by COBS Tech Support » Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:29 pm
The most common format is Code 39, which can handle letters of the alphabet, numbers and some punctuation such as dash (-).
You want to produce the smallest barcode possible while at the same time having as much flexibility as possible in terms of what can be encoded in a barcode. However, the more flexible the barcode, the larger it will be, hence you usually have to come up with a compromise.
If you will be handling barcodes from your suppliers you may not really have a choice. If you will be printing all your own barcodes then we would recommend you barcode the Stock ID, rather than the product code. The Stock ID is a unique 7 digit number assigned to every stock item automatically, in your stock file. You can use Code 39 for maximum generic compatibility and at the same time still produce a relatively small barcode this way.