If you are going to be using the bar codes you generate in B-Coder on a Macintosh or in a Windows application that does not support Windows MetaFile (.wmf) graphics we recommend that you choose the EPS option. The WMF and EPS are the only true Vector graphics. This means they will print to the highest resolution of any printer, they are device independent and they create very clean, sharp and readable bar codes. If your Windows applications supports WMF graphics, i.e. PageMaker, Word, Access and Quark, then you should use this option.
Select “File/SaveAs” in B-Coder and you will be prompted for a file name and type. Select the EPS file and check the “Preferences” box.
Setting the EPS PREFERENCES
These are our suggestions for the EPS preferences:
- COLOR translations – normal
- Line Cap Mode – device
- Select – BACKGROUND RECTANGLE
- Select – INCLUDE TIFF PREVIEW
- 256 COLOR
- NO DATA COMPRESSION
- 400 X 400 PELS/IN
- If you want a TIFF preview select one with a 400×400 dpi resolution. If you select a lower resolution TIFF the preview will appear as a black box as the bars in a bar code are so close together that they cannot be rendered with a low resolution TIFF. The TIFF preview does not effect the quality of the output just how it is viewed on screen. The EPS output will be a perfect bar code.
- If you select “transparent” as the background color the TIFF preview will be rendered as a black box. There is nothing you can do about this (except select “white” as the background color). As mentioned above the TIFF preview does not effect the quality of the output. The bar code will be perfect but it just appears as a black box.
Once you save the bar code as an EPS file you can import that graphic into any Mac or Windows applications that support EPS. EPS graphics do not always render well on screen and may show as a black box in your application. However they should print perfectly and you should test this.