Starting a Barcode Project

Have you been tasked with a barcode project? Are you suddenly the go-to person for making company barcodes and have no idea where to even start?

We're here to make you look good. Read through our barcode project primer, assemble the right tools, make, save, print and boom, project complete. A barcode rock star is born (that's you).

How to Make Code 39 Barcodes in Crystal Reports

Did you know that SAP Crystal Reports comes with Azalea Code 39 barcode fonts and capability built right in? It's true!

We've also got custom functions for making every flavor of barcode in your report. Check out the Code 39 functions here.

Building Code 128 Barcodes in Crystal Reports

It shouldn't be rocket science! We've simplified things with quick and easy custom functions to make Code 128 and GS1-128 barcodes right inside your reports.

Azalea Is an Excellent Name, We Agree

Our software is also hypoallergenic and fragrance-free! Find super absorbent, all natural barcode software at azalea.com.

How to Put Barcodes on Existing Packaging

If your product already has packaging, how do you add a barcode to it? Over-label!

Barcodes and Data Entry

Data entry is the worst. Know what makes it better? Barcodes.

All About ISBN Barcodes

What does ISBN stand for? Where do you get an ISBN? How do you turn an ISBN number into an ISBN13 barcode? You have ISBN questions and we have ISBN answers!

Barcode Glossary & FAQ

What does ISBN stand for? What does 'symbology' mean? What on earth is an Application Identifier? What you need is a barcode glossary. We just so happen to have one for you! Everything from AIs to ZIP code barcodes, you'll find it in the Big Barcode FAQ.

Barcodes Don't Have to Be Boring!

Barcodes have rules that must be followed to be quickly scannable, every time.

But once you create accurate bars and spaces, there's plenty of room for creativity.

Learn the right way to make a scannable barcode, then let your imagination run wild.

How to Make UPC and EAN Barcodes in Excel

When you need to make UPC or EAN barcodes by the hundreds or thousands it doesn't make sense to create them one at a time! Azalea's UPC & EAN macros for Excel make batch-barcoding a breeze.

All About UPCs

How do you get UPC barcodes for your products? What's a 'company prefix'? Can you make up your own UPC numbers? You have so many questions, and we have so many answers!

Interleaved Two of Five Barcodes: What Are They?

What is an Interleaved 2 of 5 barcode? What does 'interleaved' mean? What's an 'ITF-14'? Do we have the answers for you!

What Exactly is a Code 39 Barcode?

What is it used for? How do you make one? Find all the answers in the Code 39 FAQ.

Let's Talk About Code 128 Barcodes

What are they? What data goes in them? What is a "GS1-128" barcode? Are there specs and standards?

Find all the answers in the Code 128 FAQ!

Printing Better Barcodes

Printed barcodes only need to do one thing: scan correctly. Find out what you need to do to print accurate, scannable barcodes.

What's the Best Way to Share Barcodes?

In a PDF! When you need to share barcodes with a client, customer or coworker, save them to a high-quality PDF document.

Why Are Barcode Fonts Better Than Barcode Images?

Why not barcode graphics? Find out why barcode fonts are so quick and easy.

How to Size Barcodes

Making scannable barcodes that fit into your label, template or package design is critical. Barcodes that are too small or too large may be unreadable for scanners. Find out how to create barcodes that are just right!

What Exactly Is the Deal With Barcodes and 666?

This is a perennial favorite of ours here at Azalea. Is it true? False? Somewhere in between? We did the research so you don't have to!

Did you know you can make Interleaved 2 of 5 (ITF) barcodes in Excel?

Whether you need to create standard I 2 of 5 or ITF-14 barcodes, we've got the macros to get you barcoding!

Code 128 & GS1-128 Barcodes in Excel Spreadsheets

Today's the day you get those Code 128 and GS1-128 barcodes DONE! We have the Excel macros you need to finally finish that barcoding project.

How to Make Code 39 Barcodes in Excel

Need to create Code 39 barcodes by tens, hundreds, or thousands in your Excel spreadsheet?

Our C39Tools for Windows comes with free macros to quickly get you batch-barcoding Code 39s right in your Excel project.

Flashback to the Birth of Retail Barcodes

"Something was on the horizon in 1973 that would revolutionize the grocery shopping experience."

The Raleigh News & Observer has a look back to the 1970s, when barcodes on retail products were still just a twinkle in IBM's eye.



~ The News & Observer

Azalea Software and the New National Museum of African American History & Culture

Azalea's founder Jerry Whiting has always been a collector of fine photography and hard-to-find images from America's 20th century civil rights era.

In 2007/2008, the newly-approved Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture - still at the blueprints stage - put out a call for historically significant items to build its collection. Jerry was thrilled at the opportunity, and in addition to donations from his personal collection, gifted three stunning photos from his Azalea collection of Henri Cartier-Bresson work to the NMAAHC.

'Saint Francisville, Louisiana'

'Civil Rights Demonstration, Washington, DC'

And 'Easter Sunday, Harlem'

We are so very proud to be a small part of the NMAAHC. Take a moment to explore it: online, or if you're lucky, in person. It's beautiful, troubling, moving, and a vital piece of our shared American history.

A Fun New Excel Macro With An Excellent How-To

flipText is a small Excel macro that easily reverses the order of text in a spreadsheet. While converting "stressed" to "desserts" is fun, Excel power users have more complicated project needs. Those needs are addressed in the comprehensive How-To that accompanies the flipText macro.

The How-To clearly explains, step-by-step, how to copy an Excel macro from one spreadsheet into another.

Most Excel users have never really worked with custom macros before, so the idea of copying a macro is beyond many people's comfort zone. The flipText macro is fun enough to get your attention, and from there we hope you'll find using macros less intimidating!

To help distribute this tutorial, we released flipText as open source software under a Creative Commons license.The flipText macro and its invaluable how-to can be downloaded from our website here: www.azalea.com/excel-macros/

Creative UPCs

There's no real reason to get creative with UPC barcodes on retail packaging.

Which makes it that much more delightful to see manufacturers doing silly, whimsical or just plain goofy stuff to their UPCs.

It's fun for the sake of fun!

Endangered Zebras' Barcodes May Help Save Them

Vicki Croke at The Animalist has an interesting piece up about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust using zebras' individual 'barcodes' to identify and track Grevy's zebra populations in Kenya.

Photo: Vicki Croke

According to The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, technology may soon make identification even easier: “software is being developed that will allow the stripes of a Grevy’s in a photograph to be read like a barcode and automatically identified.”

Technology is amazing.

We Don't Have An Office But If We Did..

While this one is my favorite color, it's a touch on the broody side. And it's in St. Petersburg, Russia, which has 123 days of snow cover per year. No thank you.

This one's a little better, though it's somehow office parky.

This one now, this one I like. Sure it's tiny. But it's ADORABLE.

A few ferns out front, some wisteria climbing the wall, I'm so there.

Code 39 Barcodes in SAP Crystal Reports

Azalea has had a long and happy relationship with SAP/Business Objects Crystal Reports - years and years. We love talking to Crystal customers on the phone; they really know their stuff!

The Windows version of most of our software packages are compatible with Crystal, making it a super snap to build barcodes into reports.

Check out how to make Code 39 barcodes in Crystal (it really is SO easy):

Grandfather of the Modern Barcode, Norman Joseph Woodland, Has Died

From lecturer in mechanical engineering at Drexel University to technical assistant on the Manhattan Project to inventor of the original concept of barcoding (inspired by Morse code), Norman Joseph Woodland led a very interesting life. He passed away on December 9th, 2012, at the age of 91.

DC Velocity has an interesting piece on the man whose ideas helped slingshot the manufacturing, distribution, shipping and retail industries directly into the future.