Internet & Web Page Barcode Implementation Tutorial

Products for Printing Barcodes Over the Internet

Online Demo

• Easily installs on Windows NT, XP, Vista, 2000, 2003 and 2008 Server with IIS enabled.
• The mature components of this barcode product have been in use since 2002 and are used in IDAutomation's Barcode Generator Service.
• No temp files are created on the server because the resulting barcode image is sent directly to the browser as a binary stream.
• Can be easily implemented in ASP, JavaScript, PHP and other web applications as a dynamic <IMG> tag.
• Because a GIF or JPEG is generated at the server, it is compatible with all web browsers.
• Easily creates barcodes in any application that can access a URL, including Crystal Reports and FileMaker.
• Image is not limited to 96 DPI, however changing the resolution from 96 DPI requires some HTML coding.
• Offers better performance for workstations with slower CPUs.

• Requires a Microsoft Windows server with IIS and the .NET Framework installed.
• Centralized barcode processing and image generation places more load on the server. However, this product is extremely efficient.
• Low resolution thermal printer use is not directly supported. To use thermal printers with this product, refer to the printing to thermal barcode printers from the web browser article.

Online Demo

• Barcodes are created as high quality GIF, JPEG or PNG graphic images.
• 100% managed code created in C# .NET for performance and stability.
• Because a high-quality barcode image is generated at the server, it is compatible with all web browsers.
• Offers better performance for workstations with slower CPUs.
• Resolution of the barcode image is easily changed to allow compatibility with thermal printers.

• Requires ASP.NET and a development environment that makes use of server controls, such as Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.
• Centralized barcode processing and image generation places more load on the server.
• Generates temp files on the server. However, these are automatically deleted by the server control itself after a specified time.

• No software to install - It is a hosted, managed and fault tolerant service.
• Multiple backbone and failover network connections insure quick response time and dependability.
• Streaming mode option sends barcodes to the browser without saving temp files on the server.
• Barcodes are created as high quality GIF, JPEG, or PNG graphic images.
• Because a high quality barcode image is generated at the server, it is compatible with all web browsers.
• Image is not limited to 96 DPI, however changing the resolution from 96 DPI requires some HTML coding.

• Barcodes will not be created if there is a loss of connectivity to the Internet.
• Printing to low resolution thermal printers is not recommended with this product. To use thermal printers, refer to the printing to thermal barcode printers from the web browser article.

Online Demo

• May be easily implemented on dynamic webpages with the <IMG> tag.
• Easy to use with Apache Tomcat.
• Because a JPEG is generated at the server, it is compatible with all web browsers.
• No temp files are created on the server, the resulting barcode image is sent directly to the browser as a binary stream.
• Offers better performance for workstations with slower CPUs.
• Image is not limited to 96 DPI, however changing the resolution from 96 DPI requires some HTML coding.

• Requires servlet configuration on the server.
• Centralized barcode processing and image generation places more load on the server.
• Low resolution thermal printer support is possible but not recommended. To use thermal printers with servlets, refer to the printing to thermal barcode printers from the web browser article.

Online Demo

• Easy implementation with a single JavaScript file, no additional components, fonts or plug-ins need to be installed to create barcodes; it is the complete barcode generator.
• Since the barcode is generated on the client, very little processing needs to be performed on the server. The size of the JavaScript file downloaded to the client is as small as 3 kb.
• When printing, this product rasters to the resolution of the output device.

• Requires JavaScript to be enabled in the browser.
• Some browsers such as Opera and Safari may create the barcode to be slightly wider in certain situations. However, the main browser types such as IE, Mozilla Firefox and Netscape do not have this issue.

Online Demo

• Easy to install; runs on Windows Server.
• Barcodes are created as high quality JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP or WMF graphic images.
• Created image is streamed to the client over XML.
• 100% managed code created in C# for performance and stability.
• Compatible with any application that can consume web services.

• Only integrates into applications that can consume a Web Service.

Online Demo

• Easy to install and modify.
• Does not require any custom modifications to the server.
• Processing occurs at the workstation which offloads the processing of barcode images from the server.
• The small size of the JAR files provide quick applet load times.
• Quick barcode generation can be achieved over slow connections by pre-loading applets.

• Some browsers display but do not print applets.
• Image is limited to 96 DPI.
• Although the JAR files are small, the browser must read the JAR file which can cause poor performance over slow dial-up lines. The JAR is about the size of a normal graphic image and is stored in the browser's cache. This problem is solved by pre-loading applets.
• Not compatible with browsers that do not have a Java VM.

Online Demo

• Barcode ActiveX Controls are precise and efficient, they are not limited to 96 DPI but they automatically raster to the output device (such as a printer) which produce extremely high-quality barcodes.
• Easy to install and modify in HTML or with FrontPage.
• Does not require any custom modifications to the server.
• Processing occurs at the workstation which offloads the processing of barcode images from the server.
• May be automatically loaded from webpages with signed CAB files, which are provided in the latest versions of the product.

• Only compatible with Internet Explorer 4 and above as well as other browsers that support ActiveX Controls.
• The control must be installed on every PC that displays the barcodes, however, this may be automated by using CAB files.
• Easy to install and modify.

Online Demo

• Barcode fonts are precise and efficient; they are not limited to 96 DPI but raster to the output device.
• Since the barcode is generated from a font, very little processing needs to be performed on the workstation or the server.
• Quick browser load time since the fonts are usually less than 20K.
• When printing to thermal barcode printers with fonts, refer to the thermal bar code printer issues with fonts article.

• This implementation is problematic and does not work with all browsers and is no longer recommended.
• Requires the purchase of a Developer license and a conversion tool. The conversion tool for OpenType fonts is free at the Microsoft website.

• Works well with all browsers on Windows and Macintosh.
• Fonts are precise and efficient.
• Fonts are not limited to 96 DPI but raster to the output device. However, to print accurate bar-codes on 203 and 300 DPI printers, refer to the font print quality KB article.
• Since the barcode is generated from a font, very little processing needs to be performed on the workstation or the server.

• Works well with all web browsers on Windows and Macintosh, but may not work well with UNIX clients.
• Requires the installation of barcode fonts on all clients that display the barcodes with the browser. Therefore, this is only recommended for Intranet applications.

Web Browser and Screen Resolution Issues

Reading Barcodes With Web Applications

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