LOGMARS Barcode Creation & Printing

This tutorial outlines how to generate LOGMARS barcodes for military items and shipments within the Federal Government using the IDAutomation Barcode Image Generator and the Code 39 barcode font. If implementing a LOGMARS barcode generation process from another application, IDAutomation’s Barcode Fonts and Barcode Components may be integrated using methods similar to what is defined here.

LOGMARS, an acronym for Logistics Applications of Automated Marking and Reading Symbols, is a standard based on the Code 39 symbology. Used by the Department of Defense, LOGMARS is defined by Military Standard MIL-STD-129N that not only contains information about where the barcode must be placed on a military shipment, but also what information must be encoded into the barcode to fit military specifications. This tutorial focuses on creating the LOGMARS barcode from Code 39 using the IDAutomation Barcode Image Generator software.

The LOGMARS military barcode is encoded in the Code 39 barcode type, which is offered in the standard version of IDAutomation’s Barcode Image Generator. The barcode density should be from 3.0 to 9.4 characters per inch (CPI), and the LOGMARS symbol should contain the following information depending on location of the label:

• Purchase a Product to Generate LOGMARS Barcodes
• Generate the LOGMARS Barcode
• Reading & Testing LOGMARS Barcodes

Purchase a Product to Generate LOGMARS Barcodes

Generating LOGMARS barcodes requires a Code 39 barcode. The Barcode Image Generator software is used to create the LOGMARS barcode in this tutorial, although in other cases it may be better to use IDAutomation’s Code 39 Barcode Fonts. If other types of barcode automation are preferred, IDAutomation offers a variety of barcode font tools, components and stand-alone applications for this exact purpose.

Generate LOGMARS Barcodes

Because manually calculating a LOGMARS Mod43 check digit can be complicated, IDAutomation’s Barcode Image Generator used in this tutorial contains a useful capability that allows automatic check digit calculation simply by checking the appropriate box.

Creating LOGMARS barcodes with the Barcode Image Generator is outlined as follows:

1. Install the Barcode Image Generator.
2. Open the Image Generator. Under the Barcode Properties tab in the Data to Encode in Barcode field, enter the LOGMARS code without dashes.
   Choose 0.90 for the Bar Height and .025 for the X dimension.
   Choose CODE39 for the Symbology.
   Make sure “Use Check Digit” is checked.
   
3. In the Text & Color Properties tab, make sure the  Show Human Readable Text and Show Check Digit in Text check boxes are not populated:
4. In the Caption Properties tab, click the set button for the Bottom Caption Font and enter your code with dashes:
5. In the Image Properties tab, choose the resolution of the image (if unsure, select 300) and select Bitmap for the image type.
6. Choose Generate Image File and save the image to the hard drive. The LOGMARS barcode is now ready to be imported and placed in the appropriate location. If it is desired to create multiple labels, this same process may be used with IDAutomation’s Barcode Label Software.
   

Reading & Testing LOGMARS Barcodes

When the Code 39 barcode of the LOGMARS number is scanned to create a LOGMARS barcode, the data should match the numbers printed below the barcode. A common method of reading and testing barcodes is with a hand-held barcode scanner. Most of the barcode scanners recommended by IDAutomation perform keyboard emulation and receive power from the USB port, so that no external power supply is required. When a barcode is scanned using keyboard emulation, the data read appears at the cursor as if it had been typed in from the keyboard. Most barcode scanners have the ability to read LOGMARS barcodes by default, such as the hand-held IDAutomation USB Barcode Scanner.