Barcode scanner selection
Barcode scanners are more indispensable than ever before. Everything that comes in and out of businesses today is often labeled with a barcode.
Barcode scanners are more indispensable than ever before. Everything that comes in and out of businesses today is often labeled with a barcode and should be recorded to have a full overview of inventory.
Barcode readers have also become easier to use than ever before. Complex installations are no longer needed. Modern barcode scanners simply connect to a computer, tablet or POS system via USB, WiFi, Bluetooth or other popular interfaces – and are up and running in seconds. While it has become easier to use a barcode scanner, the choice has also become much wider, making it more difficult to find the right model. Choosing the right barcode scanner can be a challenge if you don’t know the difference between the types and options available on the market.
The first step in finding the right barcode scanner is to identify your specific needs:
- Where will the scanner be used? Is it a robust environment?
- How often will the scanner be used?
- What type of barcodes do you want to read?
- How should the scanner be used?
Once you have carefully considered and found the answers to these questions, the next step is to find the barcode scanner that best suits your needs. In principle, you can often use any barcode scanner, but choosing the right type and model can save you time, money and adjustments in the future. Getting the data read and registered correctly is crucial, so you shouldn’t compromise on choosing the right barcode scanner. Fortunately, barcode scanners don’t cost a fortune, so you can choose the right one from the start without worrying about the price. In the next few sections, we’ll discuss the different options available so you can choose the right barcode scanner for you.
Where should the barcode scanner be used?
Barcode scanner for warehouses
When choosing the right barcode scanner to use in the warehouse, it’s important to choose a scanner that is robust, has a long scanning performance, is easy and quick to operate, even from a forklift. For this, we recommend one of the following three barcode scanners. These models are all extremely durable, have a long scanning range and are also wireless. Zebra DS3678-ER, Datalogic PM9501, Honeywell Granit 1981i. You can see our other selection of barcode scanners here.
Barcode scanner for retail
When choosing the right barcode scanner for your store, there are several parameters that come into play. Firstly, it needs to be well designed to give customers a good impression. But it also needs to be ergonomic for the staff who will be using it. It’s also important that the barcode scanner has a good scanning engine and can read barcodes without having to move the scanner too much. You should also consider whether the scanner should be stationary or mobile to be able to scan outside the checkout area, for example in furniture stores, where it is required that the scanner is mobile and can scan barcodes on items that cannot be placed on the checkout belt. Many stores use older POS systems and cash register computers that require a wired connection, which is also the most loyal connection, but you are limited by the length of the cable. We recommend the following scanners depending on the type you are looking for; Datalogic Magellan 3450VSi if you are looking for a desktop presentation scanner that is always on and ready to scan items quickly for use at checkout lanes. DelfiScan M81 if you want a wireless, affordable, top-of-the-line barcode scanner. DelfiScan C81 if you’re looking for a wired scanner that can be used both as a mobile and stationary barcode scanner. Zebra DS9308 if you’re looking for a fast and efficient scanner for the store. You can see our other selection of barcode scanners here.
Barcode scanner for webshop
When choosing the right barcode scanner to handle orders on your webshop, it’s important to have efficient processes and be able to handle an order quickly, but also to be flexible. You need to think long-term and consider where you see your webshop in 5-10 years, and choose a solution and barcode scanner that can be part of this journey without setting limitations. A barcode scanner often lasts a long time and will be your faithful companion for many years.
You may not be processing many orders at the moment and think you can make do with a simple solution and scanner, but in a few years you may receive so many orders that you need to optimize your processes to keep up. This also applies to the entire logistics and labeling of your warehouse. You need to think about logistics right from the start, so start from the very beginning by labeling your warehouse and shelves with location barcodes and have it implemented in your shop system so that you always know where your goods are on the shelves for fast and efficient order packing. Consider having a packing station and some rolling tables with numbered bins so you can walk around the shelves and pick multiple orders at a time. In addition, you should use a wireless barcode scanner to check that the right items are being picked compared to the picking list. We are happy to help you implement a complete warehouse system for your webshop and warehouse, alternatively with PDAs/handheld terminals, which can further streamline the process.
The barcode scanners we recommend for your webshop are: the wireless DelfiScan M81, the wired DelfiScan C81, the powerful DelfiScan C91 and Datalogic Gryphon GM4500. You can see our other selection of barcode scanners here.
Other things to consider:
Barcode scanner with 1D or 2D
In most cases, a 1D barcode scanner will be sufficient for most businesses. The only challenge is if you need to read 2D codes such as QR codes. These types of barcodes are not possible to read with a 1D barcode scanner. If you want to use a 1D barcode scanner, we highly recommend the following two scanners, Honeywell Voyager and Datalogic Quickscan QM2131. If, on the other hand, you are more long-term or simply need to be able to read both 1D and 2D barcodes, we recommend our absolute bestsellers, the wireless DelfiScan M81 or the wired DelfiScan C81 barcode scanner. These barcode scanners are used in many different industries and situations, both in warehouses, retail and healthcare, and are able to meet all the challenges you will encounter. You can see our other range of barcode scanners here.
If you are unsure whether to read 1D or 2D barcodes, or have trouble figuring out the difference between the two, we have created a barcode guide that shows the difference.
Wireless barcode scanner
If you want a barcode scanner but don’t want to deal with a lot of visible cables, take a closer look at the many wireless barcode scanners on the market. The advantage of using a wireless barcode scanner is clearly the flexible workflow. You are no longer locked to your workstation and can scan from different heights and lengths and still ensure correct registration of your data. Also popular these days are ring scanners. With a ring scanner, your hands are always free to pick, pack and use your hands in your work process. You don’t have to put the scanner down between scans. We recommend the following ring scanners: Zebra RS6100, Datalogic Bluetooth Handscanner and for regular wireless barcode scanners we recommend our bestseller DelfiScan M81 or Datalogic Quickscan QM2131. You can see our other selection of barcode scanners here.
Wired barcode scanner
If you want a classic wired barcode scanner and don’t think you’ll need to move the barcode scanner away from your workstation, packing table, checkout system or similar, we have some great suggestions for the perfect wired barcode scanner for you. The advantage of using a wired scanner is that you don’t have to worry about power levels or whether the barcode scanner is connected to the computer and data system. We would recommend our DelfiScan C81 barcode scanner, which is widely used by many of our customers across industries. There is also the affordable Honeywell Eclipse scanner. You can see our other selection of barcode scanners here.
Presentation barcode scanner
A presentation scanner is for businesses such as pharmacies, shops, supermarkets and other specialty stores. The attractive designs fit into any checkout system and provide accurate and fast scanning without the need to press a scanner button. Space is at a premium at the checkout, so it’s important to have a presentation scanner that takes up little space and is not visible to the customer. It’s also important that the scanner reads each barcode perfectly so that the customer gets paid for all items and the employee doesn’t have to enter barcodes manually into the system. Barcodes on fresh produce can often be wrinkled or slightly damaged, so a high-quality presentation scanner is particularly important to ensure the fastest possible operation. We would recommend the following presentation scanners, Datalogic Magellan 3450VSi and Datalogic Magellan 1500i.
PDA
If you are looking for a PDA device (handheld terminal) to read and record data, we have a large selection, including our own Delfi PM85, which reads both 1D and 2D barcodes, has an Android operating system, which is the new standard in operating systems for PDAs & handheld terminals. This PDA has a fast processor, touch keyboard and can use both WiFi and SIM cards for connectivity. If you want to know more about this kind of scanner device, you can see our selection of PDAs here.