Hi!
I am having a hard time generating the correct size barcode for the NEW DS-230 Barcode Coversheet. For some reason, what I generated through using the James's Shortcut looks bigger than the sample barcode coversheet.

I measured the size of the downloaded sample barcode coversheet, and

The small barcode (On top of the agent's name) is Width 50mm and Height 4mm

The bigger barcode (below the case #) is Width 80 mm and Height 6 mm

Is this the actual size?

Can someone who has just made their DS-230 barcode coversheet please give me some advice?

Thanks, Karina

I think I figured it out

Great that you figured it out.

what have you figured out? Does the shortcut give the proper sizes, or did you have to make adjustments?

Without hi-jacking this thread, can i just ask about the new DS-230 cover sheet which has two barcodes and a blue emblem top right- James isn't sure whether it's necessary to have this printed out in colour (color) so that the blue thing shows and it looks original.
I only have a black and white laser printer and we don't have a Kinko's in the UK (Brits will laugh at that name - it's more appropriate for sex shop here)- What's the thoughts on whether colour is necessary ? anyone 'got away' with sending the ds230 cover in black and white ?

alan

Hey greenclipse,
The instructions on James' Shortcut, http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=117&st=135 post 148 does reflect the proper sizes for the 2 barcodes.
I just had a hard time making it work for my coversheet. The barcodes I generated still looks a lil' different, but after spending hours trying to tweak it, i give up! --sigh--
Hopefully NVC won't throw out my DS-230 as my big barcode on the bottom looks a lil' different.

Good luck!

I found that adobe photoshop2 made the barcode fuzzy- the best is the standard 'paint' program in windows xp- just cut the greyed words out, roll up the little image window and its ok- works every time- can't tell the difference from the original when i fold the paper over and compare - however I use A4 size paper and not US 'letter' so it won't fool anyone

I measured the original size on the original form by right click/format/size tab in WORD and then made sure i was getting v close to that on the finished article...someone else that bar code readers don't care if the dimensions aren't spot on - as long as they look pretty close with the naked eye- and my eyes are naked even at mid-day

the liitle one on the DS230 cover sheet (new) was tricky - and in my WORD i had to just click/hold and stretch it til it filled the box almost

just read your thick-thin-space sequence for a little bit just to make sure all your barcodes are the same and not the same as the downloaded form !--- i need a barcode reader website now to reverse engineer it and to check the barcodes i have generated
nerd or what !

phew coffee time

alan

as long as the numbers and barcode is correct, the size doesn't have to be exact, just close enough. if it's slightly off then you are ok.
JK

as long as you have trimmed it in 'paint', copy it to word then right click it and format it - there is a 'size' tab...

do the same on the original download form so you know what the size should be...

james measures are inches and uk word will be set for cm - so just copy what the original form was

alan

It took me forever to get the small one right ... it kept messing up the rest of the form every time I'd paste it in. I had to change margins in the doc. to get it right.

I'll have the hubby print it out in colour though, but that could be just my OCD

Yes I struggled a bit too- if you grab the bottom right corner and go a bit too far it inserts another row- as you say

but as long as you make it as big as poss (and yes it still looks v small) then i reckon it will be ok - look at the original to reassure yourself..

best wishes

alan

ps

people on here say colour print is not necessary and I believe em - but I reckon there is no point drawing attention to the form as they shove it under the barcode reader and I will print it at my pal's house on his colour printer

take a low profile with govt departments is my philosophy

My feelings exactly!
Besides, the newest version of the coversheet is so new I doubt it has been thouroughly tested in black and white. And I don't wanna be the one taking that risk! I'm enough of a worrysick basketcase as it is ...

The barcode sizing thing probably has to do with not cropping enough -- the barcode image after you crop can't be too big or you will run into these problems of bumping the text to the next page. A rule of thumb would be to crop as tightly as possible, leaving almost no white border along the sides and top and bottom of the bar code.

Re: black and white printing -- I don't think that would be a problem since the importance of the sheet lies in the barcode(s). If they think about the logo being in black and white at all, they might just think you ran the cover sheet through a copier and kept the original.

james I trust you 100% on this but you know how things change and I just imagine some bureaucrat starting a campaign to fish out non original forms on the very day mine arrives - yes I am over anxious - you want to see my wife - she worries about satellites crashing through the roof I swear !
I am sure some people must put the wrong code number into the bar code generator and nvc will get annoyed at some stage

oh I know worry worry worry... readers - follow james not me !

Believe me, we speculated quite a bit on how NVC would take to all of this a couple of years ago. At the time, it was really thought to be pushing the envelope by writing your case number on a downloaded DS-3032 instead of waiting for the barcoded version to arrive from NVC (this was before they started accepting choice of agent by e-mail).

Someone who knew some folks at NVC PM'd me and told me NVC was aware of the shortcuts and even read this board fairly frequently. My dim recollection is that this actually helps them b/c the cases get pushed through faster.

*waves at reading NVC people*
Hahahahaha! That's just ossum! So, we're basically doing them a favour by shortcutting. For some reason that makes me happy
Thanks for that, James!