Can Any Barcode Scanner Read All Scanner?

There are two classes of barcodes: 1D and 2D. 1D codes, such as the UPC code, are usually variable-width black and white spaces. 2D codes, such as QR codes and Data Matrix, use squares, hexagons, and other shapes to store data.

Not all barcode scanners can read all barcodes. Laser barcode scanners and linear imagers read only 1D barcode scanners. Imager (camera-based) 2D barcode scanners read all common 1D and 2D barcodes.

Given how ubiquitous barcodes are in most people's lives these days - one only needs to walk into the closest high-street retail

store to see an abundance of products with barcode stickers on them - it is surprising how lttle many of us actually know about

For one thing, barcodes are far from a technology that is only used in the retail sector. As of the 2020s, industries and

organisations ranging from manufacturing and healthcare to travel and government institutions make extensive use of them.

So, there's a good chance that your own organisation might make use of barcode scanners from any of a range of renowned

manufacturers and brands, such as Honeywell, Zebra, and Symbol.

However, even if your organisation has a stock of barcode scanners already, this doesn't guarantee that your scanners will be able

to scan the barcodes you need them to scan.

Different Types of Barcode Scanner Can Handle Different Types of Barcode

Yes, this is the first unfortunate news we have to share with you on the subject of barcode scanner compatibility, it is certainly not

the case that all barcode scanners can scan all barcodes.

That's because there are different types of barcodes out there, and your organisation's barcode scanners might not incorporate

the technology needed to scan them.

The two broad 'classes' of barcode that you should be aware of are 1D and 2D codes, so let's take a closer look at the differences:

●1D codes (or "one-dimensional codes") are the type of barcode that many people picture when someone mentions the word

"barcode' '. These barcodes are horizontal linear codes, consisting of a group of lines and spaces, which represent the data a

compatible barcode scanner will read. The best-known and most common 1D barcode is the Universal Product Code (UPC);

it consists of 12 digits, and has been in use since the 1970s. We're sure you will be familiar with this type of barcode from your

supermarket shopping.

●2D codes (or "two-dimensional codes"), on the other hand, look clearly different to a 1D barcode or the UPC, given that they

use patterns of dots, squares, hexagons, or other shapes. This reflects the different way in which these barcodes store data

compared to 1D codes, with information being stored horizontally as well as vertically. 2D codes can store much more data

than their 1D counterparts - think more than 4,000 alphanumeric characters, or over 7,000 numeric characters, in the case

of QR codes, compared to the approximately 20 characters that a traditional linear barcode is able to store. 2D codes can be

square or rectangular, with examples including QR codes and Data Matrix codes.

You can probably already get the sense, then, that these two types of barcode greatly differ from each other. So in the event, for

example, that your organisation needs to scan a QR code, you should be using a 2D-capable barcode scanner to read it, because a

standard or 1D barcode scanner will not be capable of deciphering it.

Different Types of Barcode Scanner Can Handle Different Types of Barcode

 This is the first unfortunate news we have to share with you on the subject of barcode scanner compatibility, it is certainly not

the case that all barcode scanners can scan all barcodes.

That's because there are different types of barcodes out there, and your organisation's barcode scanners might not incorporate

the technology needed to scan them.

The two broad 'classes' of barcode that you should be aware of are 1D and 2D codes, so let's take a closer look at the differences:

●1D codes (or "one-dimensional codes") are the type of barcode that many people picture when someone mentions the word

"barcode' '. These barcodes are horizontal linear codes, consisting of a group of lines and spaces, which represent the data a

compatible barcode scanner will read. The best-known and most common 1D barcode is the Universal Product Code (UPC);

it consists of 12 digits, and has been in use since the 1970s. We're sure you will be familiar with this type of barcode from your

supermarket shopping.

●2D codes (or "two-dimensional codes"), on the other hand, look clearly different to a 1D barcode or the UPC, given that they

use patterns of dots, squares, hexagons, or other shapes. This reflects the different way in which these barcodes store data

compared to 1D codes, with information being stored horizontally as well as vertically. 2D codes can store much more data

than their 1D counterparts - think more than 4,000 alphanumeric characters, or over 7,000 numeric characters, in the case

of QR codes, compared to the approximately 20 characters that a traditional linear barcode is able to store. 2D codes can be

square or rectangular, with examples including QR codes and Data Matrix codes.

You can probably already get the sense, then, that these two types of barcode greatly differ from each other. So in the event, for

example, that your organisation needs to scan a QR code, you should be using a 2D-capable barcode scanner to read it, because a

standard or 1D barcode scanner will not be capable of deciphering it.