When most of us look at a barcode, we see a picture not text. Therefore wee think "graphics" not "fonts", "pixels" not "characters".
Here at Azalea Software, we see things a little differently. When we look at a barcode we see the pattern of bars and spaces as letters in a word. We see a chunk of text formatted in one of our barcode fonts not a grid that’s been filled in.
Why use barcode fonts?
• Text requires minimal storage, unlike graphic files. Strings of text are smaller than images.
• Manipulating text is fast and is well-suited for large batch runs. Text is quick.
• Text works between applications and across platforms because text is text.
• Barcode fonts can be printed on a wide variety of printers.
Sometimes you do need a barcode as a graphic image. When you do remember to use the correct file format. Don't save it as a GIF, TIF and JPEG. These bitmap formats tend to yield lower quality barcodes that won’t scan well. We strongly recommend that you save your barcodes in an EPS or uncompressed PDF file, at the highest possible quality. You store and transfer EPS and PDF files with anyone: co-workers, your printer, your graphic designer, distributor, resellers, etc. no matter what platform or application they’re using.
All of our barcode font packages include Type 1 PostScipt and TrueType fonts. Use either format.
For more information, please read this white paper too.
