Details of BarTender Features Added
The following describes some of BarTender's latest features. For a more general
discussion of BarTender's overall capabilities, including a variety of
informative graphics and illustrations, see our On-Line
Brochure.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 7.0
It's one thing for software to make it easier to get your work done. But
BarTender has done work for you , with a library of predefined label components
and literally thousands of commonly used label stock sizes–all ready to use.
And, if you need to define your own, you can easily reuse them in future label
designs, so your work is never wasted.
New Toolbox Speeds Many Functions, Including Database Linking
One of the most exciting feature additions is BarTender's new "Toolbox," which
greatly speeds up the bar code creation and database linking process.
Predefined and Reusable Toolbox Components
Ever use part of an existing spreadsheet or letter when starting a new one?
Sure, it gives you a head start, but you still have to "cut and paste."
BarTender components redefine this concept so that it is modular and much more
convenient, giving you common, predefined building blocks ready for immediate
insertion into your labels. Simply "drag" them from BarTender's toolbox and
"drop" them into your label designs.
You may also want to reuse portions of your own completed label designs. For
example, if you have carefully positioned a particular size and type of bar
code next to a certain style of text in a specific place, BarTender lets you
easily combine these objects into a reusable component.
Huge, Expandable Label Stock Database
There's more to label design than just placing objects on a label. You also need
to match the dimensions of your label (including the number of labels on a
"page") to the actual label stock you will be using. BarTender greatly
simplifies this task with literally thousands of label sizes in a huge,
conveniently organized label stock database. And, if you do specify your label
dimensions manually, you can easily add this information to your label stock
database for future reuse.
High Precision On-Screen Display Capabilities
Improved Text Control and Object Rotation
Other new features include a "print preview" mode that even reads your external
data sources, so it can display exactly how your labels are going to look before
you print them. This means users don't have to print and waste real labels to
ensure that their print job is properly set up and formatted. Also new are
on-screen text editing, "rich text" (mixed text style) formatting, and object
rotation in 1 degree increments.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 6.1
Our 6.1 release includes several major changes to the BarTender product family.
A new "Basic" Edition is now available. Also, our Professional Integrator
Edition, which contains a variety of powerful new features and capabilities
including a certified SAP interface, has been replaced by our new Enterprise
Edition.
Basic Edition:
BarTender 6.1 is now available in a "Basic" Edition. Designed for users who
don't need the full capabilities provided by the "Professional" Edition, Basic
is intended for users who just need BarTender's essential label-design
features.
Professional Edition:
This edition of BarTender contains the features needed by most labeling
professionals without sacrificing the ease-of-use needed by first-time label
designers. Delivers a very wide range of capabilities, including all the data
sourcing most users will ever need.
Enterprise Edition:
Our most powerful edition includes a certified SAP interface, support for
ActiveX Automation and the Commander software utility, all of which simplify
integration with other software. This edition of BarTender is particularly
helpful for label design and printing on larger networks, including those
running a mix of Windows and non-Windows platforms.
Direct Interface to SAP
Until now, users of label printing software needing to read label data from SAP
had to perform a complex sequence of data conversions, possibly including
custom SAP programming. Now, users of 6.1 can greatly reduce the complexity of
their software integrations by directly accessing the standard IDoc data
generated by SAP's R/3 software package.
Commander Integration Utility
The Commander software utility simplifies the task of getting two or more
applications to work cooperatively, even thought they may not have been
designed to work together. Although Commander is Windows-based, it can monitor
output from non-Windows programs and platforms, such as UNIX, SAP or AS/400, as
long as they are visible on the network. Commander does this by waiting for
certain data or commands to be output by a "source" application and then
initiating a custom response in one of more target applications.
Password Protection
One of our newest features is password protection, so you can control which
users have what rights inside of BarTender.
Seagull Drivers
All drivers have been updated. Also, new models were added to cab, Brady,
Datamax, Datasouth, Intermec, Eltron, Meto, Paxar Monarch, Pitney Bowes, TEC,
and Zebra.
Language Support:
On-demand switching is now available for ten more languages including: Czech,
Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish and
Thai.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 6.0
The majority of the 6.0 upgrade was the addition of significant database
capabilities. However, we also expanded our ActiveX Automation capabilities and
added one new bar code symbology.
New Database Features
Database Setup Wizard
Instead of having to pick and choose which dialog options need to be filled out,
the Database Setup Wizard presents you with the minimum possible number of
questions and options and then fills out the rest of the Database Setup dialog
for you. Our usability tests have shown that even low-level administrative
personnel are now able to easily select their desired database table, configure
the connection and define which fields to read from.
New Record-Picking Capabilities
In addition to vastly expanded reporting capabilities, BarTender 6.0 also gives
you an easy way to select individual records from a database table. With our
"record picker," you simply scroll through an on-screen list of any or all of
the records in your database and "click" on the ones you want labels for. You
can select multiple individual records, ranges of records, and even specify a
different number of copies for each individual record.
Multiple Table Support
BarTender´s improved query capabilities make it easy to get your label data from
multiple tables, regardless of how the are "related." You can even "join"
tables to tables that are already joined to other tables, and so on.
Read Multiple Databases
BarTender isn´t limited simply to multiple tables in a single database. You can
simultaneously access different tables located in different databases in
different locations on your network. So you can (for example), query an Oracle
database on a UNIX server, a dBase table on an NT server, and a straight text
file on a local system – all at the same time.
On-Screen Browse of Databases, Tables and Fields
No more browsing with other tools to examine your data. Although BarTender
previously had the ability to "preview" all records selected for printing, now
you can browse all fields in all records in all tables in all databases on your
network. This makes it much easier to specify the right query for selecting the
label data you want to print.
Read Field Name Headers from Text Files
If you have a plain text file and the first record of the text file contains the
names of your fields, BarTender can now strip out that first line of text and
automatically use the contents to name your fields.
Custom Delimitation of Text Files
Now you can go beyond just "quote and comma" and "tab" delimitation and specify
your own custom delimiters.
Define Queries with Data Entry and Validation at Print Time
Earlier versions of the BarTender allowed you to specify at print time the data
for a single field to search on. Alternative, you could define in advance the
complete search criteria for a complex query. Now, BarTender 6.0 not only lets
you define a complex query, but it can also pop up a data entry screen at print
time that allows users to enter in the search data for the query, rather than
requiring that it be defined in advance as part of the query. Combined with
BarTender´s existing Data Validation capabilities, you can even specify rules
to keep your users from entering in invalid data.
User-Definability of Entire SQL Statements
If you choose to define your own SQL statements (instead of using BarTender´s
query options), you can still have BarTender define the field selection
criteria for you automatically, leaving just the "where" clause for you to
define. Now, if you prefer, you have the option of defining the entire SQL
statement yourself.
Enhancements to BarTender´s
ActiveX Automation Capabilities
ActiveX Automation is a Microsoft standard that allows applications that support
it to be controlled directly from within other Windows applications. By
expanding our ActiveX Automation interface, an even wider range of BarTender´s
capabilities can be easily accessed from within other ActiveX-capable
applications.
Single ActiveX Call for Writing Data to BarTender Label Objects
"Named substrings" were originally added to BarTender as a convenient way for
more than one label object to share the exact same data source. Now, a single
ActiveX call can be made to read the entire list of named substrings. Another
Active call can be made to specify new data for the entire list. You can even
read the existing label data, right out of BarTender. For developers in full
control of another program, this greatly simplifies the task of controlling
BarTender, because you can quickly read and write data from and to BarTender
without having to send your label data to an intermediary database or text
file.
Access to New Database Features
Several of BarTender´s new database features can be controlled using ActiveX
Automation from within other applications. This includes selecting text files
to read from, specifying the delimitation method, specifying SQL commands, and
specifying the data for a prompted query.
Extraction of Graphic Images of Labels
BarTender has long had advanced image export capabilities, with the ability to
output individual label objects or the entire label to most industry-standard
graphic formats. Now, with a single ActiveX call, a controlling application can
import a bitmap of the current label image directly from BarTender (at either
screen or printer resolution). This is great for previewing what a label will
look like from inside other applications, as well as creating archives of
various label formats using outside tools.
New Bar Code Symbology
Support for the "KIX" Postal Code
This is a 4-state postal code, similar to the Royal and Australian Postal Codes.
It is used in Germany and a number of other European countries.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 5.42
Version 5.42, which started shipping on May 25, 1999, comes with so many new
features that we probably should have called it version 5.5 instead. But we
really want to make this a "no brainer" upgrade.
Addition of QR-Code Bar Code Symbology
This 2D bar code symbology is known for both its encoding and scanning
efficiency. Originally designed in Japan, it lagged somewhat behind Data Matrix
and Maxicode in terms of when it was introduced into the ever-growing world of
2D symbologies. However, because it is able to encode data more densely than
other 2D codes and scanners can read it more quickly, it catching on in a
variety of applications and geographic locations.
International Postal Code Symbologies
BarTender has long supported the Zip and PostNet symbologies popular in the
United States. Release 5.42 adds support for a number of somewhat similar bar
codes used in postal applications around the world. This includes support for
the Australia Post 4-state Customer Code and the Royal Mail 4-State Customer
Code. (Coming soon: Support for the Japanese postal code.)
New Character Entry Assistant
BarTender has always supported the printing of the control characters Ctrl-A
through Ctrl-Z, which includes special characters like Tab, Carriage Return and
Backspace. However, actually "typing" these characters into a program is not
trivial and once it was typed into BarTender, it was displayed on-screen simply
as a little, generic black square. The Character Entry Assistant greatly
simplifies the task of bar coding normally unprintable and untypable characters
by letting you choose from a drop down list of symbolically named characters.
Then, once you select one or more, the character is displayed on-screen in its
symbolic form, so you know which character it represents. (It will still print
out as the actual control character desired.)
Forward Compatibility
Like any good Windows application, BarTender is fully "backward compatible."
That means that a new version of BarTender can read label designs created by
older versions. However, it is difficult (almost impossible) to create software
that is forward compatible. That would require knowing in advance what
capabilities your software is going to have in the future and then
somehow taking that into consideration when designing the current version. In
the past, this limitation meant that if you were a reseller or MIS manager and
you used the very latest version of BarTender to design label formats for
customers or other users, they wouldn't be able to read your label designs
unless they were also using the latest version of BarTender. Although many
software manufacturers try and force you into upgrading all of your software
all the time, we understand that this is not always convenient (or financially
desirable) for you.
The most common solution to this problem, and the one we have now added to
BarTender, is to allow the current version to optionally save out new label
designs to formats readable by older versions of BarTender. That means that
using this and future upgrades of BarTender don't necessarily require that you
also upgrade all of your older copies of BarTender just to read the formats.
This, and all future versions of BarTender will have the ability to save out to
formats as old as version 5.40. Although that won't help you now if you are
using 5.2 or 5.3, as time goes by, we will continue to support the
saving out to formats as old as version 5.40. So it won't be long before you
have all the forward compatibility you need (in addition to the backward
compatibility you already have). Not surprisingly, if you create a new label
design that uses one or more features specific to a new BarTender version, you
will not be able to save those features out to a label format that will be
readable by an older version of the BarTender.
Don't forget: BarTender has always been backward compatible,
meaning that a new version could always load label designs created by an older
version of the software.
Enhanced Metric Units Support
BarTender's support of the metric units system was always in the past done using
Centimeters. Version 5.42 adds support for Millimeters as well.
European-Style Number Support
In the past, only USA-style numbering was supported. This uses commas to
separate between each group of three digits and a period to indicate the
transitions to the fractional part of the decimal number. For example:
$173,240,000.05
Version 5.42 adds support for the European representation of decimal numbers,
such that the BarTender could be configured to instead represent the above
number as
$173.240.000,05
Status Bar Enhancements
Various parameters that were previously "display-only" in the status bar at the
bottom of the design screen can now be double-clicked on as a short-cut method
of bringing up the corresponding dialogs used to edit those parameters. That
gives you a new, even quicker way to access and change the selected printer and
related printer properties. It also provides yet another way to get at the
Modify dialogs that are used to customize any setting for the currently
selected label object.
New Compliance Label Formats
BarTender has long come with a variety of predesigned, ready-to-use "compliance"
label formats. We've added two more. These are formats for UPS shipping that
incorporate their standard use of the Maxicode symbology. One format is used
for shipping within the USA and another format used for international
shipments.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 5.41
Maxicode
This 2D bar code symbology was developed by the United Parcel Service (UPS) for
the tracking of packages. Although there have been some other uses, this
has continued to be the main application of this symbology.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 5.4
Version 5.4 marked the first release of our Professional Integrator edition,
with new, more powerful capabilities for running BarTender with other software.
Version 5.4 also added support for circular and arc text to all editions.
(See version 5.3 for more details on circular text.)
ActiveX Automation
Formerly called "OLE Automation,"
ActiveX Automation is a Microsoft standard by which Windows programs
can communicate with and control each other. With
ActiveX Automation, BarTender can operate as the label printing module
of numerous Windows programs, without the user even knowing that BarTender is
there.
Data Detector
Data Detector takes a
different integration approach than ActiveX Automation. It is an exciting
utility that gives non-Windows programs running on just about any operating
system the ability to automatically control BarTender. As long as the other
program can output a text file to a network location that can be "seen" by your
Windows system, then Data
Detector can help you print labels. Click here for more details on
Data Detector.
Automated Printer Selection
The new edition also accepts commands to redirect its label output to any
printer on a network. This powerful new feature allows a single copy of
BarTender to send different labels to different printers via automated external
controls.
Print Job Logging
This feature is for users that need to maintain records of their various label
jobs or export data for an EDI transaction. A great variety of useful
information can be included in an attractively formatted report. Along with
numerous options, such as what label formats were printed, the start and stop
time of the print job, and the label run date, BarTender can also record the
actual data printed on the labels. Reports can be generated in a simple text
format or an attractive HTML format readable using either Netscape or Internet
Explorer.
Details of Features Added with Bar Tender 5.3
Circular and Arc-Shaped Text
Version 5.3 added support for curving a line of text in a circular or arc shape.
While this has a number of interesting uses, one of the most important is for
curving text around the edge of an image to be printed on a CD. Similarly, it
can be very useful on circular labels of any size if you want to curve the text
around the perimeter of the label. Of course, you can always add some curved
text to rectangular labels too.
Version 5.3 was only released in the "International" editions. The circular text
features weren´t available in the "Domestic" (USA and Canada) editions until
version 5.4 (see below).
Details of Features Added with Bar Tender 5.2
Data Validation and Error Checking
BarTender can now check to see that label data obeys certain rules. The most
common use is to prevent invalid data from being entered from the keyboard at
print time. However, data being read in from a data file can be checked just as
easily. Functions include:
-
Suppressing unwanted characters
-
Forcing letters to uppercase (or lower case)
-
Allowing only alphabetic or numeric data
-
Whether or not to generate error messages
-
Insertion of formatting characters (like parentheses and dashes)
Rules need not apply to the entire data string but can optionally be applied to
individual character positions.
Minimum and Maximum String Length Functions
You can limit the amount of data allowed for a label object by setting a maximum
length. You can also specify a required minimum length. If the minimum
requirement is not met, you can define a character to "pad" the data up to the
required size.
Data Trimming and Truncation Functions
Specify any number of characters to be removed from the beginning or end of a
data string. You can also specify that leading and trailing spaces get
automatically filtered out.
Improved, Easier-to-Use Visual Basic Scripting
Version 5.2 lets you continue to use BarTender's easy-to-use Data Source dialog
to specify where label data is to be read from and also process that data using
a Visual Basic Script. (If you wanted to write a Visual Basic Script using the
earlier version 5.1 of BarTender, you had to specify Visual Basic Script as the
data source and then specify where the source of the data from within the
script.)
New Easier, More Flexible Data Sourcing
With the addition of all these new functions, we simplified the design of the
Data Source dialog to keep from overwhelming new users with all of these
advanced capabilities. Accordingly, these functions have been organized into
attractive, easy-to-understand tabbed dialogs that are accessed using a "More
Options" button.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 5.1
For an more general discussion of BarTender's overall capabilities, including a
variety of informative graphics and illustrations, see our
Standard Product Brochure.
User-Designable Data Entry Forms (Prompt Dialogs)
Prior to version 5.1, a "Prompt at Print-Time" could only be done one data item
at a time. So, if you were going to prompt for data for more than one label
object, say for a weight and a quantity, or a name and an
address, each individual prompt popped up on a separate dialog. That meant that
you had to click Ok after each entered item in order to display the next
prompt. In version 5.1, BarTender displays all of your prompts in a single
"all-in-one" prompt dialog. What's more, all you have to do is specify which
objects you want to prompt you for data at print time and BarTender will automatically
design the ideal size prompt dialog for you. Of course, you can always
enter into "Prompt Design View" and make any custom changes you desired. This
design mode works almost exactly the same way as BarTender's standard
label design mode. So, as long as you know how to design labels with BarTender,
you already know how to customize a prompt dialog. Using BarTender's multiple
document interface (MDI), you can even display your label and prompt dialog
designs on the screen at the same time, each in its own "window."
Visual Basic Scripting
This is one of the most powerful and remarkable new features of BarTender 5.1.
Similar to the "Visual Basic for Applications" capability now incorporated into
MS-Word, Excel, and may other Microsoft applications, BarTender now supports
Visual Basic Scripting. One of the most exciting things about this new
capability is that it lets you add your own features to meet special
requirements. For example, suppose that you need to make a special modification
to data read in from a database, generate a custom check digit, output a custom
message to the screen under certain circumstances, or perhaps log some
information to a data file in response certain events. Whatever the case,
BarTender's Visual Basic Scripting provides limitless options and solutions
when you might otherwise be at a dead end. There's even a "Script Assistant" to
help non-technical people generate Visual Basic Scripts without learning how to
program.
Prompting for all Data Source Types
In previous versions of BarTender, "Prompt at Print-Time" was a separate data
source type (just like screen data, system time, and input file data are each a
separate data source type). Now "Prompt at Print-time" has been expanded from
its own data source type into an option for each of the other data
source types. This allows the default data that is displayed at print time to
come from any of your other data sources. For example, the default data
displayed when prompting for a field could be the system time or date, or a
value read out of a data file. You can then keep this value or overwrite it
with alternate data as you prefer.
White on Black Printing
White on black printing (also called "reverse text") can now be enabled with the
simple click of a toolbar button (as easily as you would request bold or
italics). And, with most Seagull printer drivers, the text is output using the
printer's built-in reverse text capability, which is much faster than
outputting the text as a white on black bitmap graphic.
Improved Font WYSIWYG
Most Seagull printer drivers now include more detailed and accurate information
on the fonts built into the various supported thermal printers. New versions of
BarTender use this information to display and position the built-in printer
fonts more accurately.
Automatic Restart of Print Jobs
In previous versions of BarTender, when doing a "Search on Field" or "Prompt at
Print Time," you were asked at the end of each print job if you wanted to start
a new print job. The extra required mouse click could be cumbersome when
controlling your print jobs from a bar code reader. If you prefer the new
approach, you can have BarTender automatically display the "Search on Field" or
"Prompt at Print Time" dialog for the next print job. Then, if your previous
print job was indeed the last one that you needed, you can just click on
Cancel. (For backward compatibility, the default setting is still click on Ok
for each print job that you do want, rather than to press Cancel when
you get to a print job that you don't want).
Data-Sourced Graphics
Graphic images imported into BarTender used to be "static" for the entire label
job. Now graphics can change from label to label within a job. One of the most
common uses is printing out parts labels, each with its own picture or other
representation of the part. You can include graphic file names in one of the
fields of your database, allowing BarTender to read in each graphic name of
while importing the rest of the data for your labels.
New Types of Serialization
Previous versions of BarTender supported either Alpha or Numeric
serialization, but not both at the same time. We now support a greater variety
of serialization sequences, as listed below, and even allow you to design your
own custom sequences.
Auto Alpha or Numeric. Corresponds to BarTender's
preexisting scheme. If the right-most character to be incremented starts out as
a number, the serialization will be numeric (base 10). If the right-most
character to be incremented starts out as a capital letter, the serialization
will be alphabetic (base 26).
Alpha. Forces alphabetic (base 26) serialization.
Numeric. Forces numeric (base 10) serialization.
Alpha Numeric. A base 36 character set consisting of all the numerals 0
through 9 and all the capital letters A through Z.
Hexadecimal. A base 16 character set consisting of all the numerals 0
through 9 and the capital letters A through F.
Alpha Numeric (without I and O). A base 34 character set consisting of
all the numerals 0 through 9 and all the capital letters except for I and O
(which some people avoid since they look a lot like 1 and 0).
Custom. Lets you define your own totally custom character set for
serialization.
Print Wizard
Over the years, BarTender has supported more and more features that could result
in a dialog "popping up" at print time. For example, each of the "Search on
Field" and "Prompt at Print Time" dialogs. If you are also printing to a data
file instead of your printer, there is also a "Print to File" dialog. However
many dialogs would have popped up for your print job (anywhere between zero and
five), they are now all incorporated into a print "wizard" that makes the
dialogs cleaner and easier to understand.
Status Bar
A line of helpful status information at the bottom of the screen. Shows you
important data at a glance, so you don't always have to bring up a dialog to
find out certain information.
Non-Printing Label Objects
Users can now request that certain label objects not print. One use is to place
objects on the label that represent information already preprinted on your
labels. Other times you may just want to make a note to yourself about
something on your label.
Comments for Label Objects
You can you store any comments you want "behind the scene" for any object on
your label.
Details of Features Added with BarTender 5.0
True 32-bit Windows Application
Although Intel's 386, 486 and all Pentium versions are all "32-bit" processors,
Windows 3.1 was written using mostly older and slower 16-bit instructions. In
contrast, Windows 95, 98 and NT were designed to take advantage of more current
32-bit technology. Furthermore, while Microsoft was developing their new
operating systems, they took the opportunity to incorporate a wide variety of
new features. This includes visual enhancements to make software more
attractive and easier to use, as well as powerful "low-level" improvements that
make it faster and more reliable.
The thing is, just because you're running on Windows 95, 98 or NT doesn't mean
that you are taking advantage those new features. Because the newer "32-bit"
versions of Windows are "backward compatible" with most programs written for
Windows 3.1, those older programs will still run. However, they won't
take advantage of the available increased performance and upgraded
user-interface. BarTender is a true 32-bit application, rewritten from
the ground up to take advantage of the performance, visual improvements and
increased reliability available under Windows 95, 98 and NT.
(Note: When used on Windows NT, the 32-bit Bar Tender requires NT version 4.0 or
higher.)
Faster Design and Printing
32-bit software provides the fastest execution available under Windows. And the
great variety of new features and improved dialogs make label design easier
than ever.
Unlimited Undo/Redo Command
Not your simple garden-variety Undo. Our undo remembers every action you've
taken since you loaded your label design. So, whether you just deleted a label
object by accident, or made an a bad design decision over an hour ago, you can
undo your actions step-by-step all the way back to the beginning of your design
session.
More Powerful, Easier Page Setup
It is now much easier to specify the number of label rows and columns on your
page, which is particularly helpful when designing layouts for laser printers.
To further simplify layout of your labels, related categories of Page Setup
information have been organized into their own "tabbed" property sheets.
Right-Button Menus Simplify Tasks
BarTender fully supports the "right-mouse-button" actions popularized in Windows
95. Often used for quick access to an object's "properties," a variety of
actions are performed quickly and more easily using the right mouse button.
Tool Bars Can Be Moved/Reshaped
All toolbars start out in a "default" location along the top and left-hand edge
of your screen. However, they can now be moved anywhere on your screen, or
disabled altogether. (See Standard Product Brochure
for visual example.)
Tool "Tips" Provide Instant Hints
If you're ever not sure of what the little picture on a toolbar button means,
simply hold your mouse pointer over it for a second and a "tool tip" will pop
up with an explanation of the button's function. (See
Standard Product Brochure for visual example.)
Three Toolbars Instead of One
Until version 5.0, BarTender had just a single toolbar along the top (now called
the "main" toolbar). Two more tool bars have been added. The "font" toolbar,
which defaults to the top of the screen (just below the main toolbar), provides
helpful shortcuts for customizing the appearance of text. The "arrange"
toolbar, which defaults to the left edge of the screen, allows for a variety of
positioning and organizing shortcuts, including the ability to easily form rows
and columns of objects. (See Standard Product
Brochure for visual example.)
Real-Time On-Screen Resizing
Instead of showing just a dotted line representing the new dimensions of a
resized object, BarTender now resizes the object in "real time." This allows
you to more easily see what an object will look like at any given size, without
your first having to release your mouse button to take a peek.
32-Bit ODBC Database Support
BarTender now supports all the latest 32-bit ODBC driver standard. (The ODBC
drivers included with Microsoft's Office 97 suite are included free with
BarTender.)
Object-Oriented Data-Field Setup
Specifying a label object that gets its data from more than one data source is
now easier than ever. An easy-to-understand list indicates each substring type
with both an icon and descriptive text. And the order of the substrings
can now be easily changed, just by dragging a substring into a different
position in the list.
Multiple Concurrent Design Sessions
BarTender fully supports the "Multiple Document Interface" (or "MDI")
popularized by Microsoft's Office applications. Now you can view multiple label
designs at the same time, or just zoom in on different locations of the same
label. (See Standard Product Brochurefor
visual example.)
Easier Cut and Paste Between Labels
New toolbar buttons in combination with BarTender's Multiple Document Interface
make it easier than ever to "cut and paste" between different label formats.
Thumbnail Previews of Saved Labels
Have a long list of label formats that you haven't looked at in a while? Curious
about Seagull's predesigned sample formats? No need to load each format in
search of a particular label design. Simply click on a label format in your
Format File Open dialog and a "preview" window quickly summarizes what that
label design looks like.
Tracking of Laser Label Start Position
Have labels left over from the last job you ran on your laser printer? BarTender
can now automatically track your ending position and automatically use it as
the starting position for your next job.
Hundreds of New Help-System Links
Our on-line documentation is better and more thorough than ever.
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