What is a Barcode?
A barcode is simply a set of symbols used to represent alpha-numeric information. Basically, instead of seeing the number “1″, or the letter “A”, you would see a series of bars, both fat and thin, used to represent that number.
So, why replace the alpha-numeric characters with a barcode in the first place, you might ask. Humans can easily determine that a strange combinations of lines and curves and dots are put together to form a letter or number, but computers aren’t as quick in deciphering such information. Even though Optical Character Recognition has come a long way in recent years, it’s much quicker and much more accurate for a mechanical device to decode and series of black and white lines than it is to read human text.
A number of barcode standards have been developed and refined over the years into accepted languages called symbologies. We would use different symbologies for different application in the same way that we would use a bold or itallic font to emphasize a particular line of text in a report. Different symbologies, or “bar code fonts” are used for different applications. By having standardized symbologies, we ensure that when you print a barcode, I will be able to scan and decode it with my equipment and you will be able to scan and decode my barcodes—as long as we both use the same code and are within the specifications dictated by the barcode standards.
Barcode symbologies come in two basic varieties. They can be either linear or two dimensional in their configuration. A linear barcode symbology consists of a single row of dark lines and white spaces of varying but specified width and height, as indicated by the example below.
Similarly, a 2-Dimensional symbology can be configured into a stacked or matrix format. Two dimensional barcodes are special rectangular codes which ‘stack’ information in a manner allowing for more information storage in a smaller amount of space.
The amount of data that can be encoded in a linear barcode symbology is more limited than that of a 2-D barcode symbology. A one inch 2-D matrix symbology, for example, can encode thousands of characters of data, whereas a comparable linear bar code would have to be several feet long to hold the same amount of information.
What are Barcode Systems Made of?
Barcode systems come in many different sizes and shapes. The complexity of system required is determined by the application. A basic scanning system is fundamentally broken down into the following four components:
Component 1 - The Barcode Printer
The barcode printer provides the first component part in a barcode system. A variety of technologies and methods exist to print a barcode label. You can use laser printers and pre-set templates (often included in label design software such as Wasp Labeler or Zebra Bar One software) to print your barcode labels. They are usually printed onto Avery stock. More commonly, labels are printed using barcode label printers such as those made by Zebra, Datamax, or Intermec. These printers print labels much faster and are of higher quality than those printed using a conventional laser printer.
Component 2 - The Barcode Label
As mentioned above, you need the barcode printer to print the barcode labels. In addition, you need some software application that can design your labels. These are the same labels that you will then attach to a box or an assett for tracking. An item label can contain any combination of text, graphic or barcode information. Many label packages such as Wasp Labeler or Zebra Bar One, have pre-made templates that can easily start you on your way to designing your label. In addition, they have compliance label templates for specific industry labels such as the automobile industry.
Component 3 - Scanning Equipment for Data Collection
The data collection phase occurs through the use of scanners that instantly and accurately read, capture and decipher the information contained in the barcode label. Scanners read information much faster and more reliably than humans can write or type. Thus, significantly reducing the rate or likelihood of error. There are two different types of scanners: contact and non-contact. Contact scanners required physical contact to scan as opposed to non-contact scanners which can be several inches to several feet away. Of these two types of scanners, there is also one other major attribute; they are either decoded or non-decoded. Decoded scanners have built in hardware decoders that interpret the meaning of a barcode before sending the data to the computer. Undecoded scanners simply have light sources that capture the encrypted data and sends them to a decoder of some sort. Decoders are either in-line hardware units or software decoders that run on your computer. As you may have guessed, decoded units are usually more expensive than their undecoded counterparts. They do have the distinct advantage of only having one component to worry about if something breaks down instead of trouble shooting many components to find out why your barcodes aren’t reading properly.
Component 4 – Capturing the Data to an External Database
The final component to establishing a simple barcode system is the database. Just because you’ve created and scanned barcodes successfully doesn’t mean you’ve completed the loop to creating a complete and effective barcode system. To be able to effectively use the codes you’ve created and scanned, you need a database of some type to relay and update information. Many barcodes can be tied to item numbers for example. These item numbers can then, in turn, be linked to information about the item, such as product description, price, inventory quantity, accounting, etc. For example, let’s say you have widget A, with a corresponding barcode that has the value of 1234. When you sell widget A, you scan the barcode. This, in turn, causes a chain reaction that tells your database that you: have one less widget A in stock, that you should charge $.20 for widget A, that this information should be passed onto accounting, that the product needs to be shipped only through UPS ground, etc. All of these actions were caused by scanning the barcode representing Widget A. You get the gist to the significance of having an external database. Don’t be daunted by the word “Database.” Often times, a database can be as simple as an Excel file or an Access database. Wasp Nest Suite has complete scanning solutions that create simple database applications for you.
There are many other configurations, but this is the fundamental building block for Barcoding.
Why Should You Consider Barcoding?
Implementing a proper barcode system offers tremendous advantages to a company. The most compelling advantages of Barcoding and automatic data collection are:
Accuracy
Barcoding increases accuracy by reducing the likelihood of human errors from manual entry or miscommunication from misread or mislabeled items.
Ease-of-Use
Barcodes are easy-to-use provided the appropriate hardware and software aspects are in place to maximize the process of automatic data collection. Obviously, pulling a trigger to enter in inventory is going to take much less effort and brain drain than it would to accurately account for all the inventory by hand.
Uniform Data Collection
Diverse compliance standards and standardized barcode symbologies ensure that bar code information is captured and relayed in a fashion that is universally understood and accepted.
Timely Feedback
Barcoding promotes timely feedback in that data is captured in real-time as it occurs enabling decisions to be made from current information.
Improved Productivity
Barcodes improve many activities that streamline workflows throughout a business. Remember when cashiers used to enter the price of your groceries by hand?…
Increased Profitability
The increased efficiencies that Barcoding promotes enables companies to save costs and substantially improve their bottom line.
What are Some Common Barcode Applications
Barcodes are everywhere! Just about every type of industry uses barcodes at one point or another, and all businesses can benefit from barcodes. Listed are a few industries that most commonly use barcode technology.
Manufacturing
As you may already be aware, manufacturers much keep tight reigns on their workflow operations. Any error in component stockpiles, for example, can cause havoc with the efficiency of a manufacturing environment. Barcodes are often times incorporated into MRP (manufacturing requirements planning) systems in this scenario, letting businesses have accurate data on the logistics of a manufacturing workflow.
Warehousing
Anybody with a warehouse should be using barcodes. Enough said.
Shipping & Receiving
If your company consistently checks in inventory and checks out inventory, you should be using barcodes. A barcode will provide the accuracy and speed necessary to efficiently know what stock you have at any given point.
Retail
As mentioned earlier, remember when cashiers used to check you out by manually typing in prices. What a drag! Imagine all retailers doing the same thing. They would go out of business from lack of efficiency and accuracy. Today’s world demands efficiency, the type of efficiency that is created by using barcodes.
Transportation
Who comes to mind when you think of delivering a package to someone on-time? Usually the answer would be either FedEx or UPS. Both companies are at the apex of their industry because they’ve streamlined transportation of goods to a science. In doing so, a major component of their rise to the top is the incorporation and use of bar code technology. When you see them typing and scanning into their Portable Data Collectors, they are communication with their database systems in real time.
Numerous Others
There are numerous other uses for barcodes including but not limited to Construction, Healthcare, Video stores, Work In Progress, Asset management and Tracking, Time and Attendance, Identification cards, Document management, etc.
A barcode is simply a set of symbols used to represent alpha-numeric information. Basically, instead of seeing the number “1″, or the letter “A”, you would see a series of bars, both fat and thin, used to represent that number.
So, why replace the alpha-numeric characters with a barcode in the first place, you might ask. Humans can easily determine that a strange combinations of lines and curves and dots are put together to form a letter or number, but computers aren’t as quick in deciphering such information. Even though Optical Character Recognition has come a long way in recent years, it’s much quicker and much more accurate for a mechanical device to decode and series of black and white lines than it is to read human text.
A number of barcode standards have been developed and refined over the years into accepted languages called symbologies. We would use different symbologies for different application in the same way that we would use a bold or itallic font to emphasize a particular line of text in a report. Different symbologies, or “bar code fonts” are used for different applications. By having standardized symbologies, we ensure that when you print a barcode, I will be able to scan and decode it with my equipment and you will be able to scan and decode my barcodes—as long as we both use the same code and are within the specifications dictated by the barcode standards.
Barcode symbologies come in two basic varieties. They can be either linear or two dimensional in their configuration. A linear barcode symbology consists of a single row of dark lines and white spaces of varying but specified width and height, as indicated by the example below.
Similarly, a 2-Dimensional symbology can be configured into a stacked or matrix format. Two dimensional barcodes are special rectangular codes which ‘stack’ information in a manner allowing for more information storage in a smaller amount of space.
The amount of data that can be encoded in a linear barcode symbology is more limited than that of a 2-D barcode symbology. A one inch 2-D matrix symbology, for example, can encode thousands of characters of data, whereas a comparable linear bar code would have to be several feet long to hold the same amount of information.
What are Barcode Systems Made of?
Barcode systems come in many different sizes and shapes. The complexity of system required is determined by the application. A basic scanning system is fundamentally broken down into the following four components:
Component 1 - The Barcode Printer
The barcode printer provides the first component part in a barcode system. A variety of technologies and methods exist to print a barcode label. You can use laser printers and pre-set templates (often included in label design software such as Wasp Labeler or Zebra Bar One software) to print your barcode labels. They are usually printed onto Avery stock. More commonly, labels are printed using barcode label printers such as those made by Zebra, Datamax, or Intermec. These printers print labels much faster and are of higher quality than those printed using a conventional laser printer.
Component 2 - The Barcode Label
As mentioned above, you need the barcode printer to print the barcode labels. In addition, you need some software application that can design your labels. These are the same labels that you will then attach to a box or an assett for tracking. An item label can contain any combination of text, graphic or barcode information. Many label packages such as Wasp Labeler or Zebra Bar One, have pre-made templates that can easily start you on your way to designing your label. In addition, they have compliance label templates for specific industry labels such as the automobile industry.
Component 3 - Scanning Equipment for Data Collection
The data collection phase occurs through the use of scanners that instantly and accurately read, capture and decipher the information contained in the barcode label. Scanners read information much faster and more reliably than humans can write or type. Thus, significantly reducing the rate or likelihood of error. There are two different types of scanners: contact and non-contact. Contact scanners required physical contact to scan as opposed to non-contact scanners which can be several inches to several feet away. Of these two types of scanners, there is also one other major attribute; they are either decoded or non-decoded. Decoded scanners have built in hardware decoders that interpret the meaning of a barcode before sending the data to the computer. Undecoded scanners simply have light sources that capture the encrypted data and sends them to a decoder of some sort. Decoders are either in-line hardware units or software decoders that run on your computer. As you may have guessed, decoded units are usually more expensive than their undecoded counterparts. They do have the distinct advantage of only having one component to worry about if something breaks down instead of trouble shooting many components to find out why your barcodes aren’t reading properly.
Component 4 – Capturing the Data to an External Database
The final component to establishing a simple barcode system is the database. Just because you’ve created and scanned barcodes successfully doesn’t mean you’ve completed the loop to creating a complete and effective barcode system. To be able to effectively use the codes you’ve created and scanned, you need a database of some type to relay and update information. Many barcodes can be tied to item numbers for example. These item numbers can then, in turn, be linked to information about the item, such as product description, price, inventory quantity, accounting, etc. For example, let’s say you have widget A, with a corresponding barcode that has the value of 1234. When you sell widget A, you scan the barcode. This, in turn, causes a chain reaction that tells your database that you: have one less widget A in stock, that you should charge $.20 for widget A, that this information should be passed onto accounting, that the product needs to be shipped only through UPS ground, etc. All of these actions were caused by scanning the barcode representing Widget A. You get the gist to the significance of having an external database. Don’t be daunted by the word “Database.” Often times, a database can be as simple as an Excel file or an Access database. Wasp Nest Suite has complete scanning solutions that create simple database applications for you.
There are many other configurations, but this is the fundamental building block for Barcoding.
Why Should You Consider Barcoding?
Implementing a proper barcode system offers tremendous advantages to a company. The most compelling advantages of Barcoding and automatic data collection are:
Accuracy
Barcoding increases accuracy by reducing the likelihood of human errors from manual entry or miscommunication from misread or mislabeled items.
Ease-of-Use
Barcodes are easy-to-use provided the appropriate hardware and software aspects are in place to maximize the process of automatic data collection. Obviously, pulling a trigger to enter in inventory is going to take much less effort and brain drain than it would to accurately account for all the inventory by hand.
Uniform Data Collection
Diverse compliance standards and standardized barcode symbologies ensure that bar code information is captured and relayed in a fashion that is universally understood and accepted.
Timely Feedback
Barcoding promotes timely feedback in that data is captured in real-time as it occurs enabling decisions to be made from current information.
Improved Productivity
Barcodes improve many activities that streamline workflows throughout a business. Remember when cashiers used to enter the price of your groceries by hand?…
Increased Profitability
The increased efficiencies that Barcoding promotes enables companies to save costs and substantially improve their bottom line.
What are Some Common Barcode Applications
Barcodes are everywhere! Just about every type of industry uses barcodes at one point or another, and all businesses can benefit from barcodes. Listed are a few industries that most commonly use barcode technology.
Manufacturing
As you may already be aware, manufacturers much keep tight reigns on their workflow operations. Any error in component stockpiles, for example, can cause havoc with the efficiency of a manufacturing environment. Barcodes are often times incorporated into MRP (manufacturing requirements planning) systems in this scenario, letting businesses have accurate data on the logistics of a manufacturing workflow.
Warehousing
Anybody with a warehouse should be using barcodes. Enough said.
Shipping & Receiving
If your company consistently checks in inventory and checks out inventory, you should be using barcodes. A barcode will provide the accuracy and speed necessary to efficiently know what stock you have at any given point.
Retail
As mentioned earlier, remember when cashiers used to check you out by manually typing in prices. What a drag! Imagine all retailers doing the same thing. They would go out of business from lack of efficiency and accuracy. Today’s world demands efficiency, the type of efficiency that is created by using barcodes.
Transportation
Who comes to mind when you think of delivering a package to someone on-time? Usually the answer would be either FedEx or UPS. Both companies are at the apex of their industry because they’ve streamlined transportation of goods to a science. In doing so, a major component of their rise to the top is the incorporation and use of bar code technology. When you see them typing and scanning into their Portable Data Collectors, they are communication with their database systems in real time.
Numerous Others
There are numerous other uses for barcodes including but not limited to Construction, Healthcare, Video stores, Work In Progress, Asset management and Tracking, Time and Attendance, Identification cards, Document management, etc.
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