Fortes Report: Barcode properties

[FASTConsulting]

I am using Fortes Report to replace an existing barcode printing application, but I am having trouble generating the same barcode as the existing software.

The barcode that gets generated for a number in Fortes does not look the same as the one generated by the existing software for the same number.

I am setting the barcode type in Fortes to 'Code 128 C', because we will only ever encode numbers, and that is also the setting in the existing software

In the existing software there are two more adjustable properties:

X dimension, which is set to 0.5 mm;
Density, which is set to 0.363 characters per mm.

In Fortes I do not have X dimension and Density properties, but I do see properties called Module and Ratio.

I have translated the descriptions for these properties as follows:

Module: Magnification factor of the width of the bars;
Ratio: The ratio of the widths of the bars.

I would guess that Density might be the same as Ratio? That would possibly make Module the same as X dimension, but Module is an integer property, and X dimension for the existing labels is 0.5 mm?

The bottom line is that I have tried various combinations of values for both Module and Ratio, and I have failed to generate a barcode that looks the same as the existing barcodes for the same number.

Can anyone assist me by shedding some light on this, please?

[Noodly]

Have you scanned the new barcode to see if it contains the right data?

"Module" and "x dimension" are almost identical terms in that they refer to the width of the narrowest bar, but "module" originally referred to the dot size of dot matrix and thermal printers where you might only have 3,4, 8 or 12 dots per mm. So module of 2 on a 8 dot printer = 0.25 mm.

Code 128 has 4 fixed bar widths band and "ratio" doesn't apply. "Ratio" applies to older barcodes with only two bar widths (e.g. Code 3/9 and Interleaved 2/5). Code 3/9 was often used a ratios of 2.5/1 and 3/1.

"X dimension" came into fashion when printer dot sizes got smaller and smaller with laser printers etc. It became practical to give an absolute size in mm for the bar width because of the much higher resolution capabilities of printers introduced in the 90s.

If you've still got issues then I'm happy to look at scans of the old and new barcodes to help try and work out what the difference is.

Noodly