Make Bar Code Labels Macro

Bar Code Label Generator

This macro uses the label tools in Word along with B-Coder to create bar code labels using almost any label stock available for both ink jet and laser printers. This macro allows you to create single labels, multiple labels with the same bar code on each label or multiple labels with incrementally numbered bar codes.

If B-Coder is not already running the macro will attempt to launch it and unless you change the settings in B-Coder before you reach step 3 the Bar codes will be generated using the current settings in B-Coder at the time the macro is run. By default this means you will get 1 inch high Code 39 bar codes. It is therefore recommended that you launch B-Coder and set up your bar code preferences before running this macro.
This is a very powerful macro with many options and it is also a great example of what you can do with Word and B-Coder.

After clicking on The MakeBarCodeLabels option in the Tools menu, the dialog box in figure 1 will appear. This allows you to select the sort of labels you wish to create. Select the stock label type and then the style of labels you wish to generate. If your labels are not on the list or you need to create a new label to your own specifications then use the Custom... button. You may cancel the wizard at any time by clicking on the Cancel button.


Figure 1: Choose the type and style of labels to create

If you clicked on Custom... the following instructional message box will appear:


Figure 2: Message box

Click OK to the message and the standard dialog box that word displays when you usually create labels in Word will appear:


Figure 3: Standard Word Dialog for creating Labels

It offers a few standard labels that our dialog box does not, but more importantly it also allows you to create a custom label size. Click on Options...:


Figure 4: Label Options

Here you can choose from their list of label types or click on New Label to create your own:


Figure 5: Designing a Custom Label

Enter the information for your custom label size, click OK, OK again, then click on New Document to generate a page of labels.

If you selected Multiple Incrementally numbered bar code labels in step 1 the following Dialog will appear:


Figure 6: Designing Incrementing bar codes

First Enter the Number of Unique Labels you wish to generate. Next enter the Number of Additional Copies of each label that you want to create. (The Total number of labels generated will be the number of unique labels multiplied by the number of copies). Next enter a Starting Bar Code Number e.g.: 1000

Enter a number by which to increment that number (the default is 1 which will produce bar codes numbered 1000, 1001, 1002, etc but you can specify any number.) This value must be numeric as text cannot be incremented! The Bar Code Message Preamble can be text or numbers and will be inserted before the number to be incremented. The Bar Code Message Postamble can be text or numbers and will be inserted after the number to be incremented. Additional Text or numbers can be inserted in the remaining boxes for Text to appear above and/or below the bar code if there is room on your labels. Finally you can select the Starting Label. For example if you are not printing a full sheet of labels each time you can reinsert that same label sheet the next time and simply enter the first blank labels address in terms of rows and columns.

The Options selected in the screen shot above will create a total of 5 bar code labels, encoded with messages:
ABC1000DEF, ABC1001DEF, ABC1002DEF, ABC1003DEF, ABC1004DEF

If you chose Single Bar Code Label or Multiple Identical Bar Code Labels in step 1 the following Dialog will appear:


Figure 7: Designing multiple Identical Labels or a single label

First Enter the number of labels you wish to create. (If you chose Single Bar Code Label then this option will be automatically set to 1 and will not be enabled). Optional text to appear above and below the bar code may be entered in the appropriate boxes. Bar Code Text is the text to be converted to a bar code. Finally you can select the Starting label. For example if you are not printing a full sheet of labels each time you can reinsert that same label sheet the next time and simply enter the first blank labels address in terms of rows and columns.

Click Done to create your labels document.