Recently we sent out a few sample keytags to a gym owner and we got a call back that 3 of them worked fine with his software but 1 of them didn’t.  Upon further investigation, we discovered that the keytag that didn’t work had a letter preceding the numbers (T45464).  A quick call to the software vendor revealed that this particular software was not able to process letters combined with numbers in a barcode.

A common convention when numbering your keytags is to start with a 5 digit number – in fact, our printer defaults to barcode number 12345 if no starting number is requested.  What is nice about 12345 as a starting number is that it allows you a lot of future members before anything changes about your numbering convention (after all – if you have a gym with 99,999 members, you probably have a full time IT department that can make anything work!).

So the moral of the story is, if you don’t have a preference for your starting number, try starting with 12345.  And if you decide for some reason that you would like a letter in your barcode number, you might want to check with your software vendor to ask them if the software is able to read letters in barcode keytags.

Recently a customer asked “How do I assign a particular barcode number to a member?  For example, how do I assign 0001 to Wayne Mahar, 0002 to Bill Thomson, 0003 to Lisa Smith, etc.  Do I need special software to do this?”.

The answer to that question is yes, you will need software and a barcode reader to effectively manage your clients or members.  The barcode reader is the input device that “reads” your barcoded keytag.  The reader inputs the data to your computer – and ultimately to your software.  Your software then determines who the owner of that keytag is (based on the barcode number), and it then generally lets you know whether or not this person has a valid membership.

There are many sources for barcode management software out there.  Since we specialize in selling custom barcode key tags to the fitness industry, we are familiar with several software companies (primarily through hearing our customers talk about them) - such as MindBody, Twin Oaks, and ASF to name a few.  Most of these companies can also set you up with a barcode reader, although generally a reader is just a generic piece of hardware, and you may rather find it online.

So in summary, the 4 things you need in order to check in members is:

1. barcode keytags
2. a barcode reader
3. check-in software
4. members!

Sometimes we get calls from customers who aren’t sure whether or not their barcode reader or scanner can read our keytags.  There are a couple of different ways to verify this.

First, call us at 888-903-7648, ext. 123 with your mailing address and we would be more than happy to send you a few sample cards so you can try them out!

Or if you’re more adventurous, you can actually go to this website and enter in a sample number, then press the “generate barcode” button and your barcode will appear on the screen.  You can then simply print it out on standard quality paper and try scanning it!

Thank you to Barcodes Inc for providing this free application – it is extremely handy!

Our key tags are constructed of a highly durable polyester laminate with a printed Teslin® core. Unlike PVC tags, our sturdy 30-mil key tags will not crack or peel apart.  Our Key Tags are also waterproof. 

The bar code is protected under a crystal clear polyester lamination, so bar code can’t scratch off.  And the S-style shape allows the key tags to be used in slot-style readers as well as all other barcode readers currently on the market.  Tag dimensions are 2-5/8″ x 1-1/8″.