RFID Support

Overview

Full RFID support is available in these two BarTender editions:

  • Enterprise Automation
  • Automation

Limited RFID support is available in the Professional edition. RFID support is not available in the Basic edition.

Click here to view a list of currently-supported RFID-capable printers.

For more details on RFID support, download the BarTender brochure, or visit our Specifications and Features page.

The Smarts for "Smart Labels"

RFID Power from the Leaders In Windows Label Printing

BarTender has developed a world-wide reputation for making even advanced label design features intuitive enough for beginners. The available RFID encoding features uphold that tradition of flexibility and ease of use. Use simple mouse motions to "drag and drop" RFID objects into your label design the same way you would create bar codes and other label objects.

BarTender Toolbox

Step 1: One click and BarTender's
"Toolbox" is ready to create RFID objects.

Full-sized Image

Click to zoom

Step 2: Simply drag desired RFID objects
to anywhere on the label. (Since RFID objects
never print, they display next to the label.)

Support for the Latest Tag Types

Both the Enterprise Automation and Automation editions support most of the tag types available in today's RFID-capable printers. This includes EPC Class 1, Gen2, ISO 18000-6b, ISO 15693, Tag-It, I-CODE, TagSys, My-d, and Picotag. (Because new tag types get introduced from time to time, please check with us regarding the most up-to-date compatibility.) Please click here for a table of supported printers and tag types.

Data Formats for Wal-Mart,DoD, EPC, and more

Most RFID tags allow data to be encoded in a variety of formats. Formats currently supported by BarTender include DoD, SGTIN, SSCC, GIAI, GID, GRAI, and SGLN (for both 64 and 96 bit tags). You can also specify your own custom RFID data formats.

Modify RFID Objects

Use predefined RFID objects "as is," or customize as desired.

"Gen2" Compliant

The adoption of the UHF Generation 2 standard by the EPCglobal consortium is a key development in the march toward broader adoption of RFID technology. Because BarTender is fully Gen2 compliant, you can use it with RFID-capable printers from a variety of manufacturers. BarTender also supports numerous printers and RFID tags based on established "Generation 1" technology.

Ability to Print RFID Data in Text and Bar Codes

The same data you encode into your RFID tags can also be printed in text and bar codes. This allows the option of using RFID or bar code scanning hardware and provides data redundancy in the event of a non-functional RFID tag.

Unicode Compliance Simplifies International Use

When encoding text into an RFID tag, you can select from 20 different codepages from around the world, including Unicode (which supports most characters from most of the world's languages).

On-Screen RFID Tag Display

With the "ghosted" outline of the RFID antenna, chip and substrate displayed on screen, you understand in advance whether you are placing any label objects in an undesirable location. Our predefined label stocks come with graphic files that show the appropriate outline image, but you can supply your own custom images as well.

On-screen RFID tag display

On-screen RFID tag display lets you optimize your label design.

Ready for the Future

Because RFID is a new technology undergoing rapid development, additional applications and enhanced capabilities are inevitable. Fortunately, key BarTender functionality is provided by printer driver and component modules that are often upgradeable by free download. This makes it less likely that you will need to purchase upgrades of the full software package in order to comply with minor changes to available RFID tags and standards.