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 | These low cost barcode scanners are an excellent choice for simple uses, where read range isn’t important (i.e. reading from a barcoded menu), when they’re just for occasional use and where durability isn’t going to be an issue. They are technically known as CCD and will read from contact to a few centimetres. One thing to look out for is the width of codes they need to read, generally nothing more than 90mm. Libraries, hospitals and schools use these types of barcode scanner for many applications.
 Click here for contact barcode scanners. | 
| These barcode scanners can read codes from contact to around 35cm (depending on how wide the bars in the barcode are). Because they work over longer ranges, they tend to be easier to use. They can cope with much wider codes than contact readers. Some models will read codes as wide as 25cm. Whilst not as tough as industrial scanners, most of them have a 5-year warranty and are built to withstand moderate punishment.
Click here to see non-contact barcode scanners. | 
| Industrial strength barcode scanners are built for heavy duty work in tough conditions and are often protected by rubber ‘bumpers’. Many include internal rubber shock-absorbers or ‘solid-state’ barcode reading components (known as CCD technology). As well as having great shock resistance they’re built to resist water and dust ingress. Within this group of models are some scanners which can read codes at distances from 5 cm to over 200cm. These types of barcode reader tend to be used in factories, warehouses, by logistics and delivery operators and many other situations where tough, reliable equipment is required.
Click on this link to see the industrial barcode scanners | 
| Sometimes you need a hands free or automatic operation where you simply present a barcode to the scanner and the computer does the rest. These scanners tend to be compact, reliable, maintenance free and easy to use. They are available in two forms:
For retail applications- where the scanner will be usually be positioned on a counter surface counter and can read codes from virtually all angles.
Industrial applications - where the reader is in a fixed position and barcodes are presented to it, perhaps by hand or on a conveyor. These types are used in food production, electronics manufacture and many others Click here to see these scanners. |  | If you need freedom of movement when you scan barcodes, then a cordless type would be a logical answer. They work up to 50m from a base station and they are available in industrial and retail versions. We sell 2D reader models as well as models for standard linear barcodes and they are all supplied with rechargeable batteries. We've supplied many of these to distribution centres and warehouses.
Click here to find out more about cordless barcode scanners. |  | 2D codes have been with us for years. They encode masses of data, as well as being more resistant to ‘damage’ (where the code is accidentally scratched or marked). Considered as portable data files, 2D codes are used to carry for example test results, detailed registration details, or pallet contents. Another benefit of their ability to store more information is that they can be made much smaller. If you have a space problem (with printed circuit boards for example), 2D codes are perfect. The readers tend to come into 2 families – genuine 2D code readers, capable of matrix, stacked and traditional bar codes or other readers which can only cope with stacked (such as PDF-417’s) and traditional codes . Check that the reader you choose can read the code you have.
Click here to see the 2D barcode scanners. |
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