Barcodes, Inc. was talking to a customer about the Honeywell Xenon 1900’s blistering scanning speed.  We hooked up the scanner and put it in its stand which automatically puts the scanner in presentation mode (scanner scans without a trigger pull).  The customer did what customers do all the time – started passing the same barcode underneath the scanner over and over.  He was not impressed.  The scanner seemed sluggish.

Here is why – Honeywell programs its scanners to pause for 750 ms (this is the default) before the scanner can reread the same barcode.  750 ms – if my math is correct – is ¾ of a second.  This protects against accidental rereads of the same barcode.  It can also be used to keep the scanner from reading codes to fast into an application.

Barcodes, Inc. explained this to the customer and told them to turn off Reread Delay if they really wanted to see the scanner fly.  We explained that the best way to test scanning speed is to put the scanner into a real life environment or scan different barcodes vs the same one over and over.

In the user guides are barcodes that set the reread delay to 500 ms, 750 ms, 1,000 ms and 2,000 ms.  There is even a barcode that allows the user to set their own time.

So why is understanding this so important? It allows your scanner to optimize its scanning speed.

Seagull Scientific’s BarTender design software has been the leading application to create any kind of barcode or RFID label and ID cards for customers due to it’s comprehensive feature set and ease of use. One of the key benefits of BarTender is the various available editions it comes in.

BarTender’s four editions enable you to easily upgrade your system as your business grows, without the extra cost and complexity of buying add-on products.

Basic Edition
Designed for individuals and small departments, the Basic Edition lets you start designing and printing barcode labels and cards in just minutes thanks to its intuitive design tools and helpful wizards.

• Design and print labels, cards, mag stripe cards and more
• Optimize print speed to any printer or marking device
• Design data-entry forms that provide data validation and accept print-time input from the keyboard or a barcode scanner
• Licensed per PC

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Adaptability is a necessity in healthcare. Every clinician has a wide variety of daily tasks and responsibilities to ensure quality patient care. As such, data collection tools need to be just as adaptable as their users. With the Xenon 1902h, such adaptability is not only possible, it is also easy to implement and change to support varied clinician workflows.

A typical standard scanner provides a loud, audible “beep” to indicate a “good read.” While this kind of operator feedback is widely understood, it can be highly disruptive in certain environments; say, during night time operations in an inpatient recovery ward. In these environments, maintaining patient comfort while keeping clinicians productive can be a challenge. That is why our Enhanced Xenon 1902h includes a quick-toggle mode we call Patient Do-Not-Disturb. In this mode, audible feedback is disabled and replaced by additional visual display options that provide positive status indication to the clinician—without disturbing resting patients. Select from multiple silent status indication options, including pulsing of the scanning aimer/imager and/or activation of the back-mounted status LEDs.

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When choosing the right 2D imager you ultimately need a device that meets the demands of your specific application while being easy to use out of the box.

Historically, the DS4208 was one of the most popular imagers from Motorola/Zebra which has been discontinued and replaced with the even more capable Symbol DS4308. The chart below is a quick comparison of the new features and capabilities found in the newer DS4308.

If you’re looking for a new 2D imager, the DS4308 is a scanner that will easily improve the efficiency and speed of any scanning application.

	DS4208	DS4308
Market Positioning	Introductory: 1D/2D Imager for paper/ mobile bar codes	2nd Generation: 1D/2D Imager with PRZM technology which enhances decode performance and snappiness, dramatically improving the user experience
Market Advantage	Good all around 1D/2D bar code scanner for most applications DS4208-SR working range out to 15.2”/38.6cm on 100% UPC (SR) DS4308-HD working range out to 7.6”/19.3cm • Sensor Resolution 752 x 480 Beep and LED feedback on good decode IP43	Reads virtually any bar code in any condition; optimized for poor quality barcodes DS4308-SR has the largest “sweet spot” in its class with a working range out to 28”/71.1cm on 100% UPC (DS4308-SR) eliminating the need to purchase both standard and extended range scanners DS4308-HD working range out to 16.5 inches (41.9 cm) eliminating the need to purchase both standard and high density scanners 1 Megapixel Sensor Resolution (1280 x 800) Ability to Enable All Code Types USB Buffering of Output Data Beep, LED and optional Illumination feedback on good decode Megapixel engine supports image capture, signature capture and OCR Auto host detect cables Support for over 90 keyboards Integrated Presentation Stand (P) option Checkpoint EAS option IP42
DEFAULT SETTINGS
Quick Keypad Emulation	Disabled	Enabled
Unique Barcode Reporting in Continuous Barcode Mode	Disabled	Enabled
Emulate Numeric Keypad	Disabled	Enabled
Length for Code 39	2 to 55	1 to 55
Code 93	Disabled	Enabled
Length for Code 93	4 to 55	1 to 55
Interleaved 2 of 5 (ITF)	Disabled	Enabled
Lengths for I 2 of 5	Fixed Length = 14	6 to 55
Length for D 2 of 5	Fixed Length = 12	Any Length (1 to 55)
Codabar	Disabled	Enabled
Lengths for Codabar	5 to 55	4 to 55
Matrix 2 of 5 Lengths	Fixed Length = 14	4 to 55
GS1 DataBar Limited	Disabled	Enabled
USB Fast HID	Disabled	Enabled
USB Polling Interval	8ms	3ms
Different Symbol Time-out	200ms	100ms

Document scanning and processing has historically been a task for traditional flat-bed style scanners to capture a basic image of the document. While these devices were once the only real option, they were limited by their slower speeds and moving parts that require regular maintenance.

Today we have options beyond the standard flat-bed scanner with faster, more capable full 2D imagers like Honeywell’s 4850dr. With no moving parts, the 4850dr can take full imagers of 8.5″ x 11″ or A4 documents on any color paper. On top of this, the 4850dr can also decode any linear, stacked, and 2D codes. on the documents for easier processing.

The 4850dr comes with  an integrated suite of easy-to-use image enhancement tools can be used to sharpen text, improve contrast, reorient or magnify the image. In addition, built-in auto-cropping and an array of file configuration options and compression functions ensure optimum image quality and file size for your application requirements.

Streamline your recordkeeping and document management process with the accurate, full-featured 4850dr Document Imager.

With the widespread use of consumer grade smartphones and tablets, many business have been looking to these types of devices for a variety of applications. While consumer grade devices may be viable solutions in limited environments like Point of Sale, most enterprise applications will find that for the same costs a dedicated ruggedized mobile device will greatly reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and improve your ROI.

For more in depth comparison of consumer based devices vs dedicated mobile devices see this previous post as well – How Durable Handheld Computers are Better Suited to the Mobile Workplace than Consumer-grade Smartphones

With a variety of terminology out there these days it can be confusing and difficult to find exactly what kind of scanning device you need.  One of the more common terms to get mixed up is the difference between cordless scanners and mobile computers.

Outside the physical shape and size differences, there are a couple key functional use differences between them:

• A cordless barcode scanner only scans a barcode and either transmits to a computer in real-time or stores the code into memory for a bulk upload at a later time.
• Cordless barcode scanners only captures the data and cannot process or manage it.
• A mobile computer combines a computer and a barcode scanner into one device with an operating systems (OS) to run apps and process the data beyond just storing it.
• With a mobile computer you can edit and share information on the spot using Wi-Fi or Cellular networks. You can also get feedback  or look-up information through a variety of apps based off of the scanned information.

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APG has been providing high quality cash drawers in POS systems worldwide for the past 35 years.

APG drawers offer a wide selection of options for size, interface, color, and integration options to fit into any application with any currency. Add to this their extreme durability and you have a cash drawer you can install and never worry about again.

For assistance finding the right APG cash drawer for your business, contact us at Barcodes Inc.

As a long standing leader in Auto-ID technologies, Motorola is always aiming to meet the ever changing demands of real-life applications. With our ever more mobile world, most businesses need devices that are made for mobility and with greater reliability than typical consumer devices. The Motorola TC55 Touch Computer provides all the functionality and durability you ‘d find in more industrial units but in a form factor of a typical smartphone. The perfect tool for any mobile workforce, see how it enhances a day in the live of field service engineer in this video.

As an industry leader in barcode and RFID technologies, Intermec has been a trusted and reliable provider of Auto-ID Solutions for over 40 years. One field that has seen a increased adoption of these technologies is healthcare. With initiatives to go paperless and ensure more accurate care of patients, barcodes are the perfect technology to improve accuracy and efficiency.  Intermec offers a full product line of printers, scanners, and mobile computers designed to compliment every step of the patient process from check-in to the administration of medication.

For more information or help finding the right Intermec solution for your application, contact us at Barcodes Inc.