A manufacturer that also runs retail stores or e-commerce needs products that can be scanned at the counter and read by the customer. That usually means a label with the item number as a barcode, plus a description and a selling price. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Barcode Generator PowerTool handles the barcode part of that label. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central.
Start from the sample item label
Business Central has a default barcode label you can use. Barcode Generator PowerTool also includes a sample item label that you can take and modify to meet your requirements. Rather than designing a label from scratch, you start from a working layout and change it.
Labels are standard Business Central reports
The labels are ordinary Business Central reports. You can build the layout in Word or in a report designer and include whatever fields you want on the label, such as the item description and the selling price. Barcode Generator PowerTool is responsible for creating the barcode itself, so the rest of the label stays under your control.
The barcode can use whichever format suits the job, including Data Matrix, QR code, Code 39, and Code 128. Barcode Generator PowerTool can also produce GS1-128 barcodes, which the standard Business Central barcode capability does not support.
Why a separate barcode tool exists
Business Central now has built-in barcode capability. Barcode Generator PowerTool long predates it: Insight Works built it because there was a need to print barcodes from Business Central before that capability existed. It is still the better choice in a lot of cases, and all of the Insight Works reports that print barcodes use it.
Printing labels where they are needed
Labels can be printed from Business Central, or straight from a handheld device during receiving. When a worker selects print on the handheld, the request goes to Business Central, which prints the label report you specified to the printer you specified.
For cloud printing, PrintNode Connector PowerTool connects Business Central to the PrintNode service. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central. PrintNode itself is a paid service, but the connector is free, and it lets reports print directly to a chosen printer without a browser print preview.
Testing and training barcodes
Barcode Generator PowerTool also includes a barcode list tool. You list the barcodes you want, pick the format, and print the list for testing, training, or scanning, or scan straight off the screen.
Relevant Tools
Barcode Generator PowerTool is the main tool for this question: it adds barcodes in many formats to any Business Central report, with sample reports including an item label.
PrintNode Connector PowerTool sends labels and reports straight to the right printer from Business Central or a handheld device.
WMS Express and Warehouse Insight scan those barcodes during receiving, picking, and counting, and can print labels from the handheld when incoming products arrive without them.