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.

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.

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.

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!

Hacking via Barcodes

Just when you thought it was safe to scan any and all barcodes, someone comes up with an attack using barcodes.

If you do use this technique, please buy your barcodes from Azalea Software. It's the least you can do.

Google Ventures Into the Physical World

By using, of course, barcodes. The big G has "..launched a new effort to send window decals to over 100,000 local businesses in the U.S. that have been the most sought out and researched on Google.com and Google Maps".

Locate the 2D barcode decal at a participating store, snap it with your phone's barcode reader, follow the URL link to the web and behold: store hours, user reviews, special offers, whatever the retailer's loaded up on the intertubes for you.

We love this idea (and began implementing it locally a year ago but hey, when Google bites your idea it's a compliment) because our love of cellphone app gadgetry is second only to our love of real world barcode implementation.

Wonder how the folks at Yelp are taking it.

That good ol' "Global Supply Chain"

It's not called a global supply chain for nothing. Shipping and distribution are assumed to be international these days. All over the map. Worldwide.

To that end we're now whispering about barcodes in Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Vietnamese.

Now that's global. And you just know there are barcodes lurking around in there.

NeoMedia Wins One For the Dark Side

UPDATED 30 Apr 09: Interestingly, this post sat dormant for weeks and just today three new replies came in a flurry. What a coincidence! One talks of how TinyURL infringes on NeoMedia's patent. One is a reply to another commentor. And one, why, one suggests that I have no testicles! At all! Which is true! But rather a mundane fact to point out, and so angrily (also, Jim, water is wet!). And also, things may be "getting legal", yowza! Not sure what that means but it sounds scary, doesn't it? Eek!

Clearly this economy (and swine flu!) is affecting everyone, creepy mouthpieces for random strangers coincidentally interested in NeoMedia's "interests" and barcode bloggers alike.

Like I said, all y'all folks with dogs in this fight: I'd be taking notes and backin 'em up to hard disk if I were you.




ORIGINAL POST:
After protracted review, the US Patent & Trademark Office recently ruled in favor of evil attorney cabal tech company NeoMedia. For years NeoMedia has argued that they own absolutely everything having to do with barcodes + cellphones, and they own all barcodes + looking them up on the intertubes. They also own a patent on you. And your dog. And your mom.

While the Electronic Frontier Foundation valiantly begged to differ, devoting years and miles of effort, funds and reason to disputing this sort of mercenary dipshittery, it's all over now but the crying.

"Overbroad and invalid patents threaten to chill important innovations, especially for startups and other nascent entrepreneurs. It's important that technology in the public domain stays there." EFF Senior Staff Attorney Jason Schultz said in 2007.

The US PTO has changed all that in one fell swoop of patent validation. NeoMedia can now threaten and actively initiate lawsuits against anyone who creates, uses, promotes or dreams up anything having to do with their special corner of the auto-ID universe. Pay the NeoMedia licensing fee/s now, or pay them after a financially crippling lawsuit- it's entirely up to you!

This would be marginally acceptable if NeoMedia had created a unique technology of their own. But they didn't; these patents are based entirely on murky, factually-suspect claims of prior art. They now have a patent on using barcodes that they didn't create (which are based on font and image technology that they didn't create), with camera phones (which they didn't create) that take photos of said barcodes, the phone applications (that they didn't create) which translate those pictures into data (which they didn't create) which can be used to direct the user to a database (that they didn't create, and don't own) on the internet.

This means that if you scan a barcode that has a URL in it with an app on your cellphone, NeoMedia may attempt to squeeze cash from every developer in the chain: the maker of the barcode, the cellphone app developer, the cellphone maker, the cellphone carrier, and the owner of the destination internet database. Also, of course, your mom.

This means you, Google. NeoMedia's sure to go after the big guys first, right? Some dude who's running from blog to blog threatening lawsuits sure thinks so. Wonder if NeoMedia knows he's picking fights with some very big dogs on their behalf? Of course he could be NeoMedia's president and CEO for all we know (either way, I'd be making a hard copy or ten of all such blog and forum comments if I were, say, Scanbuy or ShopSavvy or ZXing..).

Whatever happens, it will certainly be interesting to watch. Pop some corn and pull up a chair.




US patent #6,993,573

US patent#7,383,209

This Friday the 13th is also 1234567890 UNIX time!

In a couple of days it'll be Friday the 13th. Not just any Friday the 13th. It's also 1234567890 in UNIX time at 11:31:30pm UTC (11:31:30 here in Seattle). Read all about it on Slashdot (where else).

This should give all the 666 Mark of the Beast nutjobs something else to ponder.

Coupon Barcodes

In these perilous financial times coupon-clipping is a really good idea.

Barcodes for birds

Just when you think you've seen every barcode use and permutation imagineable along comes barcodes for birds. It all makes perfect sense when you read about it.

Color bands (barcodes) on birds allow for quick identification out in the wild. Still, barcodes for birds...

Dennis Quaid Is Down With Barcodes

Imagine my surprise and delight when I read that Dennis Quaid is a barcode fanboy. He's going to sue Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles unless they implement a barcode system.

Hey Dennis, wanna be on my Board of Directors?

Barcodes & Christians? What about 666?

Hey. I thought Christians associated barcodes with Satan. You know, UPC barcodes include the Mark of the Beast. The Devil's in bar codes.

Well, here's a church embracing barcodes.

Barcodes & Interior Lighting

Some may think that there's no intersection between barcodes (our favorite topic) and lighting design. Think again. Introducing barcode lights.

An idea whose time has come.

BTW, what do they scan as???