What is barcode, and how does it work? You must have thought about it at some point or another. Whenever you have gone to any mall or shop and bought some goods, then some black straight lines must have come into your eyes.
This question must have come to mind: what are these strange-looking lines? You should have additionally seen that after the people of the shop percent the goods, they test those strains with the gadget, and we get our bill. Now it comes to knowing what those lines are and what their function is.
To clear these doubts of yours, today I thought, Why not give you complete information about these lines, which are also called barcodes? So that you can understand what this barcode is and how it works, Whenever we buy something, it may be unknowingly, but we definitely come across these barcodes.
Then what is the delay? Let us know what is barcode and how it works.
What is barcode
If we talk about the actual definition of a barcode, then we can say that it is a machine-readable code that remains in the format of numbers and lines. Those traces are mainly parallel, and they're imprinted on the back side of any product.However, in fact, Barcode structures prove to be very beneficial in any business. With their help, big companies can track their products. You can easily find out about their Prices and stock levels. Companies can increase their productivity and efficiency by using this in their computer-centralised system.
what is barcode
Seeing the lines makes us so upset because they represent nothing but numbers and data. Which can be easily read from a Barcode scanner, and that data can be entered into the computer very comfortably. This saves both time and physical effort. And the chances of making a mistake here are very low.When Barcodes first came on the market, they were only of 1-Dimensional design, had only Black lines, and could be easily read with the help of a barcode scanner.
However, with the passage of time, there were many modifications to their pattern as well. Nowadays, it is available in many shapes and sizes and can also be read on our Mobile phones.
Barcode History
You must have understood what a barcode is, so let's go ahead. The history of barcodes is very long and very interesting. It was invented 70 years ago. As technology is changing, many changes are also being seen in it.Our scientists are contemplating giving maximum data on this machine-readable code. If we talk about the story behind it, then you will be surprised to know that it was invented in 1949 near a beach.
Joseph Woodland, who changed right into a Mechanical Engineer at Drexel University, first made some parallel lines that were very similar to Morse Code. One of his friends, Bernard Silver, had asked him to find an approach to a query. And Woodland turned to thinking about the same issue.
Silver had heard someplace that the proprietor of a shop had asked the Dean of Drexel University to design a machine so that grocery checkout would be completed routinely. While searching for a solution to this problem, both of them first invented the barcode. Due to which a Patent was made in his name in 1952. He named his approach "Classifying apparatus and method".
Gradually, people liked this new technology very much. Inspired by this, many companies worked on Barcode technology. Many couldn't even succeed in using it. However, the most important achievement was completed in 1966, when the National Association of Food Chains (NAFC) used this era for an automated checkout machine.
In the mid-1970s, the NAFC established the U.S. Grocery Store Ad Hoc Committee for the Uniform Grocery Product Code. Who further developed the barcode and standardised the 11-digit code to identify a product.
Finally, the day has come when the first barcode was scanned for the first time in the world on June 26, 1974, in Troy, Ohio. And over time, there were many changes in the technology of the barcode, and new features were also added, which made it better and easier to use.
How do I create a barcode
If you are reading this post, then it is fair that you also want to get a barcode made for yourself or for any of your shops. It is very easy to do this, and you can make a barcode in a few seconds.For your information, let me tell you that there are many online options where you can make barcodes for free. Below, I have provided information about this.
- To do so, you must first visit the official website at https://barcode.tec-it.com/en.
- After visiting this website, you will have the option of using the online barcode generator.
- There will be options below it, like Linear Codes, Postal codes, 2D codes, banking codes, and payment codes. Select the work for which you want to create a structure.
- Whatever option comes up, fill it with the correct information, submit, and click on generate code.
- After that, you can download your generated structure.
Types Of Barcodes
If we talk about different types of barcodes, then they are mainly of two types: 1D and 2D. The most recognisable of these is the UPC (Universal Product Code), which is a 1D Barcode. These are two parts of UPC: the first is the barcode, and the second is the 12-digit UPC number.The first six-digit number is the Manufacturer's Identification number. The next five digits represent its item number. And the last digit is the check digit, which tells the scanner whether the scanning was done properly or not.
Linear or 1D barcodes store only text information. But if we talk about a 2D barcode, then it stores many other types of information along with text information. like price, quantity, web address, or image.
A linear Barcode Scanner cannot read 2D barcodes; for this, you will need an image scanner. We can read this 2D barcode from the device we are using, like a mobile phone, if a Camera is available.
Right now, 2D barcodes have developed a lot. Nowadays, they are storing even more information. And as smart phone users are increasing, their use is also increasing a lot.
How do barcodes work
The computer understands only the language of 0, 1, i.e., binary code; similarly, the barcode is also divided into different departments in the language of 0 and 1. In this, the 1D barcode is divided into 95 cells, and 15 different sections are also divided into them. In this, the leftmost part is divided into a left guard, the right side into a right guard, and the remaining part into a centre guard. The reader moves on it from left to right, and it is read according to the binary language, and all its information is displayed on the computer.
Barcodes work by using a combination of symbology and a scanner. First of all, a scanner is used to read any barcode, which understands the symbols of those barcodes and converts them into useful information.
This information mainly contains information about the origin, price, type, and location of an item. When this scanner reads data, it automatically saves that information in the system.
Big companies have benefited a lot from using this system. Each of their things can be tracked, with the help of which those things can be managed well.
How is a barcode used in industry
Till now, we have understood that we can use barcodes in many places, so let us know how they are used in the industry.- To track inventory. There are many products in an inventory, and it is not possible for anyone to keep track of all the things, but with the help of barcodes, we can keep an accurate account of those things.
- Can track the assets of the company. In any business, no matter how big or small it is, everyone's asset (thing) remains fixed. And if we attach barcode tags to those assets, then it will be easy for us to track them. Along with that, our accountability will also increase.
- We can also use it for Return mail. We just have to add the barcode to the return mail registration post card, and if it matches, we can track it easily, as customers do not need to remember more numbers.
- If a company is hosting an event, then we just need to add a barcode to the RSVP card; from this, we will know who has participated in that event or not.
- If we add a barcode to invoices, then the customer account can be located very easily, which reduces the issue of payment being applied to the wrong customer account.
Uses of Barcodes
As we have found so far that we use barcodes in many places, I thought, Why not prepare a list so that it will be very easy to understand?- It is used in Consumer Retail Goods.
- In Manufacturing Process Tracking (MPT), where light and heavy equipment and vehicles are assembled.
- Movement of Products in the supply chain.
- Access Control of all things like Buildings, Events, Concerts, Trains, Ships, Planes, etc. Where Barcodes are extensively used
- They are widely used in coupons, Gift Cards, Driving licences, and package tracking.
- In tracking Speed post in the postal office.
- To prevent anti-counterfeiting and expiring systems in Medicine manufacturing.
- in an asset tracking system, such as in any school, college, or hospital where there is a system of Check-in and check-out.
- In electronic record storage and retrieval.
- In Lifecycle identification, any assembly line where critical parts are assembled.
Questions & Answers
Q: How many digits are there in the barcode?
The barcode consists of 1 to 9 digits.
Q: How is the barcode scanned?
QR and Barcode scanners are used to scan barcodes.
Q: Who is the inventor of the barcode?
The inventor of the barcode is Norman Joseph Woodland.
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