SwiftVerify FAQs

If your question is not answered here you can post a question to the SwiftVerify Support Forum and one of our developers will answer it directly.

1. What is SwiftVerify?

SwiftVerify is an add-on to SwiftDecoder that will produce a print quality grade based on standardized grading procedures and requirements.

2. What types of bar codes can SwiftVerify grade?

SwiftVerify can grade the following bar code symbologies: Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Codabar, Interleaved 2 of 5, Trioptic, RSS-14, RSS-14 Stacked, RSS Limited, UPC/EAN/JAN, MicroPDF417, CC-A, POSTNET and PLANET.

3. What does SwiftVerify measure?

For linear symbols, ex: Code 128, SwiftVerify will use all of the measurements defined in ISO/IEC 15416. These grades include: the ability to decode following the reference decode algorithm, symbol contrast, minimum reflectance, minimum edge contrast, modulation, defects in printing and the decodability of the symbol. SwiftVerify will also measure and output the following: the wide to narrow ratio, minimum and maximum reflectance, print contrast signal (PCS), average bar gain or loss, average narrow element width, and the size of the quiet zone.

For multi-row bar code symbols, ex: MicroPDF417, SwiftVerify uses the measurements defined in ISO/IEC 15415. These grades include: the analysis of the scan reflectance profile, codeword yield, unused error correction and codeword print quality. SwiftVerify will also measure and output the following: the number of rows and columns in the symbol, the number of data code words, the number of error correction codewords and the value of each code word in the symbol.

For postal symbologies, ex: POSTNET, SwiftVerify uses the MERLIN guidelines published by the United States Postal Service. The grades include: the width and height of each bar, the position of each bar, baseline shift, bar tilt, pattern skew, bar pitch, bar code clearance, connected bars and extraneous ink.

4. What information is provided by SwiftVerify?

SwiftVerify produces a numerical grade and a XML output string that containing all of the measurement and grading information for each graded symbol.

5. How can I achieve the best results from SwiftVerify?

SwiftVerify performs best when given a higher sample density needed for decoding. For linear and multi-row symbols, at least 3 pixels per narrow bar should be provided. Postal symbols should have a sample density of at least 200 DPI. It is also important when grading linear and multi-row symbols that the illumination remains constant across the image (black and white values are relatively constant across the entire image).

6. What if my device does not provide uniform lighting throughout the image?

When grading a linear bar code symbol, it is important that the illumination is constant across the image. If this is not possible, for example when used in a handheld scanner, it is possible to produce a grade using a limited subset of the categories normally used to grade the symbol. In this case, it is recommended that only the decode and decodability scores are used to grade a linear bar code symbol.