Label Design
At the core of BarTender's value is its powerful and user-friendly label design interface. Built with a modern drag-and-drop environment, BarTender enables users—regardless of technical background—to craft complex, professional-grade labels with ease. Users can incorporate a variety of elements including linear and 2D barcodes, human-readable text, graphics, company logos, and even RFID encoding into their label designs. One of BarTender’s standout features is its ability to apply conditional formatting and rules-based logic, which means labels can dynamically change based on input data or predefined conditions—an essential capability for variable product lines or multi-language labeling. Live data preview ensures that users can visualize exactly how a label will print before it reaches the printer, reducing costly errors. In addition, BarTender supports print-time data entry forms, allowing operators to input variable data (such as batch numbers or expiration dates) at the time of printing. Together, these tools make label creation fast, accurate, and fully adaptable to evolving operational needs, ensuring businesses maintain branding consistency while minimizing design complexity.

Compliance & Standards
BarTender is engineered to support businesses that operate in highly regulated industries where labeling compliance is not optional—it’s mandatory. The software includes robust tools to ensure that every label produced meets strict global regulatory and industry-specific standards. Whether it’s GHS (Globally Harmonized System) for chemical labeling, UDI (Unique Device Identification) for medical devices, GS1-compliant barcoding for supply chain traceability, or the stringent food labeling laws enforced in the EU, BarTender has the features necessary to support full regulatory adherence. These capabilities are especially important for companies involved in international trade, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and chemical manufacturing, where even minor labeling errors can lead to costly fines, product recalls, or damaged brand trust. BarTender simplifies this complexity by offering validation-ready templates, multilingual support, and version-controlled designs—empowering organizations to stay audit-ready while confidently meeting compliance obligations.

Printing
BarTender goes beyond label design by offering advanced print management capabilities that are ideal for organizations of any size. Whether printing to a single desktop unit or managing a fleet of industrial printers across multiple facilities, BarTender provides the tools to maintain full control over the entire print process. It offers intelligent print job queuing and prioritization, helping to ensure that mission-critical labels are produced on time, even during peak production periods. BarTender also includes secure print permissions tied to user roles, which is essential for organizations with compliance requirements or the need to limit access to sensitive label formats. Centralized control of printers and templates enables IT teams or production supervisors to maintain consistency in labeling across departments or global locations. The result is a printing environment that is not only efficient and reliable but also highly secure—delivering increased productivity, reducing workflow bottlenecks, and maintaining labeling continuity throughout the business.

Integrations
What sets BarTender apart from many of its competitors is its deep ability to integrate with a wide array of enterprise software systems and data sources. Businesses can connect BarTender directly to their existing ERP platforms such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics, ensuring that labeling is synchronized with real-time transactional data. This means information like product SKUs, lot numbers, order quantities, and shipping destinations can be pulled automatically from the ERP system at the moment of label creation—eliminating manual data entry and reducing the potential for error. Beyond ERP, BarTender supports integration with popular database formats including SQL Server, Excel spreadsheets, and Microsoft Access, allowing organizations to centralize and automate their data-driven labeling processes. For more customized environments, BarTender offers APIs and a .NET SDK, giving developers the tools to build advanced labeling workflows tailored to specific business logic. These integrations create a connected labeling ecosystem where data flows smoothly, operations remain aligned, and label printing becomes a seamless extension of the company’s core IT infrastructure.

1. Starter Edition
Basic label design and printing
Ideal for small businesses or simple use cases
No database connectivity
Entry-level pricing
Use Case: Small retailers or startups needing basic label functionality.

3. Automation Edition
Supports automated printing via integration
Conditional workflows and triggered events
Eliminates manual intervention
Use Case: Manufacturers or warehouses looking to automate and scale their labeling process.

2. Professional Edition
Adds database and spreadsheet connectivity
Enhanced design tools with data-entry forms
Conditional printing logic
Use Case: Mid-sized operations needing dynamic label content and design flexibility.

4. Enterprise Edition
Centralized control across locations
Advanced security, revision history, and user roles
Compliance-ready with enterprise integration
Web-based print portals
Use Case: Large organizations with global operations or strict regulatory requirements.

Manufacturing
Use Case: Work-in-progress labeling, asset tracking, compliance labeling
Benefit: Reduces downtime and supports regulatory audits

Warehousing
Use Case: Shipping labels, inventory control, packing slips
Benefit: Boosts fulfillment accuracy and reduces shipping delays

Retail
Use Case: Price tags, shelf labels, returns processing
Benefit: Improves accuracy at the point-of-sale and during inventory checks

Transportation & Logistics (T&L)
Use Case: Freight labeling, cargo tracking, customs documentation
Benefit: Enhances supply chain visibility and compliance with international standards