Barcode Education

Labeling software for the most part is separated into two distinct categories: off-the-shelf and custom. Off-the-shelf programs are generic applications that produce labels on demand. There are many DOS and Windows applications that allow custom labels to be generated on demand using WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interfaces. These labels are generally produced off-line and do not need to be created from the host program. This software is available for dot matrix, laser, and thermal printers. If it is necessary to integrate bar code printing with your current applications, consider custom or "on-line" program callable printing.

Program callable printing generates labels through custom programming usually requiring simple modifications to your existing software. Printing directly to either a thermal transfer or direct thermal printers requires a basic knowledge of the syntax of the printer commands used to format the label. Usually, each manufacturer has a different command set and among them some instruction sets are much easier to use and are more robust.