Barcode labels that wrap around your product could be the answer to the question “Why doesn’t my package scan?”
If you have ever been through a self checkout line in a grocery store and run your item over the scanner multiple times, you have an idea of what I am talking about.
When you wrap a bar code label around a cylindrical product like a pint of ice cream or a jar of vitamins there is a good chance that the bar code cannot be read. The scanner must be able to see the entire barcode at the same time.
Changing the barcode orientation can be used to overcome scanning issues:
Using the correct orientation of the label on test tubes or vials means rotating the bar code 360 degrees. Now the bar code is stretched around the tube allowing it to be read by the scanner.
Incorrect Barcode Direction
Correct Vertical Placement
Examples of changing the location of the barcode labels that wrap include:
Taking a bar code racking label and extending it to wrap under the cross beam to allow it to be scanned from directly underneath.
Case labels can be extended to wrap around the box so that it can be scanned from different directions as long as the full barcode is located on a single side of the box.
The height of linear bar codes also known as a 1D bar code can be stretched or shrunk without affecting how well it can be read by a bar code scanner. Sometimes a taller bar code will give you a better read because you have a greater chance that the reader can see all the bars at the same time.
Remember, applying a bar code in the wrong direction on your product can lead to not getting any read at all. When a scanner attempts to read a barcode, it must be able to see all the bars at the same time.
Click here for more information on bar code labels.
Talk to a label expert at 800-321-3653 or 404-671-3150
