Barcodes are created with the help of graphics. The codes make
use of widths of white spaces and black bars. The widths of the
spaces and bars must be printed within exact tolerances in order
to be readable by most bar code readers and scanners. Presently,
barcodes are created by Microsoft Windows using three main
graphic types: bitmaps, fonts and metafiles.

Bitmap is actually an array of small dots which are called
pixels. An image is created with the dot resolution of any
printer to create a barcode. Fonts, on the other hand, are not
graphics in strict sense of the term but they can still be used
to create bar codes. A font is in fact a collection of graphic
elements that are assigned to each character in any given set of
characters. Since most bar code symbologies encode data by
mapping specific characters to specific bar and space patterns,
we make use of fonts to create bar codes.

The most widely used method to create barcode is a vector style
graphic. Such a graphic consists of a series or sequence of
instructions to describe how an image is cast. Metafiles fall in
this category. Encapsulated postscript graphics are also
designated as vector graphic. We do not have to use a device for
such graphics. This format supports precise dimensions for all
graphic elements. The amount of memory stored in a metafile is
small. As a plus, commonly used Windows programs and several
programming languages provide built-in support for handling
metafiles.

Many modern businesses offer barcode image generators. This
software helps in creating barcode images files in quickly in a
range of formats like JPEG, BMP, Photoshop, Quark, CorelDraw and
others. Many of these software programs are very user friendly
and can even be used by someone with no bar code experience. We
can even create barcodes on the internet.

About the author: Richard Romando
Bar Codes provides
detailed information on bar codes, bar code printers, bar code
scanners, bar code labels and more. Bar Codes is affliated with
Bar Code Label
Software.