See our page on barcode scanner software to help you choose between the many types of available software.

 

Many of our customers think they need to get a special barcode scanner to use with their Macintosh computer. This may have been true many years ago when USB was not prevalent and Apple computers used ADB connector for their keyboards.

Today, virtually every USB barcode scanner on the market is automatically recognized by Mac OS X thanks to the Apple Generic Keyboard driver that is built into the Operating System. Therefore, all you have to do is plug the barcode scanner in to your USB port and scan your barcodes. They will be entered into any application as if you typed the corresponding keystrokes on a keyboard.

Metrologic’s public FTP site is a good place to check if you are looking for software or drivers for your Metrologic barcode scanner or Metrologic handheld computer.

By Jeff Sibio, Intermec Director, Industry Marketing

I was somewhere in the middle of Montana when it happened, on a bitterly cold November night, 20 miles from the nearest town. My decade-old, four-door hatchback – a rusted, dented, green beast with a cracked windshield and a headlight that died every three months – began making a subtle whine that steadily grew into an angry cough. And then Rita, as I had named the car, died for the eighth and final time.

This was years before the age of the modern cell phone, and as I made my trek back to civilization, I recalled what my grandfather had warned me the last time I had taken Rita to the shop: “If you keep putting good money into a broken-down car for repairs, you’ll never have enough for a better one.”

I had rolled my eyes at the time, turned to the repairman, and told him to fix up my green beast. But walking along the highway through the Montana snow long after midnight, it occurred to me that he was right. Besides, after all the money I had tossed toward repairing Rita, I had to wait six months before I was able to afford my next car.

I still tell this story to businesses that are researching AIDC, mobile computing and printing solutions, because it underscores the importance of the long-term costs of critical technology. Buy the inferior solution in the here-and-now, and hidden repair and replacement costs will negate any savings from the purchase. And that’s why total cost of ownership (TCO) matters so much.

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Use the table below to determine what barcode verifier is best for the barcode you need to verify.

Shopping is a lot of work. Regardless of what it is that you are buying, there are numerous things to consider, research, and compare. So what are the things to think about when choosing a mag stripe reader (MSR)?

As with any product, a lot of thought goes into the design of each MSR. From the interface to the cosmetics to the feel of the card swipe, each unit is designed for a specific purpose. Your job is to figure out which one best fits your needs.

Terry Conant, the Executive VP of ID Tech, provides his list of the top things to consider when purchasing a Point of Sale (POS) MSR:

Reading Reliability

The purpose of a card reader, of course, is to read cards. Not just the new cards but real-world cards, and failure to do so can mean extra transaction costs, or even worse, a lost sale. Manually entered card information means additional transaction costs. At an unmanned kiosk, a customer’s unread card can mean a lost sale.

Minimum Number of Card Swipes

A card reader needs to be able to stand up to the rigors of swiping card after card, day after day. If a reader breaks down, it can severely handicap sales. Long warranties are great, but more importantly, look for the amount of swipes the reader is guaranteed for.

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The Symbol LS2208 is one of the most popular handheld barcode scanners that we sell.

Follow the steps below to enable the LS2208 to send a Tab Key suffix after each barcode scan.

Print out and scan the programming barcodes below in the order listed

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Use the chart below to identify what type of interface your receipt printer has.

Adapted from http://www.transact-tech.com/products/ithaca_8000_info_faq.html

	9 pin Serial Interface Cable Required: Serial Null Modem Cable, 9 pin female to 9 pin female.
	36 pin Centronics Parallel Interface Cable Required: Parallel Cable, 25 pin male to 36 pin Centronics male.
	USB Interface Cable Required: USB Cable
	Ethernet Interface Cable Required: CAT-5 Ethernet cable
	25 pin Parallel Interface Cable Required: Parallel Cable, 25 pin male to 25 pin male.
	25 pin Serial Interface Cable Required: Serial Null Modem Cable, 9 pin female to 25 pin male.
	Caution: The 25 pin Parallel and 25 pin Serial interfaces look exactly the same externally. They both use a 25 pin D-shell connection.
	A closer look will reveal that the electronics on the actual interfaces boards are different. The best way to determine which 25 pin communication interface is present in the printer is to print a configuration listing from the printer. This listing will show either RS232 Serial or P1284 Parallel. See Manual Configuration for how to print out this listing.

Barcode printing solutions that help nurses do what they do best: Provide excellent patient care

Thermal Barcode Printing Solutions That work with you and for you

Zebra thermal barcode wristband and label print solutions offer you and other members of your hospital’s nursing staff an easy way to improve patient safety. This is technology you’ll actually welcome, because rather than hindering your workflow, it actually helps you work more effectively. Consequently, you’ll have more time to do what you do best: care for the patient.

Performing together as a complete, optimal barcode print solution, Zebra thermal printers and genuine Zebra wristbands and labels encode patient data as a barcode and text. Scanning the barcode gives you immediate, automated access to patient information—helping prevent errors and improve patient safety

Download PDF: Barcode Print Solutions for Nurses

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Zebra‘s Z-Ultimate 2000T and Z-Ultimate 4000T label materials are similar to legacy Z-Ultimate 3000T label material in quality and performance, but offer additional savings.

Performance Key:

*** Excellent
** Very Good
* Fair
NR—Not Recommended