2D Barcode Plug-in on the Member Benefits Page

Hi StevenD,

You might want to check out Lee Sutton's presentation on barcodes for more detail at:
http://my.adobe.acrobat.com/barcodedformselearningpdf417bestpractices/

I guess I just want to understand not so much how they work but what I'm allowed to do. In other words I have alway understood that in order to make use 2D bar codes I need to fork over lots of money. Am I right right?

The static barcodes in the Barcodes library in LiveCycle can be used without additional licensing. The dynamic barcodes (those that change automatically as the user enters information) require additional licensing if you're deploying your form to users of the free Reader (7.0.5 or later). The additional license decodes the dynamic barcode when printed or saved in the free Reader.

So how do third party scanners differ from the Adobe one?

First, I should mention that the plug-in you mention above is for Acrobat 7. You don't need to download this for Acrobat 8/LiveCycle because it has been incorporated into these products. The capability to "create" a 2D barcodes exists in both Acrobat 8 and LiveCycle.

Are you referring to hand-held scanner with an embedded 2D barcode decoder or regular document scanner?

Anything really. No one that I know uses this kind of thing so I am trying to understand what it would take to make use of 2D bar codes before I start saying anything about it. I work for a very big corporate environment and even the very, very, very big price tag to use Reader Extensions (we're talking beyond the 500 limit to enable a PDF form in Acrobat Professional) make that use very rare and takes a lot of talk and discussion to get approvals. So my guess is that the price tag to use 2D bar codes is going to be way way out of reach. I'm just trying to get understanding.

I went through the presentation by Lee Sutton to pointed me too and it was a great explanation on how they work. Thanks very much for leading me to it.

Tell me if I am right in my thinking that no matter which type of bar code reader is used you still have to have purchased a license to read the 2D bar codes you put on forms.

You wouldn't need a license to decode a 2D barcode if the barcode was static and/or the end users that filled out your forms had Acrobat Standard or Pro.

There is also another useful bit of documentation that is downloaded with the 2D barcode plug-in you mention above. It's a touch outdated because it refers to Acrobat 7; however, it does a nice job of outlining the various workflows that barcodes can be useful for. It discusses hand-held scanners and regular document scanning workflows too.

Good luck!