How To Select a Bar Code Scanner
Bar code scanners are used to read the bar codes found on products in a wide variety of situations. Most of us are familiar with bar codes found on packages at the grocery store. When you purchase an item, the bar code on the package is scanned by a bar code scanner. This automatically calls up the item particulars such as the item name and unit cost. The cost is then calculated automatically and added to your bill
At the same time the stock control system records the fact that you’ve bought a can of soup or box of cereal, and the inventory tally maintained in the central database is reduced to reflect the fact that someone has bought one of these items. Inventory control is more or less automatic, assuming that all the data was input correctly in the first place.
In a small business setting implementing such a system starts with stock control software where information about inventory items is stored. Bar code scanners are used to input data into the stock control system. Each time an item passes in or out of inventory it is scanned and the appropriate change of status is recorded in the inventory database.
A system like this one can generate different bar codes for items that need them. The software will create a one of a kind bar code for each new item. The bar code printer will then print the code label which is then placed on the item.
The three most prevalent kinds of bar code scanners available now are:
1. The Wand Scanner – The most basic type of bar code scanner is the “wand”. This is a pen-type scanner that needs to be kept in contact with the bar code when scanning it. The wand emits a light which is reflected off the bar code and then decoded by the system to identify the item.
It is necessary to keep a wand scanner in touch with the UPC code while scanning it. The wand scanner, which is a pen-like scanner, is the simplest type of UPC scanner. It gives off a light that reflects off the UPC code, which in turn is decoded by the POS system to recognize the product.
However, wand scanners are limited in their operation. To succeed in obtaining a proper reading, the wand has to be positioned correctly with respect to the bar coding label. It is necessary as well to slide the wand along the label neither overly rapidly nor overly slowly. Wand scanners are limited by their resolution requirements too. If a bar code’s resolution is too fine, then the wand won’t be successful in scanning it properly. For instance, a 5 mil bar code can’t be read by a 10 mil device. You must remember that when you go out to buy a wand scanner.
2. The CCD Scanner – CCD (charged coupled device) technology is the next least pricey bar code scanning system. Like the wand scanner, CCD readers must be in direct contact with the bar code label in order to read it. But unlike the wand, there is no need to move the device across the label. The operator simply presses the reader against the label and pulls the trigger. The bar code is then photographed, digitized and decoded by the system.
Of the various types of bar code scanners, CCD readers are the easiest to use, and are available in widths from about 2 inches to 4 inches. A CCD reader is about four times the cost of a wand, but only about one third the cost of a laser scanner.
A new barcode technology similar to CCD is called FFO (Fixed Focus Optics). And FFO scnner is a non-contact reader which can read barcodes from as much as 20″ away. They’re also able to read two-dimensional barcodes which are going to become more widely used in the future.
3. Laser Scanners – A beam of light is used by a laser scanner in order to scan the bar code label. Instead of moving the scanner you move the bar code across the scanner. The scanner does not have to actually touch the bar code label in order to read it. The scanner will automatically read the scan whenever a bar code is held in front of it.
This system is widely used in many different types of installations. Scanning is such a swift process that it ss even possible to insert laser scanners directly into conveyor systems. As objects move along the conveyor, they are automatically scanned and recorded. You see this in grocery stores, where the cashier simply moves the items over the scanner to scan them. This type of system is swift enough to keep up with even the fastest motion of a cashier, and it is quicker and far more accurate than any other substitute system that could be used.
When choosing a bar code scanner and an inventory control system, it is important to take into consideration the capability to adapt new scanning technologies to your system as they become available. This will allow you to keep your system updated without having to upgrade or replace the entire system in the future.
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