Barcode Readers: An Everyday Part Of Retail TechnologyWhenever you are through with your shopping, the shopkeeper prepares your bill. He/she uses a machine known as a barcode reader to scan a specific white tag (known as barcode) present on each and every product bought by you. The barcode reader is connected through a cable to the point of sale billing machine/computer on which the bill is prepared. The barcode on each product comprises just a record number which in turn when later searched for in the computer's database provides data such as the product code, the product description, and the unit sale price of that product that is associated with that record number. The barcode reader reads this record number information from each purchased products barcode. This information is then transmitted from the barcode reader to the point of sale billing machine/computer. A bar code or barcode refers to the visual representation of information on a surface. This is represented with the use of dark ink on a white substrate. These bar codes are usually in the form of parallel lines, but nowadays they do come in various other formats. These bar codes are read by optical scanners or can be scanned by using special software. These optical scanners are more popular and are termed as barcode readers. A barcode reader is similar to a flatbed scanner and has almost similar components. It consists of a lens, a light source, and a photo conductor. The photo conductor is used to translate optical impulses into electrical ones. Most barcode readers include decoder circuitry. This circuit system is used to analyze the barcode's image that is provided by the in-built photo conductor in the barcode reader. The process to send the barcode's content to the output port of the scanner is also accomplished by this circuitry. In recent times, you can find a vast variety of barcode readers. If we differentiate the different scanners available on the basis of technology, there are mainly four types of barcode readers. These are, namely pen type readers, laser scanners, charge-couple device (CCD) readers and camera-based readers. Amongst these, camera-based readers are the latest development. The 2D imaging readers are the newest type available in the market. These use small video cameras that operate on CCD technology. However, if the barcode readers are distinguished on the basis of their housing, there are five types of readers. These are handheld scanners, pen scanners, stationary scanners, fixed position scanners, and PDA scanners. The most common barcode readers, which you can find in supermarkets or at other retailers, are handheld scanners and stationary scanners. No matter which barcode reader you use, it works best when bar codes have a high resolution. Barcode readers were mainly designed to be used in warehouses, in retail shops, and in various industries. But with advances in technology, inexpensive barcode readers are also available, which can be used by individual consumers. These readers open up a number of applications for use by individuals. One such example is CueCat. You can find the details of the product on their website. However, before you buy a barcode reader, you should take a number of factors into consideration. |