Print, Verify and Quality Control 2D barcodes

Transcription

1 The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again. How to. Print, Verify and Quality Control 2D barcodes Paul Yarnell Axicon Auto ID Ltd

2 2D barcodes Which ones? General principles But Primarily Datamatrix

3 Datamatrix Codes can offer a range of options. Normally Dark modules on a light background but can be light on dark

4 Datamatrix Codes can offer a range of options. Normally square modules but can be round

5 The Print Processes. Within the arena of 2D barcodes there are generally two distinct areas of process: On Demand Printing Traditional Printing

6 The Print Processes. Commercial On-Demand Options include:- - On-Line Thermal Ink-Jet (widely used for carton printing) -Laser Marking -Laser ablated panel on the label -Piezo DOD (Drop-on-demand) -Thermal Transfer printing (either as a batch or from a database using randomised content).

7 The Print Processes. Traditional Print Processes include:- -Flexography -Litho -Etc Etc.

8 The Print Processes. In addition there are various other methods. -Some 2D codes such as PDF417 are widely printed for aircraft boarding passes on our home ink-jet printers.. -Other codes such as QR are sometimes downloaded to mobile phones and scanned directly without the need for a print process -Etc Etc.

9 Pros and Cons. The Print Processes. They each have their own!! There is no such thing as as ideal process or a problem-less solution. Don t be tempted to change processes because it will solve your print problems. The reality is that you will be exchanging one set of problems for a different set.

10 The Print Processes.Misunderstandings Error Correction. Some users think that error correction facilities will overcome poor print quality. WRONG Error correction facilities are there only to recover from isolated, localised damage.

11 The Print Processes.Misunderstandings.If there is too much/too little ink spread then to the same extent that the data content is damaged so the error correction content is equally damaged Fail to read the data and the error correction is useless.. There are some parts of the code that are particularly vulnerable as these parts have no error correction facilities at all.

12 Methods of Marking There is no legislation on this... Except insofar as the required print quality is maintained and the required data content correctly encoded.

13 Requirements for Verifying and Quality Controlling the barcode. a) Install suitable Printing equipment b) Ensure that the system is set to produce the correct data. c) Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. d) Ensure that the user has an ISO grade verifier and checks an appropriate sampling rate of each batch. e) Ensure that the verifier used checks the structure of the data content. f) Ensure that Quality Records are maintained.

14 A. Install suitable Printing equipment There are a range of different suppliers and different print processes. Select the process that you want to use first and then look for a suitable supplier. Check that the supplier of equipment/services knows what they are doing, understands the code and uses an ISO verifier as part of their test/handover process.

15 B. Ensure that the system is set to produce the correct data. Please do NOT assume.. Case-study 1: A pharmaceutical company contacted me asking for advice as to a supplier. They had a thermal transfer printer with software supplied - but the software did not seem capable of properly generating the Function 1 char required for a GS1- Datamatrix.

16 B. Ensure that the system is set to produce the correct data. This is what they encoded. With an incorrect F1 encodation. Err Try this we think that the middle one is right!! (they said)

17 B. Ensure that the system is set to produce the correct data. Err No!! Try again This well-known supplier with their own software development staff do NOT have an ISO verifier with which to check that what they are encoding is actually correct!!

18 B. Ensure that the system is set to produce the correct data. They have a Datamatrix reader but no verifier.. So they cannot check whether any F1 characters are encoded correctly either at the beginning of the code or when used as data delimiters.

19 B. Ensure that the system is set to produce the correct data. Would you trust them?? ALL companies creating software or printing equipment for Datamatrix codes should have an ISO verifier so that they can check that they have got the encodation correct.

20 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. Case-Study 2: Last week I visited a pharmaceutical company that had recently installed an on-line printing system - Thermal inkjet printing. They had asked the equipment manufacturer about the print quality as they were producing for the French pharmaceutical market.

21 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. They were assured that the codes would be a grade C at minimum, probably a grade B and maybe even a grade A But no verifier had been used as part of the equipment handover process to check the actual print quality generated

22 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. This was the quality of the code being printed.. A clear grade F reject-quality barcode.. Because no-one had actually checked it!

23 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. Case-Study 3: Another pharmaceutical company Had generated a Datamatrix code and printed it out They checked it with their 2D scanner but could not see the F1 character. The printer company told them the settings to use which they did

24 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. They still could not see the F1 characteron their scanner display. so they encoded FNC1 at the start of their code. It may have looked good on their scanner but now they had actually encoded.

25 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. An actual F1 ch followed by FNC1 then the data.. A reject code as the data is in the wrong format.

26 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. Case-Study 4: A sample distributed at an exhibition stand.. I know that this is only a print sample BUT the data encoded in the barcode bears no resemblance to the human readable data!!

27 C. Ensure that an ISO grade Verifier is used as part of the handover process. To attempt to install a system to print Datamatrix codes without using an ISO grade verifier as part of the process is to invite problems and disasters that could easily be avoided.

28 D. Ensure that the user has an ISO grade verifier and checks an appropriate sampling rate of each batch. Print processes will vary their quality. On-line thermal inkjet will suffer from blocked jets. Thermal transfer will have pixels burn out in the printhead sooner or later... Module dimensions are critical. Sample checks need to be made.

29 E. Ensure that the verifier used checks the structure of the data content. - Data has to be correct. - A barcode with a perfect print quality is not fit for purpose if the data is wrong. - Print quality checks alone leave risk of error. - Quality Control includes the data content checking.

30 E. Ensure that the verifier used checks the structure of the data content. Turkish Requirements for Track and Trace marking French/South Korean Requirements for Traceability only.

31 E. Ensure that the verifier used checks the structure of the data content. The data content checks can include:- -F1 character(s) -Validate the GTIN and its check digit -Validate Expiry date. -Validate sequence in which the data is presented -Validate that no required AI s are missing

32 Check the structure of the data content

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34 Test Specification -Ensure that your verifier complies with the latest ISO standards. -Ensure that the equipment is capable of measuring to the required aperture size. -Ensure that the correct aperture size is used for each application specification. -Ensure that your verifier is checked using Traceable Datamatrix Reference Test Cards.(PQ) -Keep records of all verification tests made.

35 Any Questions?