Wasp Barcode Inventory Control - Manual (Page 25)

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2.2 What is a Barcode?
A barcode is a graphical representation of a set of numeric or alphanumeric characters that can be read
by a barcode scanner.
123 becomes: .
Whse1 becomes: .
Assigning a permanent barcode to each site, location, item, supplier and customer creates an
environment where a mobile device can be used to easily keep track of inventory movements and
alleviates the problem of data-entry errors.
Barcodes get wider with the amount of numbers and characters you want represented by them. A
barcode's width is determined by the amount of numbers or characters represented by the barcode.
Some barcode scanners have a limited width that they can read. If you have very long item numbers or
location numbers you may need to reconsider the numbering scheme or the scanner you are using. Also
be aware that many of the less expensive barcode readers do not read barcodes that are bent, at an
angle, too small or damaged. Consider the possible disposition of your barcodes before choosing a
scanner.
There are many different barcode formats or symbologies. The different symbologies can be though of
as different fonts. The same characters are represented by different symbologies in different ways. For
example, the two symbologies below represent the same information (Whse1).
These different formats exist to provide ways to compress more data into smaller space, to represent a
different set of characters or to enable scanning at different angles or distances. InventoryControl uses
the symbology called Code 128 for all the pre-built labels. All the scanners and mobile devices Wasp
supplies can read Code 128. Best practices suggest you use Code 128 because it supports all numbers,
upper and lower case characters and most special characters. It also reduces the size of most common
barcodes.
Barcodes should be printed using a barcode printer or, if you are using Wasp Labeler, using a high quality
laser or ink jet printer. You want the barcode label to be high quality because low quality barcodes are
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