July 1998

Six Ways to Use Barcodes

Barcodes can streamline input and data capture in a number of applications. Here are six of the most popular ways to put barcodes to work.

by Lowell Rapaport

Barcode streamlines the input of routine and redundant data, and it does it so reliably it has become a ubiquitous technology. From the warehouse to the shipping room to the store shelf, barcodes keep count, keep track and deliver data simply and efficiently.

From a business perspective, barcodes save money on labor costs and training, and document technologists have incorporated them into at least six popular applications. Imaging systems employ barcode to separate documents as they are scanned. Backfile conversion and document scanning applications use barcode to group documents together. Barcode also streamlines data entry, workflow and forms processing.

All these applications require repeated entry of common data with a high level of reliability, the two traits that barcodes excel at most.

But for many people, applying barcodes to the document management environment is not obvious. Here's a primer on how to make barcode technology work for you.

Document Scanning

Document scanning is the first step in any imaging system. It is here that barcodes find some of their widest use in document solutions. One routine part of the scanning process involves inserting barcoded separator sheets between batches of documents as they are scanned. The separator sheets help the imaging system index the documents as they are scanned. After scanning, the separator sheets are removed and can be reused.

Barcodes can also be applied directly to the documents to be scanned. They can be printed on the documents or applied as adhesive labels. Barcodes applied directly to the documents are just as effective as separator sheets, though there is one important difference: the barcode is recorded along with the rest of the document. Some users don't like to see barcode on their documents or don't want to waste space on barcodes. On the other hand, barcodes permanently recorded on the scanned documents may make it easier to re-index documents at a later date, especially when switching computer systems.

Putting barcodes on your forms and documents requires a little creativity. One simple method is to print out adhesive labels bearing barcode. Peel and stick a label on a document and it is instantly barcoded. The barcode can also be printed on the document when it is created.

An example of software that makes it easy to add barcode to any printed document is Barz_out from Unibar (Rochester Hills, MI 248-299-5050). With Barz_out, you prepare barcode beforehand; when you want to add a barcode to a printed document, you embed a trigger character in your document. Whenever the trigger character is encountered during a printing operation, a barcode is printed. You can even add commands to the trigger character to customize the barcode.

If you routinely scan large numbers of documents, all requiring their own barcodes, you may want to invest in a specialized barcode printer. Barcode printers are faster at printing and better at creating barcode than most conventional inkjet and laser printers. Barcode printers are available from companies like Axiohm (Paso Robles, CA 805-237-6400), Argox (Santa Clara, CA 408-739-9466) and Datasouth (Charlotte, NC 704-523-8500) and are available at prices ranging from $400 to more than $2,000. Most models connect to computers just like ordinary printers and are driven by barcode labeling software. Top-of-the-line barcode printers can be programmed from their own control panels to print barcode without tying up a desktop computer.

Backfile Conversion

As anyone with backfile conversion experience will tell you, preparation is the most important step in the process. Barcodes can be used to index documents prior to the scanning operation. Complex, multipage documents can be grouped together with a single barcode applied directly to the documents or printed on a cover sheet. Barcoded cover sheets can be used to separate file folders, file drawers and documents from different time periods.

Barcodes can also be used to apply basic document identification. If you preprint ID barcodes for each of your accounts, you can apply them to the documents pertaining to the account. This relatively simple step can eliminate one or more fields when indexing the scanned documents.

In one example, the Board of Elections in Lake County, OH, had to scan in voter registration cards. They already had a computer database of voter ID numbers, but they wanted to have scanned images of the cards with the voter's signatures. Using their existing database, Lake County printed out barcoded versions of the voter ID numbers on adhesive labels, matched the labels to the voter registration cards and scanned in the cards using the barcodes to link the scanned documents to their database entries. They indexed and combined the scanned images with the existing database in one easy step.

Software for generating barcodes comes from Bear Rock Technologies (Shingle Springs, CA 530-672-0244) and Synex (Brooklyn, NY 718-499-6293). Barcode software should be able to create barcodes in sequence number or by extracting data from a database. To read barcodes in backfile conversion, you need software that can pull barcodes off of scanned images. Bar Code Anywhere ($2,000) from Solution Technology (Boca Raton, FL 561-241-3210) is designed to read barcode in any orientation and off of poor-quality scans. The Bar Code Anywhere software development kit adds barcode to any imaging system.

Data Entry

While most point-of-sale systems use the Universal Product Code barcode, some retail businesses sell products on which printing or applying barcodes is impractical. One solution that is sometimes used to avoid repeatedly entering the same information is to print barcodes for the products being sold in a booklet. To enter an item in the point of sale system, a cashier scans the product ID code from the barcode book.

If you have forms or database entries that can be filled out with a limited range of values for each field, you can replace time-consuming keyboard entry with pre-printed barcodes and inexpensive barcode wands. Barcoded data entry is inexpensive, easy to implement (many barcode wands and scanners connect to the keyboard input on a computer), requires relatively little employee training and makes the data entry activity portable.

To implement this approach you have to plan ahead. Determine all the possible values that will be entered into an electronic form. The form could be the front end to an order-entry system or database system. Select a symbology (i.e., barcode format) that will support the data you need to enter into the computer. Symbologies are the arrangements of black-and-white lines, dots and bars that make up barcodes. If you are entering only numeric data, like zip codes and phone numbers, you can use a barcode symbology that supports only numeric input. Universal Product Code (UPC) and "2 of 5" are examples of numbers-only symbologies. More likely you'll need a symbology that will support alphanumeric information, and one of the most popular is called "3 of 9."

Use barcode-generating software to make barcode versions of each of the possible values that will be entered into each field of your electronic form. Print out the barcodes and paste them to a stiff piece of paper or cardboard. To protect the barcodes, you can cover them with a piece of transparent tape. Finally, connect a barcode scanner or wand to your computer and you're ready to go. Instead of having to type the same field entries over and over, you simply scan their barcode equivalents. It's that easy.

If you need to handle data entry in the field, you can connect the barcode scanner to a portable computer and take your barcode book with you. Since barcodes are cheap to print (requiring only the cost of the software, toner and adhesive labels), you can make a barcode book for every employee. Employee training is easy; data entry clerks don't even have to know how to type.

Workflow

Workflow management is one of the most powerful document management technologies, but it has a serious flaw. Workflow systems can only manage electronic documents. Paper documents have to be scanned in to bring them into the workflow system which is time consuming.

Barcodes, however, are a good way to make workflow systems aware of paper documents. If you have a document workflow that, for one reason or another, has to be handled on paper (e.g., a legal application that requires a paper trail), you can use barcodes to identify paper documents as they move through your document workflow. As workers receive paper documents, they scan the barcode with an inexpensive wand. When the worker is finished processing the documents, the barcode is scanned again, and the documents are then sent on their way to the next person in the workflow.

Using barcodes this way adds a number of features to a paper workflow system. First, the progress of paper documents can be measured. Second, the location of paper documents can be more easily tracked. Third, the barcode can contain information identifying each document. These features are taken for granted in electronic workflow. In manual workflow systems, using barcodes on documents can replace complicated log sheets and make document monitoring much more efficient.

A software application that can be used to implement barcoded paper workflow management is Wheb Systems' (San Diego, CA 619-586-7885) Intelligent Forms Processing System (IFPS). This is really a forms processing system, but Wheb has customized versions for applications like loan processing. Lending is a complex process that requires many documents to be brought together. Wheb uses barcodes, document ID numbers and electronic forms to make these workflow systems work.

Forms Processing

Forms processing is a classic document application where a number of advanced technologies are brought into play for one purpose: to easily enter customer information into a computer system. Even here, amid sophisticated handwriting and character recognition technologies, the low-tech barcode can contribute to forms recognition speed and reliability.

The simplest and most obvious way barcode can be used in forms processing is to identify forms. Forms processing software developers have expended considerable effort into building computer recognition systems that can "look" at a form and identify it. This type of form identification technology is powerful and sophisticated. Sometimes it almost appears magical how a computer system can recognize a printed form. But all that effort and expense can be replaced by a simple barcode. Since barcodes are the most reliable electronic recognition technology, there is no ambiguity about form identification and only a minimal chance that a form will be referred to a human to identify.

There are other ways to use barcodes in form recognition systems. Many forms have client information custom printed on them. That information can be printed in human readable form and then OCRed when the form is returned. If the information is barcoded, however, the forms processing system can avoid the slower OCR process and enjoy virtually 100% accuracy. You don't even have to code all the preprinted customer information. All you need to do is barcode a customer ID number. The form can then be matched to the complete customer record in your database.

If you want to use barcodes as part of your forms recognition process, you won't have to look far for barcode software. Virtually all forms recognition packages either have barcode recognition built-in or have it available as an add-on module. Your existing forms recognition system may already have barcode recognition capabilities. All you need to use them is to add barcodes to your forms and tell the forms processing system of their presence.

Document Inventory

Inventory is one of the most popular uses for barcode in manufacturing and retailing, and it can be applied to documents as well. Documents can be inventoried in a number of different ways. First, you can apply barcodes to each individual document prior to storage. Users will usually access the electronic version of the document. However, in those instances where the original hard copy is needed (usually for legal reasons), the barcode can be used to keep track of the documents' locations.

Barcodes can be applied not only to the individual documents but to the boxes or file drawers they are kept in as well. In a true warehouse-style application, you can use a barcode reader to scan the barcodes on the file boxes to identify their contents.

Even if your company doesn't keep the original paper documents, chances are the electronic versions are kept on optical disk or tape for long-term storage. You can apply barcodes to the backup media to keep track of their location and to identify the contents.

Tab Products (Palo Alto, CA 650-852-2400) recently introduced new versions of file tracker ($9,000-$20,000). File Tracker prints out barcoded labels on any printer, including inkjets. Each file, document or item tracked by the system can have a unique barcoded ID number.