We use bartender for all of our label printing needs. We use drop files to trigger.

They play really well with the zebra printers, which a lot of other software doesn't (like SSRS reports). Also the integration builder is a really powerful way to automate a lot of things. It's a life saver. And the ease of creating labels is really nice. Don't forget you can print to a regular printer too. You can make some very good paper reports that are much easier to maintain than SSRS reports.

Pros

The user interface is really well defined for people that don't code. Designing label templates is as easy as power point. Setting up the fields that need to read the data is easy to set up to. There is a very short learning curve with the product.

Cons

We have it set up to run waiting for drop files (with the integration builder). Because we aren't using the front end for normal use, end users can't get error messages. If would be nice if it had a better monitoring system to know when something goes wrong. It's not that often that it does, but when it does it can cause some problems for our business.

Labels for Med Device Manufacturer

As a med device manufacturer, we were looking for a solution to a label control issue we were having in 2016. The labeling software we were using back then didn't link fields for variable data, resulting in our label operators entering lot and date information in multiple locations in different formats for a single label. It made label generation and review difficult. One of the most cited non-conformances for med device manufacturers are related to labeling, and we have had significantly less problems since transferring our device labeling to BarTender. It is easy to use the set-up wizard to get started, and has high quality training videos for all levels of use. We use it to meet a wide range of needs - from basic labels with no variable info - all the way to automatic serialization, and printing IDs from linked databases. It has been a software that has grown with us over the last 4 years, and it looks like it will continue to do so.

Pros

It seems like every labeling obstacle I've come up against in the med device realm has been handled easily by BarTender. If it is a new use for the software to generate a specific label format, barcode, etc - the Seagull Scientific website has a wealth of training files that cover how to design and manage the file.

Cons

BarTender was a signficant upgrade from Zebra Designer, and I have no complaints about its capability or functionality in everyday use.

Bad

I get a paycheck for working with it twice a month

Pros

I didn't pay for the software or the license. The software download is free, and has a 30 day free trial.

Cons

Very disappointed in the new 2016 version. The new 2016 version crashes anytime I attempt to update a database connection from one of our old XML source that worked seamlessly in 10.4. (They will still work so long as you don't touch them). Bartender then restarts and attempts to recover the bad information (which will in turn crash bartender.) Was this product actually run by QA before release? I suspect there was nothing but plug and play sceanrios tested. Very little insight into customer service. Have a lot of difficulty getting answers from the tech team. This is what happens when a company cuts back on 'costs' by elimiating quality assurance and customer support. SOme of the new 'features' have absolutely destroyed Database/setup connections. After upgrading from 10.4, all tables from our XML payloads now crash bartender when you try to do ANYTHING with them (Great coding guys). As a result, the text file source has become quite useless unless you are using a csv. Field Alias for Named database connections don't store with the named connection which makes it pointless as you will need to re-alias these things every time you change datasource. This defeats the purpose of naming/reusing a datasource if you have to re-alias all fields everytime you use it. Again, I am not convinced that this was even tested before release. Perhaps I missed something about Alpha in the whitepapers...

Easy-to-learn and offers diverse options for barcoding including serialization.

Pros

It’s so easy to get around the user interface, even for people who have no experience working with code. There’s not much of a learning curve to this application. Anyone can create labels with great ease and diversity. The integration builder provides an avenue for automation and makes it easy to select an action we want duplicated. The program also works very well with zebra printers. It also has a the serialization feature which is pretty cool. Their website’s got a ton information that help you maximize the program like webinars,training videos, and other guides

Cons

The only downside I can think of is that they don’t have a live chat feature on their website, which would really help if you’re already on there and looking for specific information.

Great Barcode Designer

Pros

Great and easy way to design an print barcodes, whether that be on a label or a hangtag, BarTender does the job! Easy step by step process, literally walks you through printing the type of Barcode you need.

Cons

It's a pricey software! It would have been nice if they offered support, like a chat, after purchase.