Card Printing, Advanced Drawing Functions, Major User-Interface Improvements, Data Type Support and much more.

Capture live images directly into your forms.

BarTender version 10 began shipping on March 1^st, 2012. Coming 25 years after the very first version of BarTender, version 10 is the biggest and most exciting software release in our history. Introducing card printing, truly professional drawing functions and major user-interface improvements, BarTender now expands its industry leadership way beyond just label design and printing.

The new user-interfaces shown in English on this page are already translated into the 22 additional languages supported by BarTender.

For more details please visit:
http://www.abarcodebusiness.com/downloads/seagull/WhitePaper_WhatsNewInBT10.pdf

Print and encode professional-looking smart cards.

Card Printing and Encoding!

BarTender version 10 adds powerful features dedicated to the design, printing and encoding of ID cards, employee security badges, membership cards and just about any other plastic card. You can even encode smart cards and magnetic stripes! (Please see separate brochure.)

Powerful, High-End Drawing

BarTender now offers many high-end drawing functions previously only seen in software packages such as Adobe Illustrator. This includes:

Choose from and customize an incredible variety of shapes.

• Many new shapes, including diamonds, trapezoids, parallelograms, arcs, stars, banners and polygons
• Versatile shape fill options, including gradients, patterns, pictures and textures
• Arrows in numerous styles
• Customizable corners for rectangles
• Improved line drawing, including dashed lines, compound lines, and resizable end caps

3 seconds Another 25 seconds

RFID Support in Professional

Encoding of data into RFID tags and labels was previously only provided in the two Automation editions. It is now available in Professional as well.

Brand New Properties Dialog

The Properties dialog (previously called Modify) is much faster and easier to use, including:

• Instant changes without having to click OK
• Quicker access to object properties
• New “Transforms” pane makes it easier to modify imported data
• New Data Source wizards

The navigation pane on the left of the new Properties dialog makes it quick and easy to find the options you want to customize.

The new Transforms pane makes it even easier to customize the external data you import at print time.

Data Type Support

BarTender no longer treats all data as just “text.” Powerful support for data types (including decimals, integers, fractions, dates and more) lets you perform advanced validation and data conversion functions usually only seen in spreadsheets and database systems.

New “Select Barcode” Browser

Now it’s easier than ever to select exactly the barcode you need. Quickly preview more than 400 preformatted, ready-to use barcode components. Choose from numerous “Common Barcodes” or drill down into folders of different application-specific barcodes.

The new Transforms pane makes it even easier to customize the external data you import at print time.

Easier Object Creation

It’s now also easier to create text and import graphics. And, if you have an RFID or “smart card” capable printer, it’s easier to select the right encoding technology and standard.

The new “Create Encoder” option intelligently adapts to show you only the encoding options available for your printer.

Better Text Formatting

Powerful new font formatting capabilities include:

• Kerning and spacing
• Font outlines
• More line spacing options
• More advanced “Word Processor” objects, including table support
• Effects for mirror, transparency and negative

Improved Graphic Support

• PDFs now supported
• New clip art search engine and browser

More Flexible Document Format

You can now save multiple template designs into a single BarTender document and automatically switch between them at print-time.

Additional New Features

BarTender version 10.0 also introduces:

• New simplified Installer
• Expanded Librarian integration
• New print-time “Search and Replace”
• Available automatic borders for barcodes, text and graphics
• Export and print logs from History Explorer
• Improved weighing scale options
• Expanded printer function in the Print SDK
• Shell Extension now supports x64
• Support for Print Quantity commands beyond four billion

For more details please visit:
http://www.abarcodebusiness.com/downloads/seagull/WhitePaper_WhatsNewInBT10.pdf

Believe it or not but pricing is actually going down on some select Zebra labels. The following Zebra labels will reduce in list price on 9/5/11:

Our industry continues to face raw material price inflation. While the US economy has improved, new capacity to match the increased demand has not kept pace, creating shortages of key ingredients that go into adhesives and film resins. There have also been global events which have created additional shortages of the components that go into paper liner and facestocks. Here is a more detailed look at what is driving the raw material increases:

Paper and Pulp Cost Increases

• Paper and Pulp has increased by 57% in the past year to a record high of over $1000/ton for NBSK due to increased demand and declining supply
  • Chilean earthquake in February 2010 took 8% of the world’s pulp capacity offline for several months
  • Labor strikes in Europe taking additional capacity offline
  • Increased global demand for China
  • Decline in North American paper capacity (2008-2009)
• Platinum costs up 17% YTD, Silicon metal up 30% YTD – these are key ingredients in making silicone release liners
• Continuing impact of elimination of “black liquor” tax credits

Films and Adhesives Cost Increases

• Propylene monomer (a key component in adhesives) up 33% YTD
• Strong global demand putting adhesive components on allocation from key chemical suppliers BASF, Dow, etc.
• Polyester film shortage expected with the shutdown of DuPont’s Florence facility

Due to these cost increases, industry leaders like Zebra & Datamax will be increasing their pricing on most media consumables between 4%-7% on August 2, 2010. New costs on custom media quotes will be phased in as they take effect in June and July.

The best strategy for you is to place as many orders as possible NOW; this will ensure that you receive the best possible pricing before the increases take effect.

You are probably asking yourself what can A Bar Code Business, Inc. do to provide any type of defense to these increases?  There is really not that much we can do to stem the rising material costs.  The increases are industry wide and we have heard from a number of our suppliers that the increases have to be passed through because of their narrow margins.  However we do have program that may allow you to maintain a price very near to what you are paying now by taking advantage of quantity discounts.

A Bar Code Business, Inc. is prepared to offer you a 90 Day Make & Hold Program that will allow you to take advantage of volume discounts without tying up your warehouse or working capital.  We’ll run the quarterly volume and store it in our climate controlled warehouse. You can then take it (and pay for it) as you need it within the 90 day period.

We will do our best to keep our pricing as low as possible and still continue to give you the quality and service that you have come to expect from A Bar Code Business, Inc.  We value your business and look forward to hearing from you in the future. Please contact us at 800-644-0077 to order your labels now or if additional information is needed regarding these changes.