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May 12, 2011 5:16 AM

If I wanted to make the laminated bard codes that supermarkets and other locations give out for their customers, How would I go about that?

Can I print them myself? Cost effectively? Is there a way to make them self adhesive and durable? I'm helping a friend with a business idea.

posted by Rubbstone to work & money (3 answers total)

Do you mean the kind that are used on customer loyalty cards/discount cards? You can use online barcode generators and make them yourself, or have them made by a service. Lots of info on a google search for custom barcodes.
posted by amyms at 6:33 AM on May 12, 2011

Barcodes come in many varieties, called symbologies. The barcodes you create need to match the symbology that the reader is expecting. Visually, there are linear barcodes (look like zebra stripes) and 2-D barcodes (like QR or DataMatrix seen in advertisements, automatic postage printouts, and shipping labels). These are more tolerant of wear, but also require more complex readers.

This online barcode generator will let you play with nearly every symbology in existence. UPC is the symbology used for product packaging. Code 93 or Code 128 is more likely to be used for projects that just need to have a barcode representation of a short alphanumeric or numeric value, like the customer loyalty cards.
posted by odinsdream at 7:25 AM on May 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

There's a website where you can enter up to eight barcodes and then receive a laminated card with all eight on it, so you can carry around one loyalty card instead of 8.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:04 AM on May 12, 2011