Wasp Barcode Technologies Barcode scanner

This review has been moved to Member Advice Category. Please read and rate there as this will soon be permanently removed by Ciao.

Many thanks to the members of Ciao for pointing out this was an unsuitable category and for letting me know how to have this changed.



Since my opinion about the Belkin USB Hub I have been asked by a great many Ciao members what barcode scanning is, how it works and what I ...
...mind, I have decided to write this opinion to cover the various equipment I use. I will not dwell as usual on the technical stuff as you already know I myself don’t understand half of it anyway. Instead I prefer to cover the basics and the various applications they have.

I will start by explaining why I have bar coding apparatus. I run my own business on the internet. I also use various auction sites to sell my goods as well as my ... more

This review has been moved to Member Advice Category. Please read and rate there as this will soon be permanently removed by Ciao.

Many thanks to the members of Ciao for pointing out this was an unsuitable category and for letting me know how to have this changed.

Since my opinion about the Belkin USB Hub I have been asked by a great many Ciao members what barcode scanning is, how it works and what I use it for.

With these questions in mind, I have decided to write this opinion to cover the various equipment I use. I will not dwell as usual on the technical stuff as you already know I myself don’t understand half of it anyway. Instead I prefer to cover the basics and the various applications they have.

I will start by explaining why I have bar coding apparatus. I run my own business on the internet. I also use various auction sites to sell my goods as well as my own website. I basically run an internet store selling all manner of goods. I have vast amounts of mail, packages and parcels delivered and picked up from my home address and storage facility on a daily basis. In order to keep on top of the mail and the stock I use bar coding.

Bar coding helps me keep a track of all orders and run a successful business. I bar code almost everything. Products I sell have bar codes on them as most products nowadays have. These are scanned and recorded as I enter the items into my stock and as they are sent to my customers. With all orders there is an invoice. Again I bar code the invoice by printing out a bar code label and sticking it to the invoice. When orders and payments are received through the post, they are also bar coded using a scanner coding machine.

The reason for so much bar coding is to save me time and space. Should I need to bring up a customer order or invoice all I need do is scan the bar code and all the details will appear on screen within seconds. I can scan the bar code of the invoices, orders, customer file, payment sheets, courier paper work or even an actual product I am selling and all relevant details appear.

How the whole bar code technology works is a mystery to me. No surprises there then!
What basically happens is you have a scanning gun that can read black and white lines of different thickness. You wave the laser light beam from the gun over the bar code and it stores or presents information on the item that is coded.

To generate barcodes is easy too. As I mentioned before almost every item you buy today has a bar code on it. The products I sell also have these bar codes upon them so when entering these items into my stock I just scan the bar code that is on the item.

The invoices, orders and payments do not have barcodes. I need to make a bar code for these. This is not as hard as you may imagine. I have software which is widely available that lets you generate new bar codes. These codes are for my own use only and I cannot go changing the codes on the products. The software has a wizard tool that takes you step by step through the creation process. At the end you are ready to print out a self adhesive label on a laser printer and apply it to any relevant paperwork.

Other bar codes that must be scanned are things like couriers consignment codes. The couriers I use all have their own bar coding system for tracking the deliveries they are making. Most couriers will provide you with their software and usually they do this free of charge as by using it yourself saves them time and money. I prefer to add the labels they need as it speeds up the delivery of the goods I send out. Other couriers will supply you with ready printed labels and again you just need to stick these to the parcel you are sending out.

The bar code machines I use are varied but they all work together without problem and they are actually quite inexpensive to run and maintenance is minimal. The bar code scanner I use runs on a USB connection as mentioned in my hub opinion.

There are lots of different makes, models and styles of equipment available for each of the following pieces of apparatus but these are the items I use.

Scanning Gun - £70.00 to £300.00

The bit of kit that actually reads the bar codes. This will read all bar codes whether the code be produced by yourself, other company or product manufacturer. All that is needed is the correct software.

Software - £0 to £1,000.00 +

Bar coding software varies. You can get software to create and maintain your own codes. This may be supplied with hardware you buy or you might want to buy separately. I opted for the software supplied with the hardware. Other software can be sought from couriers, suppliers or even manufacturers. Usually for free. I would not expect to have to pay as you are doing the hard work for them.

The software I use is compatible with MS office allowing me to use Word and Excel for keeping records and stock lists.

Bar Code Printers - £300.00 to £1,000.00 +

Printer choice is purely personal. You can use almost any kind of printer including inkjets but, I would not recommend them. I would advise a good thermal or laser printer. You can buy machines that are designed for the sole use of printing out bar codes but I do not see the point of this. I use my own laser printer. I can use this for anything I want to and the print quality is superior. The bar codes appear sharper and crisper through the laser printer. As for labels, I would only suggest using good quality, self adhesive labels that are waterproof, smudge and heat resistant. I use this type as I am sending items outdoors by the post. Weather can be a hazard.

The items I have mentioned are pretty much the basic items needed. You can see that they are quite inexpensive but, think carefully, do you really need this equipment. Many fellow Ciao members have stated they were thinking of buying bar code equipment. I would urge you to think hard if you will use it often enough to justify buying it.

I know many of you also trade through auction sites like Ebay but do you sell enough items to justify buying this equipment. I do not wish to put anyone off the idea of buying this equipment, I just want to point out that gadgets are really cool but you may get bored too easily if not using them often enough. I know this for a fact, I love every kind of gadgets and gizmos as you know. I just can’t help myself!

Other optional items, some of which I use can be used along side the bar coding equipment. They are optional extras and again can vary in price, size, make and model.

PDQ or (Pretty Damn Quick) machines. They are machines that shops use to swipe credit and debit cards. I use this and I had it supplied free by my bank. I use it mainly for phone and fax orders where customers provide with orders. Again this uses different software that is compatible with other software and internet software too. The software is also sometimes provided free by bank or by merchant services, the people who control the card machines.

Specialist Keyboards. You may need a special keyboard to use with some equipment or you might just prefer to sit this along side your computers keyboard to use with the coding software. I do not use one as I don’t have the space. Prices again vary for these.

Electronic Signature Machines. You may like to use one of these too. More so if you were to deliver goods yourself. The machines are like pc tablets and the customer would sign a screen with a special electronic pen. This is used by parcel force and many private couriers. I do not own a machine but I have the functionality of being able to get a copy of a customer’s signature to prove delivery has been made. I don’t use this very often either as most signatures are like scribbles as they are not easy to use. I know this as my signature is questionable with these things.

I will apologise now for not adding any technical info or for going into deep talk over any particular part of bar coding or machinery. The reasons for this are: My equipment is quite old although working perfectly and I don’t have any details of the equipment available any longer. As for bar coding and equipment, I do not poise on any one matter as I just wanted to answer the many questions asked of me.

I am sure there may be something I have missed out so please contact me with any questions you have through my guest book or private guest book and I shall answer you as best I can. I hope this overview helps answer most questions.

Regards,

Jacqui, the technical brick!
 

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