BarTender Cloud™ FAQ

What is BarTender Cloud™?

BarTender Cloud™ provides a simple, easy, and powerful labeling solution without the need for customers to install and maintain their own IT software and hardware. It is offered by Seagull Scientific, Inc., a global leader in software for labels, barcodes, documents, and RFID tags.

Who is the ideal customer for BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud is designed for customers who want to standardize and centralize their label printing across multiple locations, including external suppliers or partners, and prefer to delegate label design. Ideal customers are early adopters who prefer minimal on-premises hardware/software, have limited IT resources, and require simple database connectivity or REST API integration to their business applications.

How would a current on-premises BarTender customer use BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud is a separate product from on-premises BarTender software, allowing customers to deploy one, the other, or both based on their needs. Existing customers can leverage BarTender Cloud for temporary, seasonal, or unplanned printing volume increases without needing additional IT resources. It also supports external supplier labeling, remote printing locations, and mobile device printing without on-site software installation. BarTender Cloud is a strong alternative to the Print Portal application for those who wish to avoid managing their own Print Portal IIS server for remote web printing.

What are the system requirements for BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud is compatible with any modern web browser on Windows 10 and 11 PCs/laptops, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. Users of the BarTender Mobile App on Android and iOS devices can also print directly from their mobile devices.

Which printers does BarTender Cloud support and how does BarTender Cloud print to local printers?

BarTender Cloud supports printing to any printer. With BarTender Intelligent Printing, customers do not need to install or manage printer drivers. BarTender Cloud automatically detects connected printers and uses one of nearly 8,000 Seagull printer drivers for optimized print jobs. For other printers, a "print to PDF" option is available. Upon the first print, a lightweight Print Gateway software agent will be downloaded and installed, similar to the Client Print Service (CPS) in the on-premises BarTender Print Portal application. BarTender Mobile App users can print directly from their mobile devices to any automatically discovered Bluetooth or IP connected printers. For a list of the nearly 8,000 supported printers with Drivers by Seagull, please visit the Seagull Scientific website.

How secure is BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud ensures data safety through its architectural design, implementation, deployment, and ongoing management. It employs layered security controls, including physical, logical, technical, and administrative measures, to protect customer data and mitigate risk. BarTender Cloud also supports data encryption for data-in-transit and data-at-rest.

What is the availability of BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud offers high 99.9% monthly uptime. Customers may be eligible for a Fee Credit if this uptime is not met.

How is BarTender Cloud deployed in the cloud?

BarTender Cloud is a next-generation software platform deployed on Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a true multi-tenant SaaS (Software as a Service). Customers access BarTender Cloud directly and do not have access to AWS. Customer template labels are securely stored within their BarTender Cloud account. Currently, only .btw BarTender Template files can be stored. Seagull Scientific manages and updates BarTender Cloud.

How do I design label templates for BarTender Cloud?

There are three methods for designing label templates for BarTender Cloud:

1. Use the BarTender Template Library, which offers hundreds of pre-designed templates. Select a template and use the built-in Template Assistant to easily enable data entry forms and connect to cloud databases (like Excel Online and Google Sheets) and embedded data through guided steps.
2. Engage Seagull Scientific's expert Label Design Services team as part of the onboarding and implementation process.
3. For users of BarTender Designer software, .btw files can be designed, uploaded, and printed directly from the BarTender Cloud account.

Are all BarTender Designer label template features available in BarTender Cloud?

Labels created in BarTender Designer, including most formatting, layout capabilities, Intelligent Templates, RFID, and VBScript features, can be uploaded and printed from BarTender Cloud. Standard Windows fonts, including Tier 1 language packs and Seagull distributed fonts, are supported. For security reasons, BarTender Cloud does not support label template files with local file system connections, linked pictures, CSV files, or references to external commands, programs, or automation objects. Refer to the BarTender Cloud online help for a detailed list of unsupported document features.

How can I provide label Templates for inclusion in the Template Library?

The Template Library is a centralized resource for customers and partners. Seagull Scientific will continue to add commonly used templates. Customers and partner resellers can also submit their commonly used label templates. Look for a submittal form on the label template webpage later this year.

What data connections are available for BarTender Cloud label templates?

Many templates in the BarTender Cloud Template Library feature a Template Assistant with built-in data connections to Excel Online and Google Sheets, along with embedded text or CSV. Label templates can also be created in BarTender Designer and uploaded to a customer's BarTender Cloud account, supporting connections to cloud databases like Excel Online, Google Sheets, Azure SQL Database, SAP HANA cloud, or QuickBooks Online.

What is the new Template Assistant?

The Template Assistant, available with many BarTender Cloud Template Library templates, offers a guided, step-by-step process for connecting data to label templates and configuring data entry forms. Supported data sources currently include Excel Online, Google Sheets, and embedded text/CSV, with more to come. These files can be edited via the Template Assistant. For advanced edits, files can be downloaded and edited in BarTender Designer, though they will no longer support the built-in Template Assistant.

How will BarTender Cloud be priced and packaged?

BarTender Cloud is offered as a simple, annual subscription based on the number of labels printed, with two plans: Essentials and Automation. The Essentials plan includes printing capabilities and 2 GB of storage. The Automation plan adds BarTender REST API and File Drop support for business application integration and 5 GB of storage. Customers exceeding their annual volume will be billed for the difference between tiers plus 5%, and their subscription will renew at the next higher tier. Upgrading from Essentials to Automation costs the difference in annual fees plus 10%. Essentials Plan customers needing more than 2 GB of storage should upgrade to the Automation Plan. For more information on BarTender Cloud pricing, please visit the Seagull Scientific website.

What support plans are available for BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud Essentials Plan customers receive the Essential Support Plan, offering self-service access to community forums and email support during regional business hours, with a 4-hour priority response time for emails. BarTender Cloud Automation Plan customers receive either the Standard or Premium Support Plan, which includes all Essential Support benefits plus live phone and chat support. The Standard Support Plan has a 2-hour priority response time, while the Premium Support Plan offers a 1-hour priority response time and 24x7x365 coverage.

How do partner resellers sell BarTender Cloud?

Partner resellers with BarTender Cloud prospects should contact their BarTender representative for qualification assistance. If BarTender Cloud is a suitable fit, Seagull Scientific will facilitate direct purchase or sales through the reseller, providing margin. For on-premises BarTender software, the standard sales process applies. A more defined affiliate sales program is planned for 2023.

Which industry regulations, security, legal and compliance requirements does BarTender Cloud support?

BarTender Cloud and its customer data are hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS adheres to numerous security standards and compliance certifications, including PCI-DSS, HIPAA/HITECH, FedRAMP, GDPR, FIPS 140-2, and NIST 800-171. For more details on AWS compliance, visit https://aws.amazon.com/compliance.

What's the difference between BarTender Cloud and BarTender software?

BarTender Cloud is designed for label printing and management across distributed internal or external supplier locations, requiring no on-premises IT hardware/software and reducing IT resource needs. It is ideal for printing common label templates, connecting to cloud databases, and integrating with cloud/on-premises ERP systems. BarTender software offers custom label design, supports over 20 data connections, local data sources, and tools for complex integrations with ERP, WMS, MES, and other business applications. It also provides workflow approval, advanced security, and printer controls like Reprint Console and Printer Maestro. BarTender software requires installation on hardware at central or printing locations.

Why is BarTender Cloud better than other cloud labeling providers?

BarTender Cloud brings the most widely used and trusted labeling software to the cloud. It offers a simple, easy, and powerful solution for centralizing label printing and management without the need to install and manage IT infrastructure. Key capabilities include Intelligent Printing (eliminating printer driver management), BarTender Mobile App (for mobile printing), BarTender REST API (for extensive integration flexibility), and a Template Library with a built-in Template Assistant (for easy data connection to common templates). These features are delivered as a secure, high 99.9% availability service.

How does BarTender Cloud support REST API access?

BarTender Cloud supports the BarTender REST API, providing web standards-based access to actions within the BarTender Integration Platform, including document management, printing, and security capabilities. Full documentation is available in the Automating BarTender Cloud section of the BarTender Cloud documentation.

How do I add another user to my account?

Users can add additional users for their organization via the administrative interface within their BarTender Cloud account.

Where is my data stored?

Customer data is securely stored in BarTender Cloud, which is deployed in various regions worldwide on Amazon AWS.

When will BarTender Cloud be available in my region?

BarTender Cloud is available globally through certified cloud launch partners. Contact Seagull Scientific for a list of certified partners.

How do I continue to print if my Internet connection goes down?

The initial release of BarTender Cloud requires an active Internet connection for printing.

Do I still need to install BarTender on-premises to use BarTender Cloud?

No, BarTender on-premises software installation is not required to print and manage documents in BarTender Cloud. However, BarTender Designer may be used to create custom label templates for use in BarTender Cloud.

What's the difference between Bartender Cloud and the BarTender Print Portal software companion application which both provide web-based printing?

The BarTender Print Portal application offers browser-based printing and workflow management but requires the installation and management of an IIS web server on the user's own hardware, which can pose security risks and single points of failure. BarTender Cloud provides secure, highly available browser-based printing and file management simply by signing up for an account, with all software and hardware managed by Seagull Scientific.

How can I use my mobile device to access BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud can be accessed from any Android or iOS mobile device using either the mobile browser or the BarTender Mobile App. Administrators can use the mobile browser to manage folders and files and create new templates from the Template Library. To print, they select the PDF printer option and download the PDF. The BarTender Mobile App allows users to print directly to any auto-discovered local or network printers by selecting a label template. The Mobile App does not currently support folder/file management or template creation.

How is serialization supported in BarTender Cloud?

BarTender Cloud supports label templates with serialization. Each print job can increment or decrement serial string data by one (1). Supported serial number formats include alphanumeric, hexadecimal, and custom sequencing patterns if embedded in the document. Serial numbers cannot be resaved after printing.