BarTender's latest version 7.74 was released in early April 2006. The new version includes new features from version 7.73, which was previously only distributed in "Trial Edition" form at the 2006 RFID World trade show in late February.

About Upgrading you BarTender Label Design Software
Users of BarTender 7.70 software and higher can upgrade for free. Simply uninstall your existing copy of BarTender (please do not deactivate your existing license) and download the version 7.74 Trial Edition from Eversio's website. When you install BarTender 7.74, your existing license will activate automatically.

Don't Forget to Upgrade Your Barcode Printer Drivers
Many of the new BarTender features depend on the latest printer Drivers by Seagull Scientific (version 7.0.3) to function properly. Accordingly, if you upgrade your BarTender Label Design Software, you should download the latest drivers for their printers as well. The latest printer drivers can be downloaded at www.seagullscientific.com.

XML-Enabled Printer Support
Many label printers can now directly accept XML data packets that contain ready-to-print text strings and the name of a barcode label format already-stored in the printer. Because conventional printer commands are not used, no middleware is required to directly output label jobs from applications such as:

• SAP/R3
• Oracle's Warehouse Management System (WMS)
• Oracle's Mobile Supply Chain Applications (MSCA)
• and more

BarTender Label Printing Software (Enterprise editions) can now easily output XML-ready label template files for XML-enabled printers from Datamax, Intermec, Printronix and Zebra, or you can customize printer code templates to support other printers.

New Media Handling and Enhanced Cutter Functions
With the latest printer Drivers by Seagull installed, BarTender Label Printing Software provides greater control over page breaks, pausing and cutting during the print job. Functions that were previously available only from within the printer drivers can now be more easily controlled from within the Page Setup dialog of BarTender. Additional functions have been added as well. These actions can be triggered by any of a number of events (such as a new print job or label copy), by sensors (such as the Label Taken Sensor), or by changes in the actual data being printed.

RFID Additions

• Named RFID label stocks added for Intermec, SATO and other manufactures.
• RFID tag images added for existing label stocks from Rafsec, Impinj and Avery Dennison.

Recently added RFID printer support includes:

• UCODE EPC 1.19 tag support added for Monarch and Avery Dennison printers.
• EPC Gen 2 tag support added for printers from Avery Dennison, Intermec (IPL), TEC and Zebra (ZPL).

Code 128 Enhancements

• The "code set" for Code 128 bar codes can now be set manually.
• The exporting of Code 128 and UCC/EAN-128 bar codes in printer code templates has been improved (refer to article on the latest drivers-version 7.0.3).

Circle and Ellipse Design Objects
Draw perfect circles and stretch ellipses to any height-to-width ratio desired.

Other User-Interface Enhancements

• Bar code components in the design Toolbox are now organized into convenient folders for easier selection.
• Page Setup now offers more advanced page orientation options and more effects.