Barcode Properties

The Barcode Properties lets you change all of the properties for any barcode object in your document. The options available are different in the Windows and Mac OS versions of the software.

To open the barcode properties in Windows

Click on the object of which you want to display the properties.
Click in the Window menu, then click Properties.
The Properties window appears or, if it is already present, is brought to the front and selected.

To open the barcode properties in Mac OS

Click on the object of which you want to display the properties.
Click on Items, then Show Object Properties. You can also right-click on the text object and select Show Object Properties from the drop-down menu.
The Object Properties dialog appears.

Available Options

All objects share some properties. To see these shared properties (the "Object", "Frame" and "Printing" groups), see Properties Panel.

Content Group

The Content group options may change depending on the barcode. The greatest majority of barcodes have the following options only.

Option	Description
Data	The expression used as data for the barcode. Please refer to the documentation for your barcode reader or the barcode itself to learn which information is supported for any particular barcode. See The Expression Editor. Note that the data should never contain barcode functions such as onecode() or postnet() , as the barcode object itself takes care of formatting the string.
Encoding	Select the encoding type, either String or Hexadecimal. Refer to the barcode reader documentation to know what option to choose.
Alignment	Horizontal: Select whether the barcode itself is aligned at the left, center or right of the barcode object. Vertical:Select whether the barcode itself is aligned at the bottom, center or top of the barcode object.

Barcode Group

The Barcode group options may change depending on the barcode. The greatest majority of barcodes have the following options only.

Option	Description
Type	Specifies the barcode type that will be printed. For a list of available barcodes in PrintShop Mail, see Barcodes Supported by PrintShop Mail.
Module Width	Specifies the width of the barcode object (and not the barcode itself). It can be automatic or manually entered.
Align to Pixel Raster	Aligns and resizes the barcode in order to correctly fit your print area. This ensures a more precise output at the printer since the barcode bars will now precisely fit within your printer's output resolution.
Dot Gain Compensation	Dot gain occurs when ink bleeds or spreads as it is absorbed by paper, enlarging the pixels. The amount of dot gain varies for each printer and depends on ink coverage on the printing press. You can compensate for the effect by specifying a value between 0 and 100 for the Dot Gain Compensation property (0 disables the feature).
Quiet Zone	The quiet zone is the blank margin on either side of the barcode that's used to tell the barcode reader where a barcode's symbology starts and stops. You can specify any value in points in this box.
Human Readable Text	Indicates whether you want a human-readable (alphanumerical) string to appear below or above the barcode, or none at all. This option is only visible on barcodes that support human-readable text.
Font Size	Specifies the font size for the human-readable text, when it is available.
Check Digit Method	Specifies the check digit method to calculate the barcode's check digit. Select Automatic to use the default for this barcode, or select another check digit method. Refer to your barcode reader's documentation to know which option to enter here.

Mac OS Note: PrintShop Mail 5 for Mac OS still uses fonts to create its barcodes.