Content Country-Formatnewsletter-Format Article for Newsletter

You Are Here: Home Page -> Formatnewsletter -> Format Article for Newsletter

Newsletter Article

Here is Three Barcode Systems - Which One Is Right For You formatted for a newsletter with 65 characters per line.

Return to Three Barcode Systems - Which One Is Right For You

Three Barcode Systems - Which One Is Right For You

by RickHendershot

Product barcodes are a bigger part of our everyday life than we
realize. The most common relevance to our lives is in the grocery
store. When we purchase something, a barcode scanner reads the
information encoded on each package.

Each barcode contains information such as the product name and
price. This scanning process not only adds the short description
you receive on your bill, it also is processed by the stock
system control.

The inventory records in the central database are simultaneously
modified to record the purchased item when the stock control
system tallies the purchase regardless of what is actually sold.

The inventory control occurs without the need of manual counting
or recording when the inventory information is correctly entered
into the system in the initial setup.

Think about a real-life situation where you would use this
system. Say you are a small business owner keeping track of
inventory by hand. Ordinarily you would add up your sales at
day's end and then get your records up to date.

But this is a process that consumes too much time and isn't very
reliable. By utilizing a bar code system you can instantly update
your stock control databases in every instance where an item is
added or taken off.

Different bar codes are generated by this system for items that
need a barcode. A one of a kind barcode for each item is created
by this software and the barcode printer prints the code label
that is placed on the item.

The three most popular types of bar code scanners currently used
are:

1. Wand Scanners - These are the easiest kind of bar code
scanners. This scanner needs to have physical contact with the
bar code in order to scan. The light from this pen-shaped scanner
reflects off the bar code, recording information which the system
will then decode, and the product will be recognized.

The cheapest kind of bar code scanner is the wand system and it
works very well most of the time. Comparing the wand system to
other scanners; it will cost one tenth as much as the laser gun
scanner and one fifth as much as a CCD scanner.

There are limitations to wand scanners, however. The wand needs
to be held at a fairly specific angle when pointed at the barcode
in order  to the barcode in order to scan properly, but there is
also a certain range of speed that must be adhered to.

In addition, the resolution of the barcode being scanned must
match the resolution of the wand. If any of these criteria are
not met, the wand scanner will not read the barcode properly.
This is important to remember when in the market for such a
scanning device.

2. The CCD (charged coupled device) scanner is a big improvement
on the traditional wand scanner. Unlike the wand scanner where
the user must run the scanner across the entire barcode in order
for it to register the information, with the CCD scanner, the
user simply has to touch the scanner anywhere on the barcode
label.

Once the CCD scanner touches the barcode, it captures an image
of the barcode, converts it to digital format, and decodes the
information in a fast and easy process.

Considered the most user-friendly of all the different kinds of
bar code scanners, the CCD reader is designed in measurements
from two to four inches in width.

When comparing it to the wand, the CCD reader is costly as it
averages around four times the price. At only one third the
average cost of a laser scanner, the CCD reader is a good deal
when compared to that.

Fixed Focus Optics, or FFO, is a new advancement in barcode
technology that is comparable to CCD. This reader doesn't require
any contact, and can read a barcode from lengths of up to twenty
inches away.

Two-dimensional barcodes are becoming more commonplace, and will
continue to grow in the future, and the FFO scanner has the
ability to read them.

3. Laser Scanners -In order to properly read and record bar
codes, some applications that are higher volume and more
technologically advanced will use a laser scanner. A beam of
light is used to quickly scan the bar code label when a laser
scanner is used.

These scanners are not portable, as it is not necessary to touch
the label with the scanning unit. Scanning is virtually
automatic, as the scanning is triggered by simply holding the
object in front of the scanner.

This system can be effectively used in numerous situations. One
possibility is conveyor systems - because the scans are high
speed, the laser scanners can be embedded inside of a conveyor
system. When items pass, the scan will automatically take place.

Alternatively, in a retail situation, a clerk can move objects
from one side of the scanner to the other, and the system will
easily keep pace. These laser systems are unprecedentedly faster
and more accurate than any other solution.

Irrespective of what your perfect scanning system is at present,
you ought to make sure that you purchase a stock control system
that enables you to exploit future advancements in bar code
technology.

This will enable you to keep your system updated without having
to change the whole system at a later stage.

For a full range of <a
href="http://www.waspbarcode.co.uk/barcode_scanners/">barcode
scanners</a> and stock control software, see waspbarcode.co.uk -
Article Source: <a
href="http://www.link-builder-network.com">Link Builder
Network</a>.

Syndicated by Top Gazebos - www.topgazebos.net

Quick Content Search:
Content Country

Welcome Guest

Author Country

Publisher Country

Essentials