Admit it, you’ve been using the same software version since Windows 3.1 (or even DOS) and you’re still plodding along with it. You might think this is still cool, but it is high time to go get upgraded. Here are some good reasons why…

You’re getting new computers: Your old software probably won’t work with Windows 7 and you’re unlikely to find a parallel port to plug in that dusty old license dongle either.

Oh, there probably won’t be a PS2 port for that old keyboard wedge scanner either, but that’s for another day!

Bug Fixes: You know all the workarounds you use to get around problems in your software? Chances are the bugs have been squashed in one of the 7 or 8 releases since you last upgraded.

New Features: There’s a lot of time saving and error reduction waiting to be unleashed in your labeling processes. Taking advantage of new features and ways of working in updated software can help you impress your boss.

Tech Support: You tried calling for support on that old version recently? Don’t bother, the time spent on hold would be better spent going to get a coffee. Tech Support expires on older versions of label software. What about yours?

Winco ID DoD Templates:  Sell to the Department of Defense and use BarTender? Winco’s set of MIL-STD-129 labels is provided free to our customers. Guess what – they only work with the current version!

So there are a lot of good reasons to dump that ancient software and get the latest and greatest. Give us a call (or use the Contact Page on the site) and we’ll help you get going – especially with Seagull Scientific and Teklynx software.

David
603-598-1553

Oh, feel free to let us know if Harry and I have missed any good upgrade reasons!

One of the ways we can help our DoD contractor customers is by providing our set of BarTender templates for MIL-STD-130 and MIL-STD-129 labels.

Here’s a short video tutorial on connecting the MSL label to a spreadsheet to populate the label with the required data.

Need a set of these templates? We provide them at no charge to Winco customers. You’ll need to have the current version of BarTender (Pro or higher and we will be happy to sell you this if you need it) and we can also provide various levels of training and support.

I came across this problem just the other day. A client had an activated version of BarTender, but the software insisted on going into expired trial mode and not printing the barcodes correctly. I’d never seen this before – how could the software possibly be activated and in trial mode at the same time?

A quick call to the Tech Support folks at Seagull Scientific quickly solved the problem. What had happened is that the client had downloaded the 30 day trial of BarTender from the Seagull site and then purchased and activated the software. The problem is caused because the trial version is the highest level of BarTender. If the purchased license is for a lower level, it is possible that the labels are using features not supported in the purchased edition. The software attempts to deal with this by switching to trial mode, causing problems if the 30 day period has expired.

How to fix? No problem – the nice Seagull people have made a little video that shows just what to do to remove these unsupported features. See it here.

Need to use those features? No problem, we’ll be happy to help you upgrade to the edition of BarTender that allows you to use them.

As simple as a label may seem, if you are spending a lot of time setting up your labels, and getting them to work with your printer, you’re loosing valuable time.

Whether your label is used to keep track of where things are, where they are going, where parts came from, current inventory levels, or identification, you’ll need to be able to set up your labels quickly and easily.

With more things requiring a label mandated by government for inventory control and tracking, FDA for traceability, and other regulatory organizations, labeling demands can become quite complex and change frequently.

So how do you simplify the process of creating a new label or modifying an existing one?

Join us for a few minutes and we’ll show you how to create a barcode label in 5 easy steps by clicking on this video link:

Or click here: http://www.labelingnews.com/BT-label/bt-label.html

See how easy it can be to create a customized barcode label!

With BarTender, you have total control over your label’s appearance, including the type and size of text, bar codes and graphics. Place objects exactly where you want them and control rotation as precisely as 1/10th of a degree.

Label design templates will make it easier to print specialized compliance labels, ie: military labeling for MIL-STD-130 including UID format and MIL-STD-129 including RFID as well as other compliance mandates.

Do you have to STOP what you are doing to figure out how to set up a new label format? Do you handle your label design and sequential numbering from a central location and print throughout various departments or locations? Do you want to save time and make that part of your job easier?

Contact David Holliday at 603-598-1553 X237.

The GS1 128 barcode has become a standard in many industries for allowing data to be encoded into barcodes using standard formats so that the data can be used in applications all over the world. It has become a standard tool for organizations wanting to improve their supply chain visibility.

Probably the biggest downside to GS1 128 is the fact it is based on the Code 128 barcode structure. While Code 128 is robust and easy to read, it does take up a lot of label real estate – fine for labeling pallets or shipping boxes, but not good for the identification of smaller items.

A much better barcode symbology for labeling small items is the Datamatrix code. This is a modern 2D barcode format that we use a lot for labeling items for our defense and electronics industry customers.

GS1 has taken the very welcome step of producing a data standard that combines the advantages of the Datamatrix barcode with the well proven GS1 data structure – the result being called GS1 Datamatrix.

I see this as being a huge step forward for companies that will be needing to meet the planned Unique Device Identification (UDI) that is being proposed by the US FDA. This is going to apply to almost all medical devices – many of which are quite small. The Datamatrix code is idea for these applications and the GS1 Datamatrix specification provides a standard for encoding all the product data that the FDA is likely to be demanding.

Our friends at Seagull Scientific have already incorporated GS1 Datamatrix into their BarTender label software – see screenshot.

It is therefor quite possible to be begin using the GS1 standard today! BarTender is a GS1 US Certified Bar Code Software Product, proven to be 100% compliant with the various GS1 barcodes. The GS1 wizards in BarTender are great, I like the way the FNC1 separator symbol is automatically dropped into place at the end of variable length fields as the spec requires.

The UDI rules have not been published by FDA, but a combination of the Datamatrix code and the GS1 data structure does give device manufacturers a really good option to be able to mark their products in a compliant way. The fact that the Datamatrix code can be printed on many types of durable label substrates or directly marked onto components give a lot of flexibility.

GS1 has produced an excellent introduction to the GS1 Datamatrix code that can be downloaded from their site here.

Here at Winco ID we have worked with hundreds of defense contractors to help them get going with the DoD’s UID program. As the FDA UDI mandate begins to take shape, we will be ready to help medical device manufactures as well.

Are you a medical device manufacturer with a need to add UDI barcodes to your products? Do you see other uses for the GS1 Datamatrix barcodes in your organisation? Give me a call at 603-598-1553 x237 to discuss!

Our good friends at Seagull Scientific have made some changes to the licensing for the popular BarTender Automation and Enterprise software.

BarTender Automation and Enterprise is licensed by the number of printers in use, and it uses a License Server application to control this. Problems have arisen when network or server issues have caused the client computers to be unable to connect to the License Server. Until now, there was a 72 hour grace period to get the License Server working before labeling would be stopped.  Additionally, if a printer malfunctions and needs to be replaced, the Seagull licensing might prevent the new printer from being brought into use because of being over the number of printers allowed.

The last thing the Seagull engineers want to do is to stop BarTender users from being able to print, so if an event occurs that causes a temporary violation of the license or the License Server can’t be found, the client now has a grace period of 30 days to correct things, rather than being shut down on the spot. The 30 days should be plenty of time for the clients technicians or IT people to get the problem solved while labeling continues as normal.

Making things easy for customers is something that Seagull Scientific is serious about and just one of the reasons we are happy to be a Seagull business partner.

Do you use BarTender for your labeling and printing? If you’d like to learn more, contact me at any time: 603-598-1553 x237

Seagull Scientific’s BarTender label software has always been pushing the limits when it comes to including useful new features.

The latest release, version 9.3 includes a lot of new ideas – one of my favorites is weigh scale integration.

Quite often, labels need to include weight fields and the new BarTender interfaces directly with many of the frequently encountered industrial scales.

Weigh scale integration is just one part of the print time data entry forms improvements included in the latest BarTender version.

Why not download the trial version from the Seagull Scientific site and try it out? When you are ready to buy, let me know – Winco ID is a Seagull business partner and we will be happy to help you.

Just got details of the latest version of Bartender, my favorite label design and print software from Seagull Scientific.

For a long time, Bartender has been the easiest to use and most comprehensive solution for labeling, especially because of it’s ease of integrating with databases, encoding RFID and controlling from external applications.

Probably the most obvious change is that the name of the Enterprise Editions has changed and Bartender Enterprise and Bartender RFID Enterprise have been combined into a single edition – Bartender Automation. The really good news is that the list price for customers needing RFID has been cut almost in half – a great deal!

The Seagull folks have updated their interactive Features and Editions Comparison Chart which give more detail – see it here

There are also a lot of improvements in the user interface, aimed at improving the whole experience.

I’ll be installing the new version over the next few days and posting a full review.

Bartender is a great label program, but it can be tricky trying to figure out which edition you need.

Seagull Scientific currently has no less than six editions, from the incredibly powerful enterprise Print Server down to the (very) Basic Edition.

Like most of the label software companies, Seagull has published charts of all the features in each edition, but this can get confusing.

In an attempt to make it easier for potantial customers, Seagull has come up with an interactive version of their Features and Editions Comparison Chart. Check it out here!

To be honest, I find that the thing about BarTender that most confuses my clients is the difference in licensing between the Pro and Enterprise editions. You’ll note that this is the very top item in the chart.

Do you use BarTender or are you thinking of using it? Need help with determining which edition you need? Let me know what you think.

Winco ID is a business partner of Seagull Scientific, we have been providing and supporting Bartender with great success!