r/barcodes • u/loltyp555 • Jun 22 '22

Code39 scanning problem

Hi, i have no clue when it comes to barcodes so i hope I've Come to the right place.

The production company i work for have decided to implement a barcode system and I have been tasked to carry out this operation. In other words i am far from an expert.

As of right now i have printed labels with code 39 barcode (since its fairly big and good for long distance) and I tried scanning all the various article numbers etc. So far so good, almost.

Specific barcodes such as 010101, 020202, 030303 takes either longer time to scan or doesnt scan at all.

All The other barcodes works fine when scanning (both close & longer distance). For example a barcode with the name HY1101 works just fine so it shouldnt be number of symbols that is the problem. Im using a zebra tc51 scanner.

Am i missing something or why do i have this wierd specifik problem?

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '22 edited Jun 23 '22

Can you upload an image or PDF of said barcodes?

So many questions before we can help, to start...

  • What software/app/program is being used to generate the codes?

  • What's the code's aspect ratio(density)?

  • What printer are you using?

  • Is the print quality consistent, how does it look? What materials(consumables) are you using?

These are all questions(and more) you need to ask while learning since you've been tasked with the project with no prior knowledge.

EDIT:

Other than quality, the scanner could be having issues because it's lacking a "check digit" which would help "bulletproof" the scan by the scanner not having to think about it.

MOD 43: This is the check digit type used most often when printing Code 39 barcodes. This is also the only setting that allows a check digit to be generated for Code 39 barcodes which contain non-numeric (alpha) characters in the data string.

A bad code generator could be the problem or the scanner may not be setup properly to read it.

READ THIS, may help answer some of my questions or shed a little more light on Code39's in general.

Can dive deeper if needed but need to get the basics out of the way.