
2. Create Perfect Barcodes Part 2: EAN-128 with FNC1
3. Create Perfect Barcodes Part 3: Data Import
4. Create Perfect Barcodes Part 4: Bar Code Image Export
5. Create Perfect Barcodes Part 5: Serial Number Generator

EXISTING:

Barcode Label Printing Software (English)

Content:

Tutorial videos for the barcode label printing software TFORMer Designer.

1. Barcode label printing with TFORMer Designer

Barcode Label Printing Software (German)

Content:

Tutorial videos for barcode label printing software TFORMer Designer.

1. Barcode-Etikettendruck mit TFORMer Designer

Barcode Generator Component (English)

Content:

Tutorial videos for the bar code generator SDK TBarCode.

1. Using Barcodes in Microsoft Office / Microsoft Word
2. Creating Serial Letters with Barcodes

Please check out the TEC-IT Barcode Software channel on YouTube on a regular base. More videos are to be expecied...

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Barcode Maker: Barcode Studio V9.3 released

Just a short notice for Barcode Studio users: V9.3 is available for download, it introduces the following new feature:

• EPS files may now be generated with embedded TIFF preview.

And fixes the following bugs:

• Fixed the problem with auto-resizing PDF files.
• Set the missing resolution settings and reduced the image file sizes (TIFF Export).
• File extension is now always adapted to the chosen image type (Data List Export).
• It is now possible to load files that do not have a file name extension (Mac OS).
• CMYK color settings can now be used directly for EPS generation (Mac OS Color dialog).

Many thanks to the HP SmartStream team for their valuable feedback!

Users of Barcode Studio 9.0 or higher may update to this version free of charge.

Download it here: Barcode Studio V9.3 (Windows), Barcode Studio V9.3 (Mac OS X - Universal Binary for PPC and Intel), Linux (on request)

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Barcode Studio V9.3 RC is available!

A new release (V9.3) of the barcode creator software Barcode Studio will be available to the public in a few days. This release introduces the following enhancements and bug fixes:

• TIFF preview in EPS files
• PDF Export - Fixed the problem with auto-resizing PDF files.
• Data List Export - File extension is now always adapted to the chosen image type.
• Mac OS X - Option All Files in the File Open Dialog
• Mac OS X - CMYK colors can now be adjusted

As usual the release candidates are available exclusively to readers of this blog:

• MAC OS X: Barcode Studio V9.3
  
• Microsoft Windows: Barcode Studio V9.3
• Linux: available on request!

Update: Barcode Studio V9.3 was released on 05-26-2009.

Existing customers of Barcode Studio V9.0, V9.1 or V9.2 can update to this version free of charge. All license keys are still valid.

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Barcode Studio V9.2 RC is available!

A new release (V9.2) of the barcode creator software Barcode Studio will be available to the public in a few days. This release introduces just one enhancement - but it is a major one:

Barcode image export with human readable text works now on all operating systems.
In previous versions of Barcode Studio this feature was only available on Windows.

Barcode Studio V9.2 was release on 04.29.2009 - see XXX.

The release candidates are available exclusively to readers of this blog:

• MAC OS X: Barcode Studio V9.2


• Microsoft Windows: Barcode Studio V9.2


• Linux: available on request!

Existing customers of Barcode Studio V9.0 or V9.1 can update to this version free of charge. All license keys are still valid.

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Barcode Studio V9.1 is coming!

In a few days TEC-IT will release the new version of Barcode Studio (V9.1).

The most important new features are:

* Data List for Multiple Bar Codes
* Improved File Import
* Better Serial Number Generator
* Improved Bar Code Export
* Improved Bar Width Reduction
* HP SmartStream Designer Integration (more details are available from HP)


Barcode Studio was released on 03/25/2008! Download Barcode Studio here: Barcode Creator Software.

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