Barcode's usage has rapidly expanded among businesses and sectors ranging from simple retail POS to heavy industries including diverse areas such as healthcare, document management, laboratories, tracking parcels and mail, libraries, issuing tickets etc. This has lead to the emergence of different kinds of barcode scanners that can read a variety of data depending on your requirements. As barcode scanners are vital in the barcode automation system, you should clearly know which type you need to make a smart purchasing decision.
Choosing A Suitable Barcode Scanner For Your Needs: -
There is a wide range of barcode scanners designed to support various requirements. You can identify the suitable one by the technology used for scanning, the amount of user intervention required while operating it and other features. The major types of bar code scanners are summarized below.
Laser Barcode Scanners:
Laser barcode scanners are very popular as they offer great preciseness and visibility as it can read a barcode at any angle. It has the advanced technology that reads the barcode from long distance, even in bright light. A laser barcode scanner is suitable for you, if you need to deal with special applications such as high density or long range scanning in retail and healthcare industries.
2D Barcode Scanners:
2D barcode scanners are the latest type of barcode scanners available today. They scan more information that is arranged in small area using 2D barcodes that has squares, dots or other symbols. Besides, 2D Barcode Scanners can also read 1D barcodes or linear barcodes. As a result they are gaining popularity and treated as an investment because of their versatility and the future-proof technology.
Retail Barcode Scanners:
Retail barcode scanners can be used throughout the retail supply chain process from factories to retail outlets. There are two types of retail barcode scanners - In-counter and On-counter barcode scanners. In-counter barcode scanners are used in retail outlets with high sales volume and on-counter scanners are used in stores that have limited space on the counter.
Fixed Mount Barcode Scanners:
Fixed mount barcode scanner is fixed at a predetermined position where it scans the items when they are moved from its focus area. They are ideal for high speed scanning along conveyors, as they get scanned automatically without user's intervention. This enables large number of barcode scanning in less time.
Linear Imager Barcode Scanners:
Linear imager barcode scanners are also called as CCD scanners, CCD long-range scanners or full array imagers. These scanners are durable and require less maintenance as they have no moving parts. They can read damaged or poorly printed barcodes including the barcodes under plastic film or covering. Their compact size and lightweight makes them ideal for office use.
Considering the above types and your requirements carefully while selecting the barcode scanner will help you make a smart decision.
About the Author:
For over 20 years, System ID has provided automation solutions and barcoding equipment to a wide range of large and small companies in virtually every industry sector. System ID offers more than 10,000 brand name products and services such as
handheld barcode scanner and
symbol barcode scanners.
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333
Date Published :
Aug 26 2009