Bar Codes 

Using bar codes in NM Gun Collector Software is easy once you understand a few simple concepts. 

1. You must have a bar code reader and a high quality printer to successfully use bar codes. 
2. In this software, a bar code is simply a font that is installed with the application.  This font can be used to display, print, and read bar codes. 
3. If the bar code does not display as a bar code you may have to restart your computer to ensure the bar code font is registered.
   
4. The bar codes automatically generated by the software are based on a unique number used to identify each entry in an electronic bound book (equivalent to a paper ATF Bound Book).  Thus, the same firearm will have more than one bar code if it was dispositioned and then returned for any reason.  If you never disposition and then return a firearm to your inventory you can be sure each firearm will have one and only one bar code entry.  Otherwise, each firearm will have a unique bar code for each time it was entered into the system.
5. Use Use Reports -> Bar Code -> ... to print bar codes.  Only bar codes printed in this way will properly scan into NMGCSW.  Bar codes generated in other ways will not scan properly (unless they properly generate 3 of 9 bar codes).
   
6. To scan a bar code into the system, simply click on the field that you want to scan the bar code into and use your bar code scanner to scan the bar code into that field. 
7. NOTE:  You can not overwrite the system generated bar codes.
8. The software provides the following bar code operations:
   • Display the current bar code and its translation in the Description Tab

• Print bar codes on labels or in a listing of your current inventory.
• Scan a bar code into the Description Tab to locate an item.

• Scan a bar code into the Criteria Window to locate an item.

Back to Table of Contents.