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.

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