Bar Code Scanners and Printing Solutions

Bar Code Scanner and Printing - helpful information

Bar code scanner and printing solutions can save your business time and money in a variety of asset and inventory management applications. There are numerous devices available in this area, it is important to do your research to ensure  you select the right hardware devices to meet your needs and work environment.

Over the years barcoding has become a standard practice in the retail industry, providing incredibly streamlined POS (point of sale) transactions. It has also delivered major efficiencies in the areas of asset and inventory management where barcodes are used extensively to ensure much higher levels of data entry accuracy.

Understanding bar code . scanner and bar code printer

A barcode is a set of vertical lines and spaces of different widths, which, when scanned in and interpreted by barcode reading software, provides unique identifying information about the object to which the barcode is attached. In the retail industry, barcodes are used to identify a product and its price. In an asset management solution, the barcode might represent an asset’s name and serial number. The most commonly used barcode readers are:

Pen (wand) readers: Small handheld pen-like scanners that read barcodes by shining a light, usually an LED (light emitting diode), and sensing the reflected signal. These scanners generally need to be in direct contact with the barcode surface.

Laser readers: Similar in operation to LED readers but using a laser instead of an LED. Unlike the pen reader, though, laser readers can be either hand-held or fixed and do not require being in direct contact with the barcode surface.

CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) readers: Readers that, like a digital camera, capture an image of the barcode, which is then interpreted by the barcode reading software. Used for relatively short distance scanning.

While virtually any printer can be used for generating barcodes, most logistics applications utilise label printers designed specifically for printing on rolls of self-adhesive labels.

Business benefits

The use of barcoding in asset and inventory management solutions delivers benefits such as:

• quick and accurate identification of asset items such as chairs, computers, telephones and even desks
• instant updating of inventory stock levels
• significantly reduced time involved in stocktaking procedures
• the ability to identify specific or groups of assets that are nearing end-of-lease.