Today’s supply chains are dependent upon Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technology for proper routing and distribution. AIDC allows no tolerance for bar code scanning failure as products pass through the supply chain. Bar codes must read -- 100% of the time. Any bar code reading failure can escalate into a rejected item, manual recovery steps, time delay, a loss in productivity, an unhappy customer, compliance failure fines, or a loss of business.

To avoid such problems, Printronix created Online Data Validation (ODV^TM ). This unique new quality control option inspects each bar coded label printed on a Printronix T5000 thermal printer.

Specifically, ODV technology analyzes each bar code just after it is printed. This 100% analysis verifies that the bar code print image falls well within each bar code’s symbology specifications -- the bar code will scan successfully. If the label fails, it is automatically cancelled and a replacement label is printed.

Why Do You Need ODV?
In real-life production runs, bar code image quality can be degraded by conditions that are external to the printer mechanism. For example:

• A wrinkled ribbon 
• Label media defects
• Burned printhead pixels
• Misaligned media
• Improperly adjusted heat, speed, or pressure

Any thermal printer, even a top quality one like the T5000, can print degraded bar codes. No thermal printer is immune! That is why you need Online Data Validation.

What Exactly Does ODV Do?
Whatever condition causes degraded image quality, the fault is not likely to be seen by the naked eye. This could result in the production of a large number of bad bar codes before the problem is detected.

ODV checks all picket fence bar codes for scannability immediately after the labels are printed … without any manual intervention. This "read-after-print" bar code quality control avoids insertion of bad bar codes into the label production run.

Once the bad bar code is recognized, ODV cancels it and immediately prints a good replacement. Print production of labels never stops … your printer keeps on printing. No loss of productivity! No increased production costs due to manual intervention! No heavy fines due to bad non-scannable bar codes.

How Does ODV Test Bar codes?
Online Data Validation tests each bar code automatically without any host program modification. It:

• Analyzes the incoming datastream and finds every bar code command on every label.
• Prints each bar code label, scans each bar code image and tests the bar code to its symbology specifications.
• Correlates every bar code test result with the incoming datastream’s bar code commands.

If all the bar codes meet specifications, the label is good and ready for use. If the label does not meet specifications, ODV uses its datastream analysis to cancel the "bad" label and print a "good" replacement label.

How Does ODV Achieve Total Bar Code Quality Control?
ODV achieves total bar code quality control by:

• Making test results viewable from the printer control panel.
• Sending test results over the printer network for viewing by PrintNet Plus printer management software.
• Displaying test data and storing it in an XML file. This file can be used by the host computer at a later time to compare the printed bar codes with the datastream sent to the printer.