Did you know the QR (Quick Response) code is also a barcode? It’s two-dimensional and can be read with a visual scanner, such as the camera of your smartphone, but it’s just a tad bit more digitalized than the traditional rectangular barcode sticker block that’s been slapped onto the products since 1974.
Regardless of the advancements, a barcode keeps pricing more accurate as it eliminates the margin of error. Moreover, it allows businesses to keep a check and balance on inventory management to keep them from over-ordering and overselling.
How Barcodes Function
Barcodes use an 8 to 14 digit code that can be scanned to reveal the product’s name, brand, and other details. The numbers, however, mentioned at the bottom of the UPC label are used in cases where the barcode sticker has wrinkled, faded, or torn. But the bars and the spaces in-between those bars are read by a scanner. The information is then transferred to a computer to where records regarding the product are automatically retrieved.
What Do Barcode Scanners Read?
Barcode scanners may exist as pen readers, charge-coupled device readers, laser scanners, and camera-based readers. But regardless of their type, they each use a light source to measure the light intensity being reflected from the white spaces in-between the parallel bars. The sensors detect the reflection through a photodiode to produce a corresponding electronic signal to that of the barcode. This signal passes through the circuit to translate into the digits the barcode was initially generated to represent. Lastly, the digits undergo a conversion to retrieve information regarding the product from the user’s database — for example, product availability or price of the product.
Centralize Your Business with Barcode Scanning on AltheaSuite
Barcode scanning is an integral part of inventory management for industries dealing in manufacturing, furniture and home decor, distribution and wholesale business management software, apparel and textile, industrial machinery, retail store, wire and cable, construction, electronics, salon and spa, as well as eCommerce. AltheaSuite is a manufacturing and inventory cloud software solution that increases the efficiency of small businesses through barcode scanning. This POS software allows custom designing and printing of barcode stickers in various sizes for finished produce, subassemblies, and even raw materials manufactured on the premises. These stickers can be printed on any laser printer or simply be scanned and moved into the inventory as needed.
Book a demo or sign up for a free trial to discover the best ERP for inventory management.
