Azalea Software, Inc.

"I have a product that already has packaging. Now I need to add a bar code to it. What do I do?"

You have two choices: printing labels yourself from your laser printer or having the labels printed at a commercial print shop. Doing it yourself is great when you only need a small number of labels or when time is short. Have someone else do it if you're printing lots and lots of the same label because it will be cheaper (and less hassle).

If a commercial print shop is printing the labels for you, all you need to do is provide them with camera-ready artwork. Make one copy of what you need and they can print on adhesive stock.

Avery and other manufacturers make adhesive labels that can be used in laser printers. You can print adhesive labels that include UPC bar codes and then attach those labels to items that don't have a bar code already on them. We recommend using laser printers instead of inkjet printers because the resolution is better and the bar codes scan more reliably.

It's sometimes easier to print on an 8-1/2" x 11" adhesive sheet and then cut individual labels out of the full sheet. The 8-1/2" x 11" Avery labels are: #5165, #5265, #6575, and others. Click on the product numbers to buy them from Amazon.com. The labels designed for mailing labels never seem to be the right size.

We've taken the liberty of making a simple Microsoft Word document to help get you started. Click here to download it.

It illustrates how to print 8 rows of 4 UPC bar codes on one sheet of paper or adhesive label. Use this document as a starting point for your own projects, including things like doing a mail merge into Word from Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, or other applications.

When using label stock in your laser printer always use manual feed, and if possible, open the back of the printer so that the page travels through the printer in a straight path. Try using the UPCTallThin or UPCHalfThin fonts. They are pre-narrowed .002" and will produce better results in a laser printer.

Our UPCTools font collection is US$199 a copy, licensed per computer. Site licenses allowing coworkers to all use the fonts are available for 2 years ($595) or 5 years ($995).

There are 4 ways to purchase UPCTools:
Buy online using a credit card and then download immediately
  . FAX us an order form and then download (credit card or PO)
  . FAX us an order form and request a CD (credit card or PO)
  . Call 1.206.336.9575 and then download or request a CD

Please contact us for commercial redistribution pricing if you will be selling our fonts as part of another application.