Barcoding: To Stream or Not To Stream?

By now, business owners understand that the best way to increased revenue is to engage customers and make it as easy as possible for them to complete a purchase, stay informed or complete some other goal of value to the business. The Internet has been a phenomenal tool for businesses to connect with consumers and to make the conversion process easier, and barcode technology has certainly played a role. But how?

It goes without saying that barcodes aren't the most exciting technology in the world, but that in no way diminishes their value. Following are some of the most effective uses of barcodes on the customer landscape to date:

• Membership Reward Programs are popular ways of getting consumers to trade a little personal information for some potentially deep discounts on products or services. Traditional reward programs have offered a key chain tag or plastic card with a barcode that can connect customers to those discounts, while more recent developments technology may allow for an easy "instant membership" image that displays a barcode which can be stored on your mobile device.
• Order Confirmations are an important part of any purchase process. After all, customers need to know when their purchase is complete. A barcode representation on the invoice receipt is an excellent way to encode valuable information such as order number, product, or even shipping method so that company employees can assist quickly and be proactive in case the customer needs help with an exchange, return or something else.
• Marketing Promotions are a vital piece of any successful company. Here in the age of Social Media, you not only have to engage your customer base to convert, but you also have to motivate them to engage their social networks and spread the word about your products and services. QR Codes are particularly popular for tracking recipient behavior in marketing promotions both online and off.

There are a lot of different solutions that will allow the display of barcodes on a website or in an email which are two of the most popular methods of delivering information to consumers. One of the simplest methods is by utilizing IDAutomation's Hosted Barcode Generator Service, a cloud-based barcode generator that displays dynamic barcodes based on parameters set forth in a custom URL. This is a cutting-edge SaaS product that is light-weight and powerful enough to handle the needs of the highest order. For more information on how this service can be used, read up on this tutorial or please review the video demonstration below:

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How to Secure Your Streaming Barcodes

by Nate Schubert

Security is an important concern on the internet, not only for companies that have E-Commerce and web sites intended to engage and interact with users, but also for web surfers who seek out community or other valuable content online. If a website is not properly secured, then any data that is communicated between the web site and the visitor can be intercepted by anyone who has the means to eavesdrop. 

When considering which facets of your web site to make secure, think about the role that barcodes play. For example, many E-Commerce checkouts include barcode images on the order form. In many cases, the data encoded therein consists of names, addresses, and possibly even credit card numbers. Many membership-based websites require private information like social security numbers, addresses or other personal data that may be stored in a barcode for easy, error-free entry into a database. If the information in these barcodes is not encrypted and secure, then your data may be on display for anyone who wants it.

There is an easy way to determine whether you are surfing securely on a web site. If the beginning of the web address (URL) starts with HTTP, then there is no encryption and if someone is looking for it, they can potentially see the information you enter. If the web URL starts with HTTPS, then your visit is secure and so is all of the information you may give a website, because the data is encrypted and hidden from any prying eyes. 

IDAutomations' Hosted Barcode Image Generator Service is fully HTTPS-compliant. This means that the custom URL sourced in your HTTP code can reference the URL as HTTP for public areas of your site, or as HTTPS for checkout and other sensitive places. This feature makes our service one of the most secure ways of transmitting information through barcode images on web sites, in email and in other applications that may reference a URL to display an image.

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2D Barcode Integration Tips for Adobe InDesign

by Nate Schubert

Adobe InDesign is a powerful application that allows graphic designers, production artists and others to create print media such as magazines, posters, brochures and more in addition to publications intended for digital consumption. Given the business-centric nature of these uses, the integration of 2D barcodes for InDesign works is likely to become a necessity for many users.

IDAutomation provides a range of solutions to enable 2D barcode generation in Adobe InDesign.

• Barcode Image Generators provide an easy method of generating one-off barcodes which can be saved as image files, or copied and pasted directly into InDesign works.
• 2D Barcode Font and Encoder packages allow a roundabout method of generating barcodes where the data is first encoded within Excel and then that encoded data is imported into InDesign where the appropriate font can be applied to it to generate an accurate barcode.\
• Hosted Barcode Generators include custom URLs that can be integrated into InDesign works that are intended for internet viewing, thus allowing easy dynamic barcoding.

These are all dependable solutions when an organization has a need to add 2D barcodes to their InDesign documents. For those looking for an all-in-one solution, consider the 2D Barcode Module for InDesign by Meadows Printing Solutions. This powerful component installs directly into InDesign and appears as a toolbar selection in the application itself. Simply mark out a text box where you want the QR Code, Data Matrix or PDF417 barcode to appear and refer to the "MPS" toolbar menu to create your barcode. Meadows Printing Solutions also offers a free QR Code Generator for InDesign which can be used to demonstrate it's seamless compatibility and ease-of-use.

It's no secret to users that the latest version of InDesign (CS7) will include QR barcodes, and this is an excellent feature to add. However, it is important to note that QR is not the only 2D barcode type and that many organizations will have a need to generate others such as Code 128, Intelligent Mail, Data Matrix, PDF417 and others. Adobe's latest feature addition supports QR Code, but the products listed above support many more as well.

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What are the Benefits of Streaming Barcode Images?

by Nate Schubert

Barcodes come in many different shapes and sizes, and are capable of encoding virtually any type of data required toward the pursuit of an improved efficiency in a given business process. There are also a wide variety of fonts, programs and components that may be utilized to generate and display barcodes for the purpose of scanning in processes such as inventory control, document tracking, retail check-out, logistics and  much more.

As the internet and connectivity continues to shape and reshape our modern world, more and more components of doing business are migrating from on-site servers and employee machines to the cloud. This latest technological frontier provides individuals and businesses alike with the opportunity to access their information from anywhere at any time provided they have the proper security to do so. 

IDAutomations' cloud-based barcode generation service allows this same convenience to users who are able to utilize a program or environments' internet connectivity to stream dynamic barcodes directly. This service is extremely useful for ECommerce websites that generate invoice receipts, packing slips or other information that is made more efficient by the presence of a barcode. It serves business both from the standpoint of customer as well as behind-the-scenes where dynamic barcode images can be integrated into business analysis reports, inventory tracking reports and more.

Available in 1-year and 5-year terms, IDAutomations' Hosted Barcode Generator Service is fault tolerant with multiple load-balancing servers in different locations to virtually eliminate the potential for downtime. This is a high-performance, lightweight service that provides businesses with the ability to integrate barcode technology into any process that can access a custom web URL. Visit BCGen.com today to learn more about the various barcode types available as well as licensing details.

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Generate Free meCard QR Codes!

by Nate Schubert

One of the most common uses of QR Codes in business is in the creation of the meCard electronic business card which is an alternative to the vCard. meCards allow individuals to easily pass their contact information along to other for the purpose of relationships both business and personal. Since most smart phones are capable of reading QR Codes at this point in their technology, the meCard has proven to be an excellent way of delivering your important contact information with relative ease.

IDAutomation provides a free and easy method to create meCards using our special QR Code meCard Generator. By taking advantage of our simple interface, users can quickly create meCard QR Codes in seconds flat, and at no cost. This free service is made by possible through our Hosted QR Code Image Generator. For those who are looking for QR Codes to generate more than just meCards, IDAutomation offers the QR Code Barcode Image Generator which produces high-resolution QR Codes in a variety of popular formats.

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New Discounts for Hosted Barcode Generator Services!

by Nate Schubert

IDAutomation would like to hear from new and existing customers of the Hosted Dynamic Barcode Image Generator Service. We are happy to extend an offer to receive a discount for your next yearly subscription renewal or an equal-amount credit for a recent renewal order. We have outlined a few different opportunities for customers to receive this savings below:

• Submit a quality written testimonial that provides an overview of how the Hosted Barcode Generator works within your environment, and how it benefits your organization, customers or clients. You don't need to write a novel but we do ask that you give us at least 5 quality sentences to talk about the benefits of this cutting-edge software as a service. Accepted written testimonials will receive a 5% discount from a subscription renewal.
• Submit a compelling video testimonial version of the above. It should be at least 30 seconds long and should not exceed 2 minutes. Accepted video testimonials will receive a 10% discount from a subscription renewal.
• Submit clear written documentation that provides steps for integration of the custom URL used in the service as well as use within your specific environment. Please provide screen shots wherever possible, and be as thorough as you can in your documentation. Accepted documentation will receive a 10% discount from a subscription renewal.

By submitting your testimonial or documentation, you agree to allow IDAutomation to use the material on our websites, in newsletters or other locations on the web where IDAutomation has a presence. If you are an existing customer with an upcoming renewal that you want to apply this discount to, you will receive a special discount code and instructions for receiving your 5% or 10% savings at the point of purchase. If you are a new customer or you submit qualifying testimonials or documentation within 30 days of subscription purchase, you will receive a refund of 5% or 10% from the amount of your Hosted Barcode Generator subscription.

Why not let us know what you think about IDAutomation's Hosted Barcode Generator products while making your purchase more affordable at the same time? Contact IDAutomation today to make your submission via email and start saving!

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The Hosted Barcode Generator is a cloud-based barcode generation service that allow users to stream barcode images directly into Internet-accessible environments. This unique subscription-driven service lightens the load for customers who are able to provide high-powered barcode generation for a wide variety of uses including event ticketing, ecommerce sales receipts and even discount coupons via email. It requires little maintenance and virtually no technical support assistance because of its' ease-of-use. We also provide a server-side streaming barcode solution for those who prefer to host their own barcode generator service.

IDAutomation also provides other opportunities for savings that organizations can take advantage of to make this service even more affordable. In addition to offering yearly subscriptions, we also offer 5-year subscriptions at 50% the cost of the yearly. Additional discounts are also available for small and medium-size companies interested in developer licenses for our products.

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Cloud-Based Barcode Generation in Google Docs

by Nate Schubert

Google Docs has quickly become one of the most useful free cloud-based services available today. Individuals and businesses alike utilize sharing capabilities between various user accounts, or share a common account to stay up-to-date on real-time changes as they occur. This can help to improve response time in a crisis, or just help streamline projects that involve input from a variety of people. As Google Docs continues to build its' user base, and as users find more and more reasons to take advantage of the cloud-based service, the need to generate barcodes is also growing.

The Native Barcode Generator for Google Docs is a special component that adds dynamic barcode capability to Google Docs without installing special fonts, DLLs or Plug-Ins. This technology enables users to easily share spreadsheets and documents with embedded barcode objects that all users can view and print. Complete Google Script source code is provided with the purchase for full customization. Generating barcodes with the Native Barcode Generator for Google Docs is easy, as the video tutorial below demonstrates:

Priced affordably from $295.00 depending on license, this special IDAutomation component can greatly increase the power behind any Google Docs spreadsheet or other type of document. A free demo download is available here, and our technical support staff is happy to assist with any and all pre-sales issues that may arise.

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New License Options for Hosted Barcode Generators

by Nate Schubert

One of the most cutting-edge barcode generation technologies of today exists in the cloud, as a hosted barcode generation service that allows users to display barcode images on web pages, in databases or anywhere else, as long as the application is connected to the internet. Hosted services such as the dynamic barcode generator subscription that IDAutomation provides results in less of a load on customer servers, especially in high-volume dynamic barcode generation for websites related to ticketing, purchasing and coupon generation.

Until recently, IDAutomation has offered the dynamic barcode generator service to subscribers in 1-year increments, and for a variety of scenarios. We have trimmed these license options down and you can read more about those below:

• 1 Developer SaaS License: allows one developer to integrate the service into a process in addition to up to 10,000 unique users per week.
• 5 Developer SaaS License: allows between 2 and 5 developers to integrate the service into a process as well as up to 20,000 unique users per week.
• Unlimited Developer SaaS License: allows unlimited developers for service integration as well as unlimited unique users per week.

The first thing to determine when deciding on the right license option is how many developers you plan to have working to integrate the hosted dynamic barcode image generator service into your process. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, come up with an approximation as to how many unique users there will be to your service per week. To figure this number out, just estimate how many individual users will be accessing the web page or database and displaying a barcode. The same user can access a page several times within the week, and will still be considered one unique user. If this number exceeds 10,000 but is lower than 20,000, then the 5 Developer SaaS License will be the right choice. If your unique users per week exceeds 20,000, then it would be best to purchase the Unlimited Developer SaaS License.

Another important thing to note is that we now offer a 5-year subscription to the hosted service which eliminates the need to re-purchase your subscription on a yearly basis. This can be extremely beneficial for businesses who are confident that the service will be useful for years to come, and we expect many customers to take advantage of this new and improved license option.

Hosted services are the future of technology, both as it pertains to computers and the internet, and barcode generation is no different. 

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