Standard Reader

A combination of the following flags:

Can be one of the following values:

The ReadingQuality enumeration determines how the Standard Reader balances speed and accuracy when detecting and decoding barcodes. Choose the value that best matches your document quality and workflow requirements.

Usage and Configuration

• Use Normal for typical documents with good image quality.
• Use MostAccurate for degraded, noisy, or critical documents where maximum accuracy is required.
• Use Fastest for high-volume, high-quality scans where speed is the top priority.

Impact

• Higher accuracy settings increase processing time but improve detection of difficult barcodes.
• Faster settings reduce processing time but may miss some barcodes or return fewer results.

Review diagnostic output to verify the effect of this setting on your document set.

A combination of the following flags:

The Code39Options enumeration defines advanced configuration flags for reading Code 39 barcodes using the Standard Reader. These options allow you to relax or restrict certain requirements, such as the presence of start/stop characters or the use of full ASCII encoding, to accommodate a variety of document and barcode standards.

Usage and Configuration

• Use these options to handle non-standard or legacy Code 39 barcodes that may not include start/stop characters or that require restricted character sets.
• Adjust settings to balance detection coverage and the risk of false positives.

Impact

• Relaxing requirements may increase the number of barcodes detected but can also increase false positives.
• Restricting options improves accuracy but may miss non-standard barcodes.

Review diagnostic output to verify the effect of these options on your document set.

A combination of the following flags:

The Pdf417Options enumeration defines advanced configuration flags for reading PDF417 barcodes using the Standard Reader. These options allow you to enable detection of truncated symbols, enhance boundary detection, and output macro header data, providing flexibility for a variety of PDF417 barcode formats and use cases.

Usage and Configuration

• Enable options as needed to support non-standard, truncated, or macro PDF417 barcodes.
• Adjust settings to improve detection accuracy or to extract additional data from PDF417 symbols.

Impact

• Enabling additional options may increase detection coverage and output data, but may also increase processing time.
• Use diagnostic output to verify the effect of these options on your document set.

The 'Barcodes to Read' property limits the number of barcodes that will be detected and decoded per image. This is useful for documents where only a certain number of barcodes are expected, or to improve performance by stopping detection after the desired number is found.

Usage and Configuration

• Set to 1 to read only the first detected barcode (default and most common for single-label documents).
• Increase the value to read multiple barcodes from a single image (e.g., set to 5 to read up to five barcodes).

Impact

• Lower values improve speed and reduce the risk of false positives in documents with only one barcode.
• Higher values are necessary for documents or labels containing multiple barcodes.

Example

• For shipping labels with a single barcode, set to 1.
• For forms or packaging with multiple barcodes, set to the expected maximum number.

The 'Scan Interval' property controls how many lines are skipped between each scan during barcode detection. A lower value increases accuracy by scanning more lines, but may slow down processing. A higher value speeds up detection but may miss small or faint barcodes.

Usage and Configuration

• Set to 1 to scan every line (most accurate, slowest).
• Set to a higher value (e.g., 5 or 10) to scan every 5th or 10th line (faster, less accurate).

Impact

• Lower values are recommended for critical applications or degraded images.
• Higher values are suitable for high-quality images or when speed is more important than completeness.

Example

• For high-accuracy needs, use 1.
• For high-volume, high-quality scans, use 5 or 10.

A combination of the following flags:

The 'Read Directions' property determines which directions the Barcode Reader will scan when searching for barcodes within an image. By default, the reader scans in all supported directions, but you can limit or expand the search to target specific orientations as needed.

Usage and Configuration

• Select one or more directions to match the expected orientation(s) of barcodes in your documents.
• Common directions include South (top-to-bottom), North (bottom-to-top), East (left-to-right), and West (right-to-left).
• Multiple directions can be enabled to detect barcodes with inconsistent or mixed orientations.

Impact and Considerations

• Enabling all directions increases the likelihood of detecting barcodes regardless of their placement, but may increase processing time.
• Some barcode types may yield different values if read upside down or in a non-standard orientation. For example, a Patch T barcode read upside down may be interpreted as a Patch 3.
• Restricting directions can improve performance and reduce false positives if you know the expected orientation.

Example

• For documents scanned in a consistent orientation, select only the primary direction (e.g., South).
• For mixed or uncertain orientations, enable multiple directions to ensure all barcodes are detected.

The 'Enforce Checksum' property determines whether the reader will require and validate checksum characters for supported barcode symbologies. Enabling this option increases reliability by rejecting barcodes with invalid or missing checksums.

If set to false, any checksum character is treated as a regular character in the barcode value.

Symbologies with Optional Checksums

• Code 11: First 'C' checksum always enforced, second 'K' checksum optional.
• Code 39 and Code 93: Two check characters.
• Interleaved 2 of 5: Optional checksum.

Usage and Configuration

• Enable for workflows requiring strict data integrity and error detection.
• Disable for legacy or non-standard barcodes that may omit checksums.

Impact

• Enabling reduces false positives and increases confidence in results.
• Disabling may allow more barcodes to be read, but increases the risk of accepting incorrect values.

Example

• For regulated environments or automated routing, enable checksum enforcement.
• For legacy archives with non-standard barcodes, disable if checksums are missing.

The 'Quiet Zone Tolerance' property controls how strictly the reader enforces the requirement for a clear area (quiet zone) around the barcode. The quiet zone should be free of stray marks or graphics to ensure reliable detection.

• A setting of 0% ignores the quiet zone requirement.
• A setting of 100% strictly requires the quiet zone to be respected.
• Intermediate values balance tolerance and accuracy.

Usage and Configuration

• Use higher values (closer to 100%) for barcodes that are generally unobstructed (e.g., patch codes).
• Use lower values (closer to 0%) for barcodes embedded in document content (e.g., Code 39 or UPC).

Impact

• Higher values reduce false positives but may miss barcodes with minor obstructions.
• Lower values increase detection in cluttered environments but may increase false positives.

Example

• For clean, isolated barcodes, set to 1.0 (100%).
• For barcodes surrounded by text or graphics, set to 0.2 (20%) or lower.

The 'Skip All Validation' property allows the reader to return barcodes even if they fail standard validation checks, such as checksum, quiet zone, or structural requirements. This is useful for reading barcodes that are damaged, partially obscured, or non-standard.

Usage and Configuration

• Enable only when you need to extract data from barcodes that cannot be read with normal validation.
• Use with caution, as enabling this option increases the risk of false positives and unreliable results.

Impact

• Increases the number of barcodes detected, including those that may be incorrect or incomplete.
• Should be used as a last resort or for exploratory purposes.

Example

• Enable when processing damaged archives or documents where barcode quality cannot be guaranteed.
• Disable for production workflows requiring high confidence in barcode data.