| You can find many types of barcode scanners in the | | | | are very light to be used as hand held scanners but |
| market depending upon their shape, size and type. You | | | | also contain stands that allow them to be fixed at a |
| may choose a barcode scanner according your | | | | place, hence combining the qualities of both fixed as |
| requirement. There are small handheld to big wall | | | | well as handheld scanners. They are perfect for |
| mounted one. | | | | smaller stores and outlets where it is necessary to |
| All scanners have their own unique use and features. | | | | process labels for many products but also need |
| The simplest form of a barcode scanner is the | | | | mobility. These scanners can work as a hand held by |
| handheld scanner. Very light weight and easy to use, | | | | operator by pushing the trigger when a barcode is to |
| they are also called as wand readers. They consist of | | | | be read, or by using it as a fixed scanner without |
| this trigger which turns on the source of light off and | | | | needing an operator. |
| on. For reading the barcode label, the reader points | | | | The most widely used scanners generally have a row |
| straight at the label and held at 90 degrees with the | | | | of small sources of light. When the barcode label has |
| vertical lines on the label. After switching on the trigger, | | | | to be read, it needs to point at 90 degrees with the |
| the light source emits light which reads the barcode. | | | | barcode lines. If the scanner is held at a different angle |
| Though very cheap and easy to use, handheld | | | | they won't work and will not read the label. But now |
| readers are not suitable for large establishments even | | | | due to new technological advances, the new type of |
| retail outlets that where a great many barcodes are | | | | scanners consists of hundreds of tiny light sensors that |
| processed every day is not suitable to use handheld | | | | are lined in a 2 dimensional array to generate image. In |
| scanners. The readers that are generally used in retail | | | | such kind of scanners you may point the scanner in |
| outlets are the fixed barcode readers. They too have | | | | any angle; it will read the barcode correctly. These are |
| a source of light and a photodiode which processes | | | | known as Omni-directional scanners which usually |
| the reflected light and sends in to the decoder. The | | | | make use of laser beams. These scanners are |
| decoder transforms it into a plain text format. And | | | | perfect for establishments where there are a great |
| fixed scanner uses better technology which lets it read | | | | many products to be processed and often sorting of |
| barcode labels even when dirty, soiled or torn. | | | | parcels take place. |
| But today many hybrid models are also available. They | | | | |