Does anybody have any idea about the differences between barcode fonts (used as a font in reports) and fonts that are printed directly from a barcode printer?
Why should we put a star before and after the barcode font and we don't need that when we use a barcode printer?
I've had a lot of issues when I used a barcode font !!!!
Any idea please
thanks
The star character is part of the specification for Code 39. It is used as a delimiter for the barcode itself. Barcode readers will not recognize the code if the stars are not present.
When using a barcode printer, the printer adds the stars automatically. You tell the printer what you want encoded (and which code to use), and it takes care of the rest. If you were using a different encoding (other than Code 39), the appropriate start and end delimiters for that code would be used instead. When using a barcode font, you have to place those delimiters by hand.
There should be no physical differences between the font and the output from the barcode printer, but beware of other gotchas: some codes require a certain amount of whitespace on either side of the printed code, and some include a calculated checksum character, which must come after the code characters but before the last delimiter, e.g.:
[whitespace][delim][char 1][char 2]...[char N][checksum][delim][whitespace]
All of these elements are part of the requirements for a particular code. The barcode printer will handle these things automatically. If you have trouble with the codes printed using fonts, try carefully comparing the output of the barcode printer with the output from the regular printer.
I agree with what e.James has to say, the only other difference I would add between barcode fonts and ones installed on printers is scaling. I have seen many instances where you use a barcode font and because of how you implement or scale the final output you alter the barcodes readability. A common issue is when an application outputs a simple barcode into a PDF file and Acrobat Reader is set to 'fit to page'. In most cases this is fine due to the high resolution of laser printers; however, this scaling might mess with the font to a degree that it is no longer readable.
Looingk at a barcode specific printer or an embedded font on a laser printer, you will find that you do not have absolute control over size. You will have options but they will fit with the characteristics of the barcode and the devices output resolution (dpi).
As an aside, many barcode scanners and apps that read barcodes have the ability to turn on or off requirement for start/stop characters like the *.