Choosing the right bar code scanner
When choosing bar code reader, one should consider what types of bar codes will be read with it. Some bar codes allow only numbers, others will not have checksum, some bar codes are difficult to print with inkjet printers, some barcode readers have narrow reading pane and cannot read for example barcodes with length over 10 cm. Most the barcode readers support common barcodes, such as EAN8, EAN13, CODE 39, Interleaved 2/5, Code 128 etc.
For office purposes, the most suitable barcodes seem to be those supporting full range of alphanumeric characters, which might be:
- code 39 - supports 0-9, uppercased A-Z, and few special characters (dash, comma, space, $, /, +, %, *)
- code 128 - supports 0-9, a-z, A-Z and other extended characters
Other important things to note:
- Make sure all standard barcodes are supported, at least CODE39, CODE128, Interleaved25, EAN8, EAN13, PDF417, QRCODE.
- Use only standard USB plugin cables. RS232 interfaces are meant for industrial usage, rather than connecting to a single PC.
- The cable should be long enough, at least 1.5 m - the longer the better.
- Bar code reader plugged into the computer should not require other power supply - it should power up simply by connecting to PC via USB.
- If you also need to print bar code into generated PDF documents, you can use TCPDF open-source library that supports most of the common 2D bar codes.
Installing scanner drivers
Installing a manual bar code reader requires installing drivers for your particular operating system and should be normally supplied with a purchased bar code reader.
Once installed and ready, the bar code reader turns on the signal LED light. Reading the barcode starts with pressing the button for reading.