# Visual Basic > Reporting >  Printing of barcodes on small labels not able to be scanned

## BSWhipp

I have smalll labels (1"X.38") 3 across and have a rdlc setup. It prints the barcode on the labels but it is not scannable. If I use a program like labelview, I have no problem. Can anyone explain this to me and help me out?

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## jdc2000

How many characters are actually being printed on those labels?  A one inch wide label is quite small.  You will not be able to get many characters in bar code form on a label that small.  How wide are the labels (measure them) when they are in scannable format in labelview?  Also, what bar code scanner are you using, and how many DPI is it set for?  Look at the printed label that do not scan and compare them to the labelview ones that do scan.  Do you see any difference in label quality or in the distance between the bars or width of the bars on the labels?  What bar code scanner are you using, a high quality one or a cheapo scanner from scanners-R-us?

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## BSWhipp

10 characters, its serial number.Scanner is a Honeywell USB scanner. 600 dpi. Yes there is a difference in label quality and distance between the bars. Not cheap scanner. The printer is a Datamax I-4604. I also am contacting Honeywell to see what they can provide as support but have not heard back from them as of yet.

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## jdc2000

Check the printer settings to see what DPI and bar code font is actually being used.  Try a different bar code font if necessary.  The quality and distance between the bars can affect the scan-ability of the label.

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## BSWhipp

I think I may have found the issue. The information I am trying to print, needs to be encoded for the scanner to be able to read it. Information from  https://support.idautomation.com/Lin...ont-read/_1794. I will try this andupdate.
Thanks

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## jdc2000

Print a screen capture of the labelview label and see if the barcode produced matches what you are getting from the printed label.  Check the bars and spaces for width to see if they are the same.

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## BSWhipp

Yea I am having no luck. The barcodes do not look the same. Both are using BC 128 and mine don't look anything like it. I am not sure where to go. I called Teklynx and they said not out software not our problem so I'm back to square 1.

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## jdc2000

What are you doing with these bar code labels?  Are you generating them and printing them for use on containers, or are they something that is already supplied and you just need to scan them?

If you are generating the labels for your own use, try a different bar code font to see what happens.

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## jdc2000

It is also possible that the Code 128 bar code font that you have is not correct.  I have seen this occur on other systems.  See if you can find another free Code 128 bar code font to download and then use that to try printing and scanning a bar code label.

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## BSWhipp

Well learning more than I wanted to know about printing barcodes. I got the Code 39 Narrow 3/1 to work. The issue is that I barely have enough room on the label so if the label is not aligned right in the printer then it possible could print bad. The code 128 does have to go through encoding and that is where i am stuck. I need to find the right encoder for the barcode typeface/font. Also I have an acquaintance at a company we contract with who stated he does not use rdlc and sends commands directly to printer. He may be helping me with that. Thanks to all and when I find the solution, I will post it.

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