Awebus Tech News » Scanners

What is a Barcode?

Admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:44:33 +0000

Everywhere you look, products in the marketplace have a barcode, which includes items ranging from canned food to movies, and everything in between. This “code” consists of several parallel black and white patterns, which alternate between the two colors. Although to the eye the pattern appears to be simply lines, they actually represent a sequence of characters or numbers. The concept allows businesses of all types to use a barcode scanner so real time information is collected. The process is not only fast, but also highly accurate. Between coordinating software and hardware applications, efficiency and overall performance is substantially higher.

Officially known as a UPC, or Universal Product Code, the barcode was first introduced to North American markets. However, with huge success, European markets soon followed their lead in 1975, using a similar asset tracking solution called EAN, or European Article Numbering. The success of this code is tremendous, allowing various types of symbol scanners to identify, track, and inventory merchandise.

Are There Various Types of Barcodes?

Admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:44:06 +0000

The answer is yes – a number of barcodes and barcode scanners are currently used around the globe. More commonly known as “symboligies”, the type of system used depends on the market. In the United States and Canada, barcodes are known as Universal Product Codes, or UPC. Interestingly, the length of the barcode also varies with some being variable and others fixed. You will also find that barcodes are made up of numbers and letters.

When a product is scanned with the asset tracking solution, the code itself is read. Typically, these scanners use either laser or optical to read the barcode. Using special software, the stripes, bars, or matrix designs are interpreted. In addition, many of these symbol scanners will ensure the integrity of the data by using a check digit. If you were in the market to purchase a barcode scanner for your business, you would discover a number of excellent solutions. With this, you can increase performance by eliminating the need for product information to be entered manually by a person. Mistakes such as entering wrong data are also a huge benefit, making the barcode system highly efficient.

Understanding Barcodes Better

Admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:43:37 +0000

Most people know that barcodes are special lines and stripes consisting of numbers and characters that are scanned on a barcode scanner. The result is that vendor knowing all types of information on a particular product such as price, immediately and accurately. For instance, when you visit your local grocery store, items being purchased would be scanned. Instantaneously, the name of the product, volume, and price is displayed on the cashier’s computer screen. However, other information not displayed is provided to the vendor, which helps with inventory, tracking, and marketing strategies.

The name of the system depends on the market and country. As an example, in North America, we know the barcode as UPC, which stands for Universal Product Code. However, this same system in Japan is known as JAN and in Europe, EAN. Then, products such as books have a special type of barcode called ISBN. Regardless of the acronym, the concept is much the same. Having a way to identify information about a product in real time and captured using the appropriate type of asset tracking solution.

Codes, Codes, and More Codes

Admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:40:44 +0000

For a barcode to work, it is comprised of various codes or symbols. These codes contain both numbers and letters, have variable or fixed length, and most include check digits. We wanted to provide you with a list of some of the common codes you would find in barcode labels. Keep in mind that this is not an all-inclusive list.

Code 39 (Code 3 of 9) – This particular code is used for purposes of identification, inventory, and tracking. The code itself is variable in length, offers alphanumeric string support, and is printable in ratios of varying aspects and sizes using a coordinating ID printer.
Code 93 – In this case, the symbols are compact, typically used for various electric components.
Code 128 – This barcode is also compact but dense, designed to support lower 128 ASCII characters. Usually, Code 128 would be the primary choice when space is an issue. For instance, the shipping industry commonly uses Code 128, which consists of three options to include Set A, Set B, and Set C