In 1974 a pack of gum was purchased using the first ever barcode. Since then the use of barcodes has skyrocketed and has taken many forms of symbologies. The symbology of a barcode includes the encoding of the message in the bars and spaces, including any start and stop markers plus the size of the quiet zone (a blemish free space around the code to help readers locate it) that is required to be before and after the barcode. There are a few different types of barcode symbologies from the linear Code 128 and Code 39 to the newer 2D QR Codes, Data Matrix, and Micro PDF.

What has the barcode done for this world? It’s made life easier. Its helped the retail industry keep check of the number of products they have in stock and a way to see what products sell at higher volumes. More importantly its helped consumers get in and out of stores quicker by dramatically improving the check out line. Imagine a world in which you would have to wait until the cashier looked up every single item you wanted to purchase? In that scenario the checkout lines would be ridiculous, luckily the barcode is here to save us from that nightmare.

Retail is just one of the many industries that barcodes has helped improve; another is the healthcare industry which has greatly benefited from the barcode. In the healthcare industry you’ll find barcodes on patient samples and the wristbands patients wear. There’s systems in place that would automatically generate a new barcode every time a patient has their blood drawn, making it so that the blood sample can be tracked from the hospital floor to the laboratory for testing. Human error of course is still possible, but with the use of barcodes those errors have been greatly minimized.

To learn more about barcodes visit our FAQ or read more about the rise and use of “The Ubiquitous Barcode”

For any questions or a quote on barcode software or barcode labels please contact us at Barcodes, Inc.

Zebra has been a leader in the Auto-ID industry for decades now and continues to expand their product offering for complete end-to-end solutions. Zebra has every type of data collection covered from any barcode symbology to RFID. With multiple fixed, handheld, or mobile device solutions, Zebra has a device designed specifically for your application needs

If you have trouble identifying your barcode types (like me) – here is a trick for you.

• Plug your scanner into your PC.
• Turn on Word.
• Go to page 199 of your Xenon/Granit User’s Guide and scan that barcode titled “Add Code I.D Prefix to All Symbologies (Temporary)”
• Then scan the barcode in question.
• You’ll see a character in front of the scanned data on your Word doc (or any app that displays scanned data).
• Go to the section of the chart below (Linear, 2D, Postal) then to the fourth column titled “ID” under Honeywell; find your symbol; and your barcode type is in the first column – Symbology.   This chart is also in the back of the Xenon/Granit User’s Guide.

Note: This setting is temporary and will be removed when the unit is power cycled.