As consumers, we see barcodes and barcode scanners used all the time: purchasing from any retail store, renting a car, attending major events, flying, and even going to the doctor. They’re in our social media apps and on store windows.
Barcodes are more than lines and spaces on individual products: Barcode scanning systems help businesses track an amazing amount of information which, in turn, increases productivity and efficiency. You will improve your business’ processes by understanding how barcodes work and by knowing how to use them effectively in partnership with a quality barcode scanner.
THE BARCODE
A barcode is used to encode information in a visual pattern readable by a machine. Barcodes are used for a variety of reasons including tracking products, prices, and stock levels for centralized recording in a computer software system.
In June of 1974, the first barcode appeared on a pack of Wrigley Company chewing gum. Today, barcodes can be found on almost every item for purchase within a store as well as on inventory waiting to be shipped out. Businesses as massive as Wal-Mart and Amazon use barcode and scanners; so do small-town and home businesses that need to keep track of where they’re sending their e-commerce orders.
There are two types of barcodes – linear and 2D. The most visually recognizable, the UPC (Universal Product Code), is a linear barcode made up of two parts: the barcode and the 12-digit UPC number. The first six numbers of the barcode is the manufacturer’s identification number. The next five digits represent the item’s number. The last number is called a check digit which enables the scanner to determine if the barcode was scanned correctly or not.
A linear barcode typically holds any type of text information. In contrast, a 2D barcode is more complex and can include more information in the code: price, quantity, web address or image. A linear barcode scanner can’t read a 2D barcode; requiring the use of an image scanner for reading the information embedded in a 2D barcode. Popular QR codes are a 2D barcode that can store a large amount of information compared to a 1D barcode.