Bar code printers and readers are available all over the web, so take advantage of our national connection through the computer to shop for bar code printing machines, bar code printing supplies or bar code readers from the comfort of your own home or office.

Bar code sticker printers range in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars, so take the time to determine your specific need before jumping into a purchase.

To find the right bar code sticker printers for your business:

1. Determine the amount of data that you need encoded with your bar code printer.

2. Determine the space that you have available to print the bar code.

3. Determine the type of data you want to encode on your bar code.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

When you need a bar code printers quickly, go here

Shopping online for bar code printers has never been easier. Most online companies will take credit card payments and ship your product out within days.

I recommend: National Bar Code sells thermal transfer and direct thermal bar code printers. Their products are suitable for light or industrial label printing. Barcodes Inc. offer thermal transfer, direct thermal and portable bar code printing machine models.

Be picky when picking bar code label printers

Bar code label printers come in many varieties. So make sure that you are selecting to fit your exact needs. If you have any questions while trying to purchase your bar code printer, don't hesitate to ask a sales expert questions to make sure that you are choosing the right machine.

I recommend: Zebra helps you thoroughly select your bar code label printer based on your resolution, print type, print speed, label width, programming language and networking needs. IT Planet lets you narrow your search by brand, model, application, print method, print width, interface needs, mobility and resolution.

Purchase your bar code label printers from an authorized dealer

Look for name brand bar code printers from manufacturer approved retailers. You can either link from the bar code printer manufacturer website, or look on your seller's site for notation that they are an approved dealer for the manufacturer.

I recommend: Printronix's SmartLine RFID family helps you with your label printing, bar code printing and supply chain support. Century Systems, Inc. is an authorized distributor of Toshiba bar code printing machines.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Because the light and dark, narrow and wide bands of a bar code are thousandths of an inch in size, a quality printer is essential for producing the crisp, clean lines needed for accurate, readable bar codes. Therefore, you must invest not only in a quality printer, but the appropriate paper to avoid bleeding, running, fading or defacing of the bar code symbol.
• •  Another factor in your bar code sticker printers purchase should be an analysis of the conditions the label will be exposed to and its required life span. This should help you determine between direct thermal or thermal transfer.