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CCD barcode scanners compete with laser scanners in point of sale and similar applications of the like. The CCD barcode scanners typically have the advantage over laser scanners in several applications. CCD scanners have no moving parts which make the CCD scanners less prone to failure. The laser scanners have oscillating mirrors which are subject to wear and mechanical failure, unlike CCD scanners. CCD scanners use LEDs for light illumination and last about ten times as long as laser light diodes.

Lasers typically have a warning label associated with direct viewing and safety precautions need to be taken. Because CCD scanners do not use lasers, there are no precautions that need to be taken for a safe viewing distance. The CCD scanners have scan rates of 45 scans per second or faster, which is comparable in speed to the laser scanners. CCD scanners are also much lighter and less expensive than laser scanners.

Laser scanners also exhibit some advantages over CCD scanners. Laser scanners have a more powerful light emission which means they can be used further from the barcode. The laser scanners have a greater depth of field or operating range. For this reason, the laser barcode scanners are good when used by a particularly untrained worker. The laser scanners, depending on the model, can be operated several feet away from the barcode, while the CCD scanner needs to be within several inches in order to work effectively. Laser scanners can read longer bar codes than CCD scanners. CCD units are usually limited to a barcode length of three or four inches.

The interfaces for CCD scanners have caused confusion between buyer and user. The keyboard wedge interface is the most common for CCD scanners. After the scanner has read a code, the scanner copies the keyboard.

A CCD scanner uses an array of hundreds of tiny light sensors lined up in a row in the head of the sensor. We have all seen a CCD scanner at the supermarket. The CCD reader is extremely sensitive and small because of the hundreds of sensors. A voltage pattern commensurate with the pattern in the bar code is created in the reader by measuring voltages across each sensor in a row. The most important difference to remember when using a CCD scanner is that it is measuring ambient light versus the use of a laser.

There are wireless barcode scanners which are wireless and operate on the same frequency as wireless Internet. The 802.11 radio frequency allows the freedom of the person using the scanner to move around and still have the functionality of having a cordless scanner. The downside to having a cordless scanner is the fact that you are limited to the battery life of the scanner. The scanner must be charged after a shift or the next worker must wait for the scanner to be available for usage. The cordless scanners tap into usually a USB port on the computer. The barcode scanner works in conjunction with the keyboard to emulate keyboard key strokes given to the computer, but are actually sent from the wireless scanner.

Barcode Wands

Barcode wands were the first broadly used types of barcode readers. How does such a barcode wand work? In the tip of the wand you’ll find a small LED (light emitting diode) and a photo receptor. The light is reflected from the code into the receiver. From the signal pattern of the reflection the wand can determine the type and content of the barcode. Reading a barcode with a wand is simple but requires some practice. There is no trigger button, basically the wand is “always on” when connected to a PC. Then user holds it like a pen and moves it quickly from left to right to left over the barcode.

Barcode CCD Scanner

It’s almost certain that most scanners today are of the Charge Coupled Device (CCD) scanning type. A good CCD Barcode Scanner for less than USD 100 will easily outperform a wand and at times even a laser scanner that costs two or three times as much. A CCD scanner is like an “expanded wand”. Where wands have just one light emitting diode and one receiver, CCD scanners have a complete row of those elements. By triggering the scanner the whole code is illuminated and exposed to the receiving elements. Scanning barcodes with a CCD scanner is faster and more reliable than with a barcode wand.

Barcode Laser Scanner

Laser scanners have their name from a laser diode in the scanning head or “scan engine” as it is sometimes called. The beam is projected through a system of lenses and mirrors onto the barcode, resulting in a visible single red line or pattern of lines. Laser scanners have two modes of operation: They can be used in a stand and will trigger automatically if a barcode is held in front of the scanner. This can be very useful because it keeps the personnel’s hands free and is one of the real pros of laser scanners. Out of the stand these devices use a trigger button much like a CCD scanner to trigger the scanning process.

Barcode Imager

Two dimensional or area barcodes have gained much popularity in recent years. With a 2D barcode it’s possible to encode up to 3,000 bytes of information in a single barcode symbol the size of a stamp. However, this progress comes with a notable drawback: Ordinary barcode scanners will not read this type of barcodes. To scan area barcodes, so called barcode imagers are required. These scanners basically work like a digital camera, that is they take an image of the barcode, decode and process the encoded data and transmit the data to the host computer.

Connecting a Barcode Scanner to a Computer

PCs still outnumber Macs by far so it comes as no surprise that most scanners use an interface that will only connect to PC’s: A keyboard wedge. Basically a keyboard wedge is a “Y” shaped cable that connects the scanner, the keyboard and the PC. Everything the scanner sends looks to the computer as if the user have typed it into the keyboard. Drivers are not required, the installation is child’s play.

For Macintosh computers or laptops without keyboard ports, a connection via USB is the only viable alternative.

Barcode Verifiers are widely used in healthcare industry, transportation industry and industrial markets and the businesses that produce barcodes.

Barcode Verifiers provide an ergonomic, accurate, durable and cost-effective way of checking barcode standards. Barcode Verifiers are perfect masters when it comes to checking and measuring the format of a barcode. A verifier decodes and measures the format of a barcode in order to grade the results for corrective solutions.

Barcode verification involves checking of a bar code against a defined set of standards, usually, ANSI and/or ISO with the main objective of ensuring that the bar code will be readable by standard commercial bar code scanners and readers. It also ensures that a barcode verifier can pick up the correct barcode data. Failure of Barcodes to read correctly could add to the cost of your business in addition to the fines slapped by retailers for non compliant barcodes. Due to this, product tracking and electronic supply control may become difficult and cumbersome. Scanners and Barcode verifiers work in a similar manner except that Barcode Verifiers perform a series of eight tests. Each of the eight tests is attributed a grade ranging from 0.0 to 4.0 and the lowest of the eight tests is termed as the scan grade.

For majority of applications, a 2.5 grade is taken as the minimum acceptable grade, and the numbers for each test line can be further evaluated in order to make it easy to adjust the printer to improve the verification grade. Barcode Verifiers measure barcode symbol quality to ensure that every barcode reader can read the barcodes produced by you. However, if you produce labels using label printers, you should use a printer with an inbuilt verifier for effective reading. Barcode Verifiers analyze Barcode quality against traditional quality parameters and ANSI-CEN-ISO print quality guidelines for Retail, Healthcare and Industrial applications. You can choose from the various Barcode verifier options including compact and portable ones to check barcode quality against traditional quality parameters and ANSI X3.182/CEN1635 bar code print quality guidelines.

Latest Barcode Verifiers can be used in conjunction with LCD and colored LEDs to check the results.  To accommodate both right and left handed operators, the LCD image can be flipped for reading in either course. You can also use scroll and select buttons to quickly display complete test results. Manufacturers that produce barcodes must adhere to the quality standards like ANSI, ISO and other industry standards. Barcode Verification can be done in two manners, Static Verification and On-Line Verification. During Static Verification individual barcodes are manually verified where as in On-Line Verification different barcodes can be measured simultaneously along with the graphical display of the grading trend of each barcode. Barcode Verifier should comply with the following International Standards:

•Barcode verifiers need to be produced in strict compliance  to linear barcode verifier compliance standard ISO 15426-1 or two- dimensional barcode verifier standard ISO 15426-2 T

•International quality specification for Liner Barcode Verifiers is ISO/IEC 15416 whereas for two-dimensional barcodes, it is ISO/IEC 15415

•ISO IEC 15416 standard  has replaced the European Standard EN 1635

A Barcode Scanner (or barcode reader) is a computer peripheral for reading barcodes printed on various surfaces. A barcode reader consists of a scanner, a decoder (either built-in or external), and a cable used to connect the reader with a computer. Additionally, nearly all barcode readers currently produced contain decoder circuitry analyzing the barcode’s image data provided by the photo conductor and sending the barcode’s content to the scanner’s output port.

Types of Barcode Scanners: -

By Technology: -

• Pen type readers: Pen type readers consist of a light source and a photodiode that are placed next to each other in the tip of a pen or wand. To read a bar code, tip of the pen moves across all the bars in a steady even motion.

• Laser scanners: Laser barcode scanners work the same way as pen type readers except that they use a laser beam as the light source and typically employ either a reciprocating mirror or a rotating prism to scan the laser beam back and forth across the bar code.

• CCD Readers: CCD (Charge Coupled Device) readers (also referred to as LED scanner) use an array of hundreds of tiny light sensors lined up in a row in the head of the reader. The important difference between a CCD reader and a pen or laser scanner is that the CCD reader is measuring emitted ambient light from the bar code whereas pen or laser scanners are measuring reflected light of a specific frequency originating from the scanner itself.

• Camera-Based Readers: 2D imaging scanners are the fourth and newest type of bar code reader currently available. They use a small video camera to capture an image of a bar code. The reader then uses sophisticated digital image processing techniques to decode the bar code.

By Housing: -

• Handheld scanner: With a handle and typically a trigger button for switching on the light source.

• Pen scanner (or wand scanner): A pen-shaped scanner that is swiped.

• Stationary scanner: Wall- or table-mounted scanners that the barcode is passed under or beside. These are commonly found at the checkout counters of supermarkets and other retailers.

• Fixed position scanner: An industrial barcode reader used to identify products during manufacture or logistics. Most often used on conveyer tracks to identify cartons or pallets which need to be routed to another process or shipping location.

• PDA scanner: A PDA with a built-in barcode reader or attached barcode scanner e.g. Grabba.

Barcode Applications for Consumers: -

While barcode readers are typically used in retail, warehouses, and industry, inexpensive barcode readers open up a number of applications for individual consumers.

While cell phone cameras are not optimal for many traditional barcodes, there are 2D barcodes optimized for cell phones. These open up a number of potential applications for consumers:

· Movies: DVD/VHS movie catalogs

· Music: CD catalogs, play MP3 when scanned

· Book catalogs

· Groceries, Nutrition information, making shopping lists when you use the last of an item, etc.

· Personal Property inventory (for insurance and other purposes)

· Cataloging property stored in boxes in the garage, basement, attic, self-storage units, etc for easy retrieval, selling surplus on e-bay, etc

· Calling cards: 2D barcodes can store contact information for importing.

· Brick and mortar shopping: Portable scanners can be used to record items of interest for looking up online when you get home.

· Coupon management: weeding expired coupons.

A barcode is compiled of machine-readable information, which is commonly used on retail merchandise and other tangible products. Standard barcodes feature a series of printed parallel lines with numbers located just below. Barcodes are read by barcode scanners, which are also known as barcode readers.

A barcode scanner is a computer device used for reading printed barcodes. This type of product is commonly found in retail stores. A small handheld unit that reads, translates and provides information from a product is one type of popular scanners. As you pass through the checkout line, if you notice the checker searching for a tag, he or she is likely looking for the barcode. Among other things, a barcode scanner can interpret an item description and price from just one quick swipe.

Similar to a flatbed scanner, barcode scanners consist of a light source, lens and photo conductor. These come together to translate optical impulses into electrical impulses. The vast majority of all barcode scanners feature decoder circuits, which analyzes the barcode´s image date.

There are a variety of barcode scanners on the market, including the handheld model as previously mentioned. Pen scanners are small and look exactly like a writing pen. In order for them to work, you must point the tip at the beginning of the barcode and slide it across until the entire code has been scanned. Stationary scanners are similar to those found strategically placed throughout retail stores. These are usually posted for customers who wish to find out the price of an item without standing in the checkout line, which they can quickly accomplish by holding the barcode underneath the scanner window and, within a few seconds, the product name and price is displayed on a small screen.

Barcode scanners have helped to make the retail world, along with other businesses, work more efficiently and accurately. With computerized data being stored in one main location, a barcode automatically reads the product data and allows customers to get through the checkout line much faster. In addition, barcode scanners are beneficial in helping to keep track of sales, measure accurate sales records and provide an efficient way for stores to reorder a product.

Barcode scanners are available at most office supply stores, specialty business centers and at business liquidation sales. Prices vary depending on the model, performance and warranty that you select. Barcode scanners are a good investment if you need to have an efficient way to distribute, manage or keep track of sales, revenue and reorders. Before choosing a barcode scanner, be sure to realistically assess your business needs, size requirements, a reasonable budget and performance guidelines. For example, will you be using the scanner in a retail setting? Will it be used by cashiers, stationed throughout the store or both? As with any business equipment, always select a reputable dealer and inquire about product warranties. Retain all warranty information, along with the owner´s manual, in case of future technical problems. All paperwork should be tucked away in a safe location, which is easily accessible incase it is later needed.