Discover the Benefits of Hand Held Barcode Scanners for Your Business
If you are a business owner in these challenging times, you must be looking for different ways to attract more customers. First impression matters and one of the easiest and most efficient ways to elevate your business branding is to choose the right uniforms. But it takes more than just aesthetics to keep customers satisfied. That being said, you may consider increasing productivity with hand held barcode scanners.
What is a Handheld Barcode Scanner?
Handheld scanners are the most commonly used electronic devices for reading printed barcodes. They allow businesses to track volumes and sales on incoming and outgoing inventory and are very easy to use.
Most of these scanners are designed like a handgun, featuring a grip and a trigger to activate the scanning process by holding the scanner around the gripping handle, pointing it at a barcode and pressing the button. Some models even come with stands, allowing hands-free use, which can be very helpful in a busy environment.
This type of scanner is convenient to use in almost any industry where barcodes apply, including grocery stores, retail, warehouses, healthcare facilities and more. You can find a wide range of hand held barcode scanners and choose what works best for the needs of your business or application. The following are some of the most commonly used options these days.
Laser Scanners
In this type of scanner, the laser serves as a light that reflects through a series of mirrors or prisms and reads the barcode. They are some of the more high-tech tools for barcode reading, designed to read linear 1D barcodes.
Image Scanners
To capture the image of a barcode, an image scanner uses a small digital camera and then the image is scanned and read by an attached computer system, designed for inventory purposes. Same as laser scanners, these scanners are intended to read 1D barcodes only.
2D Imagers
A 2D image scanner is very similar to a regular image scanner, but with this one all barcode types, including 1D, 2D and stacked can be scanned. The barcodes can cross the scanner in any position, whether horizontal, vertical, upside down or right side up, which allows items to be scanned quicker and with less hassle than with other scanners. Some of these scanners even allow barcodes to be read off non-label surfaces, such as computer screens and smartphones. It is a great advantage for businesses of all types, helping them to speed up processes and expand the range of barcoding options.
CCD Scanners
CCD (Charge Coupled Devices) is a type of scanner that is equipped with a row of tiny sensors at the front of the reader which generates waveforms that correspond to particular bars and spaces. The information is then decoded with the scanner and sent to the computer system. A CCD scanner measures ambient light emitted from the barcode.
Why Choose a Handheld Barcode Scanner?
Handheld scanners offer several advantages to businesses, beginning with the easy and quick set up. Like other types of scanners, they are here to eliminate human error and prevent unnecessary waste of resources, but also to maximise productivity and increase the quality of product and service. Additionally, they provide some other benefits, such as the following.
Helpful for Scanning Bulky Items
Lifting bulky items up and down for scanning is not a good idea and a handheld scanner is an ideal solution for safely tracking these items.
Great for Inventory
It is a lightweight device, so you can easily take it with you when you will be scanning items across the store or warehouse, as in inventory, for instance.
Flexible and Inexpensive
This type of scanner is a good option when you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a scanner or you need a multi-use solution.
Increased Ergonomics
Thanks to their design, handheld barcode scanners increase ergonomics at the workplace and can be very useful in busy hours.
How to Choose a Handheld Barcode Scanner for Your Business or Application
To make sure you select the right handheld barcode scanner, consider the following.
Where Will It Be Used?
To begin with, determine the area of operation of the scanner. Is it going to be used indoors or outdoors and what will work best? For indoors, you can opt for a 2D barcode scanner, while for outdoors a USB barcode scanner might be more suitable. Also, think about how much light will it be accustomed to and if you are not sure, consider a scanner that works equally well in both bright and dim lighting.
How Often Will It Be Used?
The degree of usage is an important factor to consider before buying a handheld scanner. Overworking your scanner can cause several issues, including connectivity troubles and poor battery life. That’s why you need to make sure to choose a barcode scanner that can match up to the level of performance requirement.
What’s the Best Scanning Distance?
It’s always a good idea to evaluate the scanning distance before you start looking for a handheld scanner. The distance between the barcodes and the scanner is a crucial factor and needs to be considered if you want to choose the best device for your business needs.
And don’t forget to think about how the handheld barcode scanner is going to connect to your computer. There are many different connectors on the market, including wireless barcode scanners for greater portability and USB connectors, which are some of the most commonly used ones.