KBarcode - the open-source barcode solution [LWN.net]

The KBarcode project is a GUI-based barcode creation application for KDE 3:

KBarcode is a barcode and label printing application for Linux and KDE 3. It can be used to print everything from simple business cards up to complex labels with several barcodes (e.g. article descriptions). KBarcode comes with an easy to use WYSIWYG label designer, a setup wizard, batch import of labels (directly from the delivery note), thousands of predefined labels, database managment tools and translations in many languages.

Some of the KBarcode features include:

Creation of 1D and 2D barcodes.
Contains a rich text editor and has graphical drawing capabilities.
Has optional database support, works with mySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
Outputs to printer, image files, and Cut/Paste to other KDE applications.
Has support for batch printing of labels.
Contains built-in label definitions.
Supports user-defined label definitions.
Can act as a replacement for xbarcode.

KBarcode supports a lengthy list of barcode types by acting as a front end to several barcode back ends including GNU Barcode, PDF417 Encode, and the commercial TBarcode.

The complete documentation for KBarcode is available in PDF formatted files.

For a better understanding of the capabilities of KBarcode, see the screen shots of the GUI and some online examples of the software's output.

KBarcode version 1.6.2 (stable) was recently released. "This release fixes a major bug, which prevented correct creation of UPC-A barcodes. Also a Greek translation was added."

KBarcode dependencies include KDE 3.x, GNU Barcode, ImageMagick, and if SQL support is needed, QT SQL Tools and mysql or PostgreSQL. KBarcode is available for download here.

Some user feedback shows what people are doing with the software.

If you have access to the hardware, the Linux CueCat driver may be a useful resource for reading back your new barcode labels.

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