Using Barcodes as Cover Sheets With Scanning Applications

We've recently had a customer contact and ask the question: "Are barcode cover sheets created within FileHold or Kodak Capture Pro?"

The answer to that question is neither. Whether you are using EMC Captiva QuickScan Pro, Kodak Capture Pro, or other scanning software, your own barcode cover sheets will need to be generated. This post discusses how to create barcode cover sheets for scanning.

Barcode cover sheets can be used for document separation. As the scanner reads a barcode, it will separate the batch into separate documents. It can also be used to populate a single index value, such as with zonal OCR.

Barcodes must be prefixed and suffixed with an asterisk. If you are using words instead of numbers, they must be in ALL CAPITALS.

To create barcode cover sheets:

1. Install the 3 of 9 font.
2. Start Microsoft Excel.
3. In column A, enter the values for your barcodes.
4. In column B, type ="*"&A1&"*" where A1 is the cell of the first barcode value. The value in column B now appears with a * before and after the value. The * is needed both in front and at the end of the value in order for the scanning applications to recognize the barcode. If the * is not present, the barcode will be ignored.

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5. Copy and paste the formula into the remaining cells.
6. Select all the values in column B and change the font to 3 of 9. You can also increase the font size.
7. Insert a page break between the cells.

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8. Select the cells to be printed and go to File > Print.
9. In the settings, ensure that the option Print Selection is selected. All barcodes will be printed on separate pages.

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For more information about scanning documents using barcode sheets, contact a FileHold sales representative today!