A new era of barcodes is here. With big-name retailers and consumer goods companies replacing traditional barcodes with Digimarc ones, printers are facing more challenges than ever when it comes to verifying these modern codes. 

GlobalVision’s latest integration, Digimarc Verify, gives users the ability to verify and grade all Digimarc barcodes with or without the use of a scanner, speeding up and simplifying the quality control process. 

Read Now: Digimarc Verify for GlobalVision Press Release

What is a Digimarc Barcode?

A Digimarc Barcode is an advanced barcode that can be applied to any print or packaging material. It links interactive content, like product information, when scanned with an enabled scanner or mobile device. Known as the ‘Invisible Barcode’, Digimarc codes on labels and packaging contain the same information as a UPC barcode but generally can’t be detected by the human eye.

These new types of barcodes offer several benefits over traditional ones. Many retailers are making the switch because they’re faster, secure, more reliable, and more versatile than traditional barcodes. They also occupy no space on a product’s packaging, giving the company more space to work with when it comes to artwork and branding. Retailers appreciate the fact that Digimarc Barcodes speed up the checkout process as people can scan their product without having to locate a barcode on the packaging.

The importance of barcode inspections

Although barcodes have significantly evolved since their introduction in the 1970s, the importance of ensuring barcode functionality has never been lost. First and foremost, barcodes must be checked to ensure that they’re present and scannable. Next, the barcode on a printed packaging material has to match the product inside. Finally, printers must give their clients the assurance that their products will scan at the store. If a barcode doesn’t scan, both the retailer and brand run the risk of losing money. 

For prepress operators and printers, the main challenge with checking Digimarc codes is that they can’t be located just by looking at the packaging. This makes it difficult for any traditional barcode reader to verify the functionality of the barcode.  

With Digimarc Verify for GlobalVision, prepress operators and printers now have an easy and efficient way to validate that packaging containing Digimarc Barcodes is ready to hit the shelves. This integration gives them the ability to automatically confirm that the Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) in Digimarc Barcodes matches the GTIN in the UPC or EAN barcode. Overall, Digimarc Verify is designed to speed up and simplify the quality control process for those in charge of proofreading barcodes.

“The integration of Digimarc’s quality assurance tools directly in our platform will help our customers speed up their production process by streamlining all barcode checks,” says Reuben Malz, Founder and CEO, GlobalVision.

This integration is critical as any errors that occur when printing Digimarc Barcodes can now be caught early on to save money and time for prepress customers.

“Integrating Digimarc Verify into GlobalVision will help operators save time and also ensure the quality of their clients’ packaging, while also enabling further industry adoption of Digimarc Barcode,” says Bruce Davis, CEO, Digimarc.

Running a Digimarc Inspection

To run a Digimarc inspection in GlobalVision’s Barcode Inspection mode, users start by loading their electronic prepress files or printed samples into the software and selecting the Digimarc Inspection mode. The software will then run an inspection to determine if a Digimarc Barcode is indeed present and to ensure that the enhanced separation values are matching or similar. Once completed, a comprehensive inspection report will be generated that contains the results of both the Digimarc and linear barcode inspection (if present). Users can then save the report and share with the customer for approval, allowing them to sign off faster and with confidence.

Digimarc Verify for GlobalVision comes as an additional tool for the Barcode Inspection mode. For more information regarding this add-on, download the brochure here.

Watch Now: How to Verify Digimarc Barcodes with GlobalVision Webinar

The latest release from GlobalVision comes with exciting new features to enhance performance for desktop users. Developed with customer feedback in mind, version 5.7 boasts stability, speed, and accuracy with an overall improvement in the ease of use of the software. Notable new features include new measurement tools, the ability to measure braille dot height, and the integration of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for Spelling Inspection. Version 5.7 also comes with major improvements to enhance both Text and Color Inspection.

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The latest release from GlobalVision gives desktop users the ability to run faster and more accurate inspections with enhanced Text & Spelling Inspection features. Along with optimized processing speeds and improved usability, Version 5.5 introduces a new add-on tool for the inspection of tobacco packaging.

Top New Features:

Increased Processing Speeds

The newest version features a standalone Spelling mode thread by processing spelling inspections in the GlobalVision executable rather than the Text inspection executable. This update optimizes processing speeds by up to 4x, allowing users to complete revision cycles in a shorter time frame. In addition, users now have the option to preload files for Text Inspection.

Less Pixelation when Zooming In

GlobalVision 5.5 also comes with improvements to the clarity of text displayed during Text and Spelling inspections. The area of a file to which users zoom in is now rasterized at a higher resolution, reducing the pixelation of the image in the Master/Sample panel.

Updated Difference List for Text & Spelling

Pop-up menus now help users navigate differences by clearly displaying levels and comments during inspections. The handling of Spelling dictionaries has also been addressed to improve the accuracy of punctuation errors detected during Text Inspection.

Health Warning Inspection Tool for Tobacco Packaging

With health-information and warning requirements becoming more and more regulated, tobacco companies are taking greater steps to ensure they meet high industry standards when it comes to packaging. Released with version 5.5, the latest innovation from GlobalVision was developed to facilitate the inspection of health warnings and artwork on tobacco labels and cartons.

The Compulsory Packaging Information (CPI) Extractor comes as an add-on to GlobalVision’s flagship Print Inspection system. Designed for use at each stage in the production process, it automatically compares cartons or press sheets to approved files to flag differences and ensures compliance with industry standards before going to print. This allows tobacco manufacturers to get their products to market faster by double-verifying health warnings and artwork in one complete inspection cycle.

Additional Features:

• Generate comprehensive inspection reports to record and review all detected differences.
• Stay on top of compliance standards by keeping track of each inspection with e-signatures for enhanced security.
• Get color-coded grades of 1D and 2D barcodes in seconds without the need for a scanner with Barcode Inspection mode.

GlobalVision 5.5 is now available. To upgrade, contact sales.

Additional updates by GV: GlobalVision Desktop 5.7

The just-released GlobalVision Desktop 5.3 and GlobalVision Web 3.3 each bring exciting, new features to the forefront. The end result, for both deployment options, is greater overall ease of use, though.

Top new GlobalVision Desktop features include:

• Text Inspection tweaks to insertions/ deletions, which are now easier to locate, along with the new ability to search for text when creating zones and resynching differences.
• New user-friendly keyboard shortcuts listed in a readily accessible in-app guide.

Top new GlobalVision Web features include:

• A face-lifted Graphics Inspection Mode, complete with adjustable Flash, Master, and Sample panels.
• Mozilla Firefox support.

Improved Insertion and Deletion Detection

GlobalVision Desktop users can now make use of a new search function. As text is being selected to create a “zone,” possible matches in the opposite panel now pop up. Much the same mechanic lets users match text when resynching differences after the inspection has been run.

Also following inspections: Detected insertions and deletions get highlighted in red in only the corresponding panel, letting users easily determine the difference’s exact location.

The Wait for the (Bigger) Flash Is Over

GlobalVision Web users running graphics inspections can now make the Flash panel as big as they want. The panel, which flashes between the Master and Sample in rapid succession to highlight differences, can be resized or popped out as a separate browser window. Meanwhile, the Master and Sample panels can be toggled off altogether, allowing for a fully customizable inspection view.

More of Color Inspection Mode

Color Inspection Mode, which innovatively confirms the accuracy of Pantone, LAB, CMYK, and RGB values at select points, has also been updated. A streamlined, new look to the user interface now accompanies an additional inspection “action.” Point to Point inspections can now be run, where, instead of having GlobalVision Desktop automatically compare the same point on the Sample to the one on the Master, users specifically pick points on each file to compare to each other.

Other Updates:

• Sleeker designs coupled with general user-interface improvements.
• U.S. Postal Service 4-State barcode support in GlobalVision Desktop Barcode Inspection.
• Available French, German, and Spanish translations of GlobalVision Desktop itself.
• Simpler processes to regain access to locked-out accounts in both versions.

Before, locked-out GlobalVision Desktop and Web users had to contact administrators to log back in. Now, they can re-activate their accounts on their own through an email notification (Web) or by simply waiting until their system’s pre-determined lock-out period ends to try logging in again (Desktop). The forgotten-password retrieval system has also been revamped in GlobalVision Desktop, which emails a temporary password to users upon request. Hassle-free.

Ultimately, it’s one of many additional features designed to simplify the lives of GlobalVision users. For a complete list, read the release notes for GlobalVision Desktop 5.3 and GlobalVision Web 3.3.

Register for our webinar on either GlobalVision Web (December 4 at 11 am EST) or GlobalVision Desktop (December 13 at 11 am EST) for in-depth demonstrations of our software, including the above new features.

Having previously pulled out all the stops unifying our apps into a single platform, we’re going further and adding to that all-in-one offering. Presenting our latest desktop release: GlobalVision 4.1. Users can now take advantage of the brand-new Job Wizard and other exciting features to streamline inspections to an even greater degree.

A New Workflow for Easy Inspections

We created the new Job Wizard workflow specifically with users in mind. It’s front and center here and promises to simplify inspections for print production and press operators among many others. It’s just a matter of creating a new profile or selecting one of the default options. Essentially individual collections of pre-set parameters, the profiles enable jobs—possibly comprising multiple inspections at once—to be run more efficiently. The Wizard can be set to launch right when the platform loads. It then guides users step by step through inspections, ensuring everyone in the organization follows set processes and standards.

Faster, Stronger, Bigger, and Better

There’s also the matter of file-loading speeds, which have been improved. With specific regard to PDFs, the PDF Viewer functionality from Version 4.0 has been integrated into the new and improved interface. PDFs are now loaded directly into either the Master or Sample panel. You can then make desired separation and layer adjustments right there instead of in a separate window. It’s that easy!

Quality Control with All the Fixin’s

One of our ultimate goals has been to reduce users’ time spent switching between applications. Previously unifying all our apps was a giant leap forward. The integration of the PDF Viewer in this latest version is now following suit. Furthermore, in Version 4.1, you also have the option to scan in files at the push of a button, without a scanner interface popping up. And, when generating and viewing inspection reports, you can launch the platform’s very own Report Viewer instead of your system’s default PDF reader. 

Additional updates include:

• A new one-to-one action for quicker inspections of press sheets.
• Support for Code 32 barcodes in the Barcode Inspection app.
• The addition of Unified English Braille (UEB) to the Braille library.
• The ability to specify default paths when saving inspection reports or image views.

GlobalVision is consistently looking for more and more ways to improve users’ efficiency. These are just a select few. Overall, GlobalVision 4.1 can best be summarized as another step in the right direction, with more inevitably to come. Have something you want to see in a future update? Let us know here.

Join the GlobalVision 4.1 Webinar

We have recently released GlobalVision 4.1 for Desktop, and invite you to join our webinar to learn how this new release can help streamline your quality control process.