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News : "Barcode tags ... really do scan!"
Barcode tags ... really do scan!
Posted by Tanos on Fri 16 Mar 07, 10:25 PM
I've now been able to try out barcode dogtags from two of the sources listed on the SLRN barcode suppliers page. I'm very impressed with the results, in particular that both types are scannable, despite being quite different in appearance to the high-contrast black-on-white barcodes you see in supermarkets and bookshops every day.
The first set of tags I tried are from Cuircraft in the UK. I've got 3 tags (lili, popi and the number 123-456-781 that I use for examples, logos etc.) but I've used a picture from their website as they're quite difficult to photograph clearly, being plain aluminium. The tags are roughly the size of normal military dogtags, and are clearly engraved with good use of the space.
As there's no ink involved, I was initially sceptical that they would scan properly, certainly with the LED scanner that I've got (rather than a Laser.) However, all three of the tags scan very reliably if you get the distance between the tag and scanner right - with normal printed barcodes, scanning isn't very sensitive to the distance. With the Cuircraft tags, getting the right distance just means pressing the scan button a few times as you change the distance.
Secondly, Scott Blake in the US very kindly sent me some samples of his Bar Code Art SLRN tags. These dog tags are made of aluminium too, but instead of engraving, the process appears to be printing and a protective layer of plastic lamination on one side. This results in a very clear and high contrast image (that even I have been able to photograph!) that's available in a variety of colours, but not the bare metal
of Cuircraft.
I was even more sceptical that I would be able to scan the white on black tags with lili and popi's numbers, since product barcodes are all black on white. Nevertheless, it worked again - this time with the hood of the scanner almost in contact with the tag. They then scan very reliably.
(If you're interested in barcodes, the rest of Scott's site is well worth a visit. As well as the tags, he does temporary tattoos, T-shirts etc and genuine art made out of barcodes in some way. He's also written a detailed
Barcode Tattoo Guide with advice for anyone thinking of getting one inked.)
So 5 dog tags in total, and 5 out of 5 of them scan just as well as the barcode on the back of a book (once you get the distance right.) I'm very impressed by the suppliers' products - and it's a tribute to the designers of the barcode standards and the makers of scanners too 
There's more about
how the barcodes work in TSR's Registration Guide. That explains how USB barcode scanners simulate a second keyboard that "types" barcode numbers when you scan one, and how the Lookup box on TSR will accept the numbers and take you straight to a registrant's profile page - just by scanning their dog tag!
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