subject: How To Choose The Right Bar Code Scanner For Your Laptop [print this page] Do you need a bar code scanner for your laptop computer? Then choose the right one the first time out, and save yourself time, money and aggravation. You can if you take some time to do a little thinking and research. There are several factors to consider as you think it through.
To begin with, there are three major types of barcode scanner. One is referred to as a wand, or contact scanner. This is like a pen, which is touched to and moved across the bar code, which decodes it and transmits it to your laptop computer. The second is called a CCR scanner, in which photoreceptors in the scanner record an image of the bar code, before decoding and transmitting it. Third, and most common, is the laser scanner, which uses a laser beam, lenses and mirrors to read, decode and transmit the data.
The contact wand scanner is by far the least expensive of the three, but has serious limitations. Since the scanner must be slid across the bar code while in physical contact, the optics that actually read the bar code can become scratched or worn down. Or, if the bar code itself is under a thick laminate such as glass on a countertop, the scanner cannot focus enough to read the bar code.
You will want a CCR scanner if you can get to within just a few inches of the bar code, or if the bar code to be read is on any kind of CRT screen like a computer monitor. Also, if your scanner will be used in an environment where it is subject to hard use or is liable to fall, since the CCR scanner has no moving parts that can break. On the minus side, CCR scanners cannot read bar codes that are very wide, and the number of photoreceptors in the unit limits its resolution capabilities. In terms of price, CCR scanners fall in the middle range.
The most expensive, and most versatile, option is the laser scanner. These do not depend on focus, and can be used from some distance from the bar code. They are also the fastest bar code scanners.
If you need more information about bar code scanner products use the big search engines like Bing or Yahoo or even Google (only if you really have to ) to find additional information on the world wide web about those products and look for reviews from people who already bought scanners and check what their experience is. So you can avoid costly mistakes!
