A bar code is a printed code consisting of a series of vertical bars that vary in width. Bar codes are capable of being read and decoded by bar code scanners. Bar codes are used to identify retail sales items, identification cards, library books + other products.
It was retail applications which drove the early technologcal developments of barcoding, but industrial applications soon followed. Walace Flint was the first person to suggest an automated checkout system in 1932. Forty years later, Flint, as vice - president of the National Association of Food Chains, supported the efforts which led to the Uniform Product Code (UPC). Several code formats were developed in the 1940's, 50's + 60's, including a bulls-eye code, numerocal codes + various formats of bar codes.
Serious efforts toward automating supermarket point of sale (POS) started in the late 1960's. Meanwhile, a commitee was formed within the grocery industry to select a standard code to be used in the industry. Proposals were solicited from various interested parties and on April 3rd 1973 the commitee selected the UPC symbol (based on a proposal from IBM) as the indsutry standars. The success of the system since than has spurred on the development of other coding systems.
As computer systems have become more advanced, bar codes have become even more prevalent in our society. Now many retail stores use bar code + they are used in many industrial and military applications as well. With ever-increasing use, main companies have developed software to generate + manipulate bar codes. As newer technologies are developed, we may eventually see a disappearance of barcodes as we know them today, but for the present time bar codes are alive and well!
BAR CODE PRINTER - A printer used to produce bar codes on labels, tags and other paper materials. A bar code printer can be a simple dot-matrix report printer or a sophisticated device which uses thermal printing technology.
BAR CODE SCANNER - a bar code scanner reads bar codes. They are generaly classified as wands, hand held projection, vertical, or in-counter scanners.
BAR CODE VERIFIER - Bar code verifiers are designed to measure + ensure traditional print quality. Bar codes are normally analysed for wide to narrow ratio, print contrast, bar growth or loss + quiet zone dimensions + formats.
IN COUNTER SCANNER -A bar code scanner that normally has multiple laser beams emitting from it to read bar codes in high speed environments. An in-counter scanner is usually mounted into a retail countertop so that products can be quickly + easliy be passed over the scanner for bar code reading.
LASER SCANNER - These scanners emit laser beams that read bar codes. Laser scanners have "depth of field" which enables them to read bar codes from short distances away.
CCD Scanners - The cheapest scanners on the market, used in slower applications as scanning is more difficult because of the need for total barcode coverage.
Laser scanner
How do scanners work?
Scanners look at the pattern of light and dark bars and decode a bar code, returning the string contained in them. Often this string is a look-up into a database. That’s how the grocery store cash register knows that you just bought a box of cereal for £1.50. The UPC bar code contains a number that matches a record in the store’s database. Neither the item’s name nor its price is in the bar code. It's just a record number that references a database.
What’s the easiest way to make a bar code?
Using a font to create a bar code is quick and easy. You can use a font from within your favorite Microsoft Windows or Macintosh applications including databases, spreadsheets, word processors, and desktop publishing applications. Unlike graphic images, there is no storage requirement because the bar codes are made dynamically by formatting the correct string in a bar code font. Our Samstock software will generate barcodes when used with the Samsung SRP 770 barcode printer.
