TEC-IT News: Barcodes, Labeling, Data Acquisition

TFORMer SDK V6.0.4 for AIX 5.3 (P5+) and Solaris 10 (Sparc) is now available for download.

The service pack 4 of the label and reporting software contains fixes for serial data field initialization, Base64 encoded TFF files and repository access in JAVA. Details about enhancements and bug fixes are listed in the version history.

Download TFORMer SDK SP4 for AIX and Solaris

Barcode generator software update including new binaries for AIX, Solaris, SUSE and Ubuntu available!

TEC-IT unveils version 10 of TBarCode/X, our proven barcode software for UNIX, Linux and Mac OS X.

The new version provides support for QR-Code 2005, DP Postmatrix, ISBN 13, ISMN, ISSN and USPS Intelligent Mail^® Barcode. In addition the list of application identifiers (GS1 128) was updated and a new check digit method (Modulo 10 Luhn Algorithm) has been introduced. This method is primarily used for credit cards, IMEI and national insurance numbers. You will find further details in the TBarCode/X version history.

Here is the list of available binaries: Download TBarCode/X Barcode Software (additional binaries on request).

New Web-based Label Printing System!

TEC-IT introduces a new 100% browser-based printing system for industry forms and barcode labels. Users of TFORMer Online now create and print arbitrary labels and forms completely independent from label printing software or operating systems. Variable label data is entered manually directly in the browser or imported from an online database (Google Docs™ spreadsheets). Output is created as PDF and can be printed on any printer.

Print Labels Anywhere and Anytime

With TFORMer Online you establish a distributed label printing system easily. Share label printing functionality with partners, suppliers and customers. The system works with all browsers on all operating systems, local software installation is not required and label design efforts are eliminated completely. Ready-to-use label templates for VDA-4902, Odette, Galia ETI-9, AIAG B-10, GS1 GTL, Caterpillar shipping parts identification and others are available for immediate use.

Supports Google Docs™ Online Spreadsheets

It's your choice! Create the labels with manually entered data or import variable label data stored in Google Docs™ spreadsheets. Google Docs™ is a free online service provided by Google. It enables you to maintain spreadsheets completely in your browser and provides convenient table-based data entry. Entered data is stored automatically online, there is no need to re-enter values for future printing sessions. In order to use Google Docs™ as database for TFORMer Online you need a Google account.

Evaluate TFORMer Online Now

Try this new web printing service for free or watch this video for an overview:

TFORMer Online is the perfect online printing solution:

• for distributed label printing requirements,
• if standardized label quality must be provided for partners, suppliers and customers,
• if your printing volume does not justify special purpose software,
• for eliminating time consuming label design efforts,
• for automated label and PDF creation as part of your online system (e.g. via web services),
• and for label printing on all operating systems.

Interested? Please contact TEC-IT for pricing, integration possibilities and guidelines.

The service release of the TBarCode SDK V10.0.3 barcode generator software is now available for download. Details about enhancements and bug fixes are listed in the version history.

Download TBarCode Update here!

The service update V10.0.3 of our Barcode Creator Software Barcode Studio for Windows and Mac OS X is now available for download!

Details about enhancements and bug fixes can be found in the version history.
This update is free of charge for existing Barcode Studio 10.x customers.

Download Barcode Studio Update

TEC-IT has released Service Pack 3 for the TFORMer label printing and reporting software and is available from now on. This update provides substantial improvements in PDF document creation. In addition some bugs have been fixed.

• Generated PDF files are now significantly smaller.
• Improved support for TrueType collection (*.TTC font file) handling.
• Text rendering was improved (ZPL and image output).
• and much more...

This update is free of charge for existing TFORMer 6.x customers.

Download TFORMer Service Pack 3

You are looking for a lean but powerful reporting SDK? You are interested in a library for PDF creation on Linux, UNIX - and of course - Microsoft Windows? Then read on!

The TFORMer reporting SDK creates high-quality output based on visually designed document layouts. Variable data is supplied by databases, import files or via API from your applications. In short, TFORMer SDK is a cross-platform report generator which

• supports label- and report-style output,
• creates output with complete barcode support as Postscript, PDF, ZPL-II, HTML or image files,
• is available as software component (shared library on Linux or UNIX, DLL/COM/.NET/JAVA reporting component on Windows),
• may also be used as stand-alone executable (tfprint),
• and supports all operating systems.

Based on customer request we provide a current build for Sun Solaris 10 (Sparc). You may also check out the available builds for Microsoft Windows and other Linux or UNIX platforms.

For label and report design you will need TFORMer Designer on Microsoft Windows (download).

The barcode generator SDK TBarCode is the solution for all of your bar-coding needs!

The new version of the barcode software (SDK) TBarCode V10 is already available for download. TBarCode V10 incorporates a number of enhancements. The most notable highlights are:

• Additional caption fields. Such text-fields (e.g. article numbers, caption below, caption above) can now be added to barcodes programmatically. Position, align and rotate these texts as required.
• Enhanced barcode support (QR-Code 2005, ISBN 13, ISMN, ISSN, USPS Intelligent Mail^® Barcode,...)
• New check digit method: Modulo 10 (Luhn Algorithm)
• and much more ...

Download TBarCode V10 Update

The service update V10.3.1 for TBarCode Office, Barcode Add-In for Microsoft Word and Excel is now available for download!

The update to 10.3.1 is free of charge. Details about enhancements and bug-fixes can be found in the version history.

Download TBarCode Office Barcode Add-In Update

Centralized, zero-maintenance bar code printing solution for your network!

From today a new version of the barcode print server solution TBarCode/Embedded for SEH ISD400 / ISD410 Print Spool Appliances is available for download.

The bar code generator software extends the ISD Print Spool Appliances from SEH with complete barcode printing functionality for PostScript^®- and PCL^® compatible printers.

Key advantages:

• Centralized bar-code printing solution
• Extensive bar code support (linear, 2D, Postal and GS1 DataBar Composite Barcodes) - based on TBarCode/X V9
• Easy installation
• Minimal maintenance
• Seamless ISD integration
• Complete printer independence
• No Linux know-how required
• Operates as spool filter
• Works completely transparent to applications
• Works with arbitrary ERP and legacy systems

Download TBarCode/Embedded for ISD400 / ISD410

TEC-IT unveils Service Pack 2 for the TFORMer label printing and reporting software. The update can be downloaded right now.

The brand new version of TFORMer comes with a lot of new features:

• Serial Numbers
  Serial numbers are now supported. If required the current values of serial numbers are stored automatically and may be continued in the next TFORMer session.
• Computed Fields
  Computed datafields were introduced. The value of such a datafield is based on a user-defined expression.
• New Label Wizard
  Creation of new label layouts and selection of label-templates was reworked.
• Improved Layout Editor
  The layout designer now provides better visual feedback for various design tasks.
• Data Sources
  Creating data sources was improved. The data source wizard now supports field assignments (source-fields to data-fields) in a better way.
• Date Functions
  New date functions like CDateEX(), IsDate(), AddYears() , ... were added.
• Online Activation
  TFORMer Designer can now be activated online.
• and many more...

TFORMer SP2 provides additional label templates e.g. Caterpillar^® Shipping/Parts Identification Labels, MAT Labels, 2D-Code Business Cards.

More information about all new features can be found in the TFORMer version history.

Download TFORMer SP 2 Update

The new version of Barcode Studio - the popular barcode maker software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux or UNIX - now provides pre-defined templates for compliance bar-coding!

If the user selects one of the available barcode templates, Barcode Studio loads all bar code settings and presents a bar code image which meets all requirements of the respective standard. After entering the bar code data the barcode can be saved immediately as bitmap or vector image file. No bar code parameters need to be adjusted, no bar code know how is required.

Currently more than 40 bar code templates are part of Barcode Studio:

• Deutsche Post Premiumadress
• Deutsche Post Pressepost Etikett
• Deutsche Post Pressepost Randbeschriftung
• EAN 13 (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)
• EAN 8 (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)
• UPC A (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)
• UPC E (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)

SC denotes the sizing mode of the bar code, EAN 13 SC0 stands for 82% of the default symbol size, the resulting symbol dimension is 30.51 x 21.25 mm

Check out this convenient and time-saving feature: Download Barcode Studio

Refer to the version history for a complete list of new features and bug-fixes. The set of available bar code templates will be extended over time. If you have suggestions for specific templates just let us know!

The new 10.3 release of TBarCode Office Barcode Add-In contains preconfigured barcode settings for GS1 bar codes (EAN, UPC) and Deutsche Post Premiumadress® (Data Matrix). In these templates the bar codes are predefined according to their specification and ready to use with one single click.

The user can immediately create the bar codes corresponding to GS1 and Deutsche Post Premiumadress standards without special knowledge: Select the predefined template, insert the bar code into the document, provide the bar code data and print.

The bar code templates are applicable within the TBarCode Office Word barcode add-in as within the Excel bar code add-in. Custom template files can be generated through the convenient user interface of Barcode Studio. For this task no extra license is required.

The update to 10.3 is free of charge. Details about further improvements can be found in the version history.

Download TBarCode Office Barcode Add-In Update

The new version 10.2 of the TBarCode Office Barcode Add-In adds bar code label printing support to Microsoft Word.

While the initial release of this barcode add-in supported simple documents and mailings with barcodes, the 10.2 update adds full barcode label printing support. Mail merge documents using the «Next Record» rule can now be printed without problems.

For TBarCode Office users the update to 10.2 is free of charge. Details about further changes can be found in the version history.

Download TBarCode Office Barcode Add-In Update

TEC-IT provides extended bar-coding support for Microsoft Office! In addition to Microsoft Word the Barcode Add-In TBarCode Office now offers seamless Excel integration!

With the straightforward user-interface of TBarCode Office even untrained or occasional users are able to create barcode mailings or barcode spreadsheets.

Evaluate this Microsoft Office barcode add-in for free! Download TBarCode Office

This barcode add-in is compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 and Office 2010 (for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems). More information regarding enhancements and bug-fixes is available in the version history.

Important note for Microsoft Office users: After performing the Microsoft security update from June 9, 2010 barcode objects embedded in Word and Excel documents (TBarCode OCX) may lose their settings:

Security Update for Microsoft Office Word 2003 (KB982134) + Word 2007 (KB982135)
Security Update for Microsoft Office Word 2003 (KB2251399) + Word 2007 (KB2251419)

TBarCode OCX loses barcode settings when opening or saving documents in Word 97-2003 format. Note: The problem does not appear with Word 2007 format (*.DOCX).

Security Update for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 (KB982133) + Excel 2007 (KB982308)

After opening or saving Excel files in Excel 97-2003 format, TBarCode OCX can no longer be edited or programmed. Note: The problem does not appear with Excel 2007 format (*.XLSX).

Microsoft Access is not affected by this problem, further Office 2003 or 2007 programs can be impaired (details see MS 10-036).

Workaround

As intermediate workaround (to gain time in production critical applications) you can uninstall the above listed security updates (see KB numbers) at your own risk.

Remedies:

• TBarCode V9 users should update to TBarCode SDK V9.3.7 immediately: Update free of charge - download here. After updating please verify your barcodes and save the document!
• Users of Microsoft Office 2007 (Word, Excel) may want to update to TBarCode Office V10.1 (download here).
• Users of previous versions of TBarCode should update to TBarCode SDK V9.3.7 or alternatively to the upcoming version TBarCode SDK V10 (release in short, pre-release on request).

In case of update questions or for technical information please contact us.

Save costs with TEC-IT's barcode software solution!

BLG LOGISTICS uses our barcode generator software TBarCode/X on SUN Solaris for electronic invoice delivery. The postal service is replaced through a digital solution. The barcodes guarantee that all documents are assigned to the correct invoice. Numerous automotive manufacturers benefit from this economical and automated solution.

BLG LOGISTICS stands for international networks in the area of automobile, contract and container logistics. The company provides more than 15.000 jobs worldwide.

A new update for TBarCode Office, the new Barcode Add-In for Microsoft^® Word 2007/2010, is available!

Besides the correction of some issues (compatibility with 32- and 64 bit Windows, option dialog improvement, ...) TBarCode Office was localized for the following languages:

• German
• English
• Spanish
• Chinese

TBarCode Office makes barcode printing with Microsoft Word documents and mailings easy. Try it for yourself or learn more in the Barcode Add-In Video!

Download TBarCode Office - Microsoft Word Barcode Add-In

This new version of GetBlue is some kind of a geeky technical demo: This Android App for Bluetooth/TCP-IP Data Acquisition now stores Bluetooth data directly into Google Docs!

GetBlue connects your handset with arbitrary Bluetooth devices supporting the serial port profile (Bluetooth SPP / RFCOMM). The App captures Bluetooth data and automatically uploads it to a Google spreadsheet. TCP devices are supported as well.

We invite you to play around a little bit - all you need is:

• an Android handset (1.6 or newer),
• the free App GetBlue Demo (use your handset to install it via the Android Market),
• and an empty spreadsheet in Google Docs.

Everything is free, Feedback is welcome!

For more information check out the GetBlue - Android App for Bluetooth and TCP-IP data acquisition.

The service update of our Mobile Data Acquisition Software (Mobile Software Wedge) TWedge V2.1.0 is ready for download!

Version 2.1 may be used in portrait and in landscape screen mode (Windows Pocket PC, Windows Mobile). Additionally it provides hot key support.

For more information check out the version history.

Download TWedgeCE 2.1.0

The service update V2.4.3 of our Data Acquisition ActiveX Control TConnector is now available for download!

In Version 2.4.3 an interface for Bluetooth connections was added. For details check out the version history.

Download TConnector 2.4.3

The service release V2.4.1 of TWedge (software wedge, keyboard wedge) is now available for download.

In version 2.4.1 a new JavaScript variable was added. This function allows full access to the received binary data. For details check out the version history.

Download TWedge 2.4.1

TEC-IT is proud to announce TBarCode Office - the powerful bar code add-in for Microsoft^® Word.

Using bar-codes in Word documents and serial letters was never easier!

TBarCode Office is very simple to use and provides all bar-code tuning options for advanced applications. This combination makes TBarCode Office the most advanced barcode add-in for Word available on the market!

The main features of TBarCode Office are:

• Intuitive user interface - very easy to use!
• Bar codes are created in the highest possible quality
• Advanced options for adjusting the bar code
• Serial letter/mail merge support
• No programming skills required

Check out our Barcode Add-In for Word Tutorial Video in order to learn more about TBarCode Office.

Download TBarCode Office - Bar Code Add-In for Microsoft Word

As of today a new version of GetBlue with bi-directional device communication is available in the Android Market.

GetBlue captures Bluetooth as well as TCP data and displays or forwards it to any server immediately. User data or server responses are sent to the device.

Data acquisition scenarios like the following are covered easily:

• The Android device captures barcodes with a Bluetooth barcode scanner
• GetBlue forwards the scanned barcodes to your server application
• The server responds - for example - with a status code (like data accepted or data not accepted)
• GetBlue sends the server-response back to the barcode scanner

Download GetBlue Bluetooth Reader Update

We are proud to welcome the Harvard University as a new customer! Harvard is using barcode software from TEC-IT in the NOvA experiment (searching for electron neutrino appearance).

In this project, our software is used for bar-coding components of the enormous particle detector (see http://www-nova.fnal.gov/).

Check out additional references and success stories!

The new version of TBarCode/Direct V2.2 supports now UPS® MaxiCode (in addition to QR-Code and DataMatrix).

TBarCode/Direct is a smart, platform independent barcode printing solution for SAP^® ERP, SAP^® R/3^® and mySAP^® ERP. This bar code software works completely without any middleware and can be used with all PostScript^® enabled printers!

Advantages: No additional software, no system level installation and no additional hardware required.

Request TBarCode/Direct evaluation version.

TEC-IT joins the Android™ Community!

We are proud to announce GetBlue - a completely new product for Android handsets. GetBlue is a smart application which communicates with Bluetooth and TCP/IP devices. The user is able to

• connect to arbitrary Bluetooth devices supporting the Serial Port Profile (SPP),
• receive and display device data immediately
• and finally to send manually entered data or control commands to the device.

In addition to Bluetooth SPP, GetBlue supports connectivity via TCP sockets.

GetBlue is completely free and is intended as debugging/testing tool for Android users. We encourage you to give it a try, please install it using the Android Market directly on your handset (just search for the term GetBlue)! Users of an installer application (like Apps Installer) can use this download too.

The screenshot shows barcode data scanned with a Bluetooth barcode scanner paired with a Google G1. GetBlue is available for Android 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 or higher. It was tested with Google G1 and Motorola Milestone/Motorola Droid. Please contact us for more information!

The service update V9.4.6 of our Barcode Creator Software Barcode Studio for Windows is now available for download!

Details about enhancements and bug fixes can be found in the version history
This update is free of charge for existing Barcode Studio 9.x customers.

Download Barcode Studio Update

TEC-IT unveils the compatibility of the barcode generator TBarCode with Microsoft^® Office 2010. The compatibility tests were performed with the current beta version of Microsoft Office 2010.

Download TBarCode V9.3.4

TEC-IT's free barcode label generator service was recently extended with new industry labels!

Among other compliance labels and industry forms (like VDA 4902 or AIAG labels) this online service now supports creation and printing of

• Caterpillar Shipping and Parts Identification Labels
• Material Labels (MAT Labels) in use by Bosch, Continental, Hella and Siemens

Free Online Barcode Label Generator

We hope this service is useful for you! Please keep in mind that this service is free for non-commercial use only, please contact us if interested.

The service release of the barcode software (SDK) TBarCode V9.3.4 is now available for download. Details about enhancements and bug fixes can be found in the version history.

Download TBarCode V9.3.4

From now on product videos for the data acquisition software TWedge are available at YouTube.

This software wedge is used as middle-ware for automated data collection and AIDC with any Windows application or database. It captures data from devices via serial interface (RS232 / COM port), TCP/IP and via native Bluetooth^®. Choose between direct ODBC database access, file access or keystroke simulation (keyboard wedge).

Part 1 of the TWedge product videos shows a short introduction to the data collection software TWedge.

Watch the YouTube channel TECITSoftware and learn more about TWedge.

The service release V2.4.0 of TWedge (software wedge, keyboard wedge) is now available for download.

In version 2.4 an issue with failed TCP/IP and Bluetooth^® connections was fixed. For details check out the version history.

Download TWedge 2.4

From today the update of the barcode software (SDK) TBarCode 9.3.2 is available. Details about enhancements and bug fixes can be found in the version history.

Download TBarCode V9.3.2

The service update of our Barcode Creator Software Barcode Studio for Windows and Mac OS X is ready for download!

Barcode Studio V9.4.2 offers improved mode switching for Code 128 in context with the FNC1 character. Furthermore a problem with missing zeros in the human readable text was fixed. This bug affected HIBC Codes with EPS export. See version history.

This update is free of charge for existing Barcode Studio 9.x customers.

Download Barcode Studio Update

TEC-IT introduces a new free service to the public. With the online-generator for bar code business cards everyone is able to create QR-Code cards.

Barcode business cards are readable with most camera-equipped smartphones like the iPhone^® or Android based smartphones. The complete contact details (your name, your phone number, your email address, a URL, etc.) are encoded in the 2D barcode. This 2D barcode can then be scanned with software like Barcode Scanner (Android) or the i-nigma reader (multiple smartphones). Both tools are free. After scanning, the barcode reader software offers you the possibility to save the contact data in your address book, to call the phone number, to visit the web-page or to send an SMS! And yes - no manual typing is required.

Try it out - share your contact data with QR-Codes! Just choose a predefined template and generate your "electronic" business card!

From today training videos for the barcode maker software Barcode Studio are available at YouTube.

Barcode Studio is the ideal barcode software for graphical design and generation of arbitrary bar codes in perfect quality. The barcodes are created visually and can then exported as image or vector graphics file.

Part 1 of the Barcode Studio training videos shows a short introduction to the barcode maker user interface.

Learn more about Barcode Studio and check out the other videos at YouTube:

• Part 2: Create an EAN-128 bar code with FNC1
• Part 3: Import bar code data from a CSV file
• Part 4: Export barcodes to image or EPS files
• Part 5: Create QR-Codes With Serial Numbers

Visit the YouTube channel of TEC-IT Software!