| Do you have a growing small business? Are you | | | | the data can be used for inventory management |
| finding it difficult to keep track of stock? Do you | | | | or other purposes such as pricing, ordering, or |
| sometimes run out of important items that make | | | | forecasting. |
| it difficult or impossible to complete orders? | | | | A barcode scanner alone, of course, is not |
| If so, you know all about inventory woes. The | | | | enough. Once you've collected the data from a |
| more your business grows, the more inventory | | | | barcode, you still have to do something with it. |
| you have to manage, and the more difficult it is | | | | For this, you'll need a computer to maintain the |
| to keep track of products and materials as they | | | | data. On that computer, you will want to install |
| come and go. | | | | barcode software to interpret the data provided |
| For the average small to medium-sized business | | | | by the barcoder reader. |
| owner,this can take an incredible amount of time! | | | | You may also want to install stock control |
| Luckily, technology can help you out. Using a | | | | software to provide an ongoing record of what |
| barcode scanner at your small business can make | | | | you have on hand. When it comes to stock |
| inventory management considerably easier and | | | | control software, there are different levels of |
| more efficient. | | | | capability. So choose the stock control software |
| You are probably familiar with what a barcode | | | | that best fits your existing system and your |
| looks like, but do you know what it is for? | | | | specific requirements. |
| Barcodes store information in a way that | | | | How much will you spend for a scanner? That |
| computers can read. | | | | depends on the model. You may find some of the |
| Ordinary printed text, while perfectly | | | | smaller models for less than $100, but the more |
| understandable to humans, can be surprisingly | | | | sophisticated laser versions will probably be |
| difficult for a computer to make sense of. The | | | | considerably more - up to and possibly over |
| barcode is like a translation, and a barcode | | | | several hundred dollars. |
| scanner - also known as a barcode reader - | | | | Of course, your small business might not need the |
| allows the computer to read and understand it. | | | | highest-end barcode scanner. So be sure to buy |
| Scanners work by measuring the amount of light | | | | the scanner that suits your situation the best. |
| reflected from the printed barcode. White bars | | | | Once you have a scanner, you can considerably |
| reflect more light than dark ones. There are | | | | cut down on the amount of manual data entry |
| several varieties of scanners, from simple | | | | and recording that you once had to do. |
| handheld and pen scanners to more advanced | | | | Just scan the barcode and the computer receives |
| laser technology units. | | | | the information. It's that simple. You'll wonder how |
| Each type consists of a scanner that reads the | | | | you ever got along without a barcode scanner |
| barcode, a decoder that translates the data, and | | | | system. |
| an interface or connection to a computer, where | | | | |