How To Improve The Speed And Recognition Accuracy Of Your Laser Barcode Scanner

If your laser barcode scanner is 99% accurate, it may be costing your business more money than you can imagine. For instance, a 1% price error margin is a significant loss in the long run. Also, when your barcode scanner takes an unusual amount of time to scan price for a particular line of commodities, this translates to time wastage.

While it’s not logical to expect complete perfection, there are things that you can do to squeeze the best results from your barcode scanning system. Here are the main ones:

Routine Maintenance

Every machine needs to be routinely maintained to deliver the best performance. In other words, to get the most out of any equipment or machine, you should be ready to take good care of it. Your barcode laser scanner is no exception. You have to clean the lens, the associated mirrors, and the exit windows regularly. This will help the scanner to capture the barcode clearly. If you cannot do this yourself, call a professional to routinely clean it for you.

Improve Image Resolution

The speed at which the barcode is identified by the scanner is highly dependent on the image quality. You need to ensure that the image resolution of your barcode is great. In addition, you should check the barcodes to ensure that they are not damaged.

Accommodate the Packaging Changes

Some packaging means, especially reflective plastic bags, may cause an error when scanning product prices. Therefore, you should learn to adjust your barcode system whenever you have a change of wrapper so that you can capture the barcode vividly.

Proper Choice of Location

You don’t want to print your barcode where it can be damaged or partially erased. For instance, you shouldn’t put it where you normally staple as this may interfere with the barcode reading. You’ll get a wrong reading when you scan the price.

Remove Multiple Labels

Often, manufacturers attach labels to boxes for their own reasons. If you are not careful, you may confuse the label for the product’s scan price. This will not only slow the system’s scanning speed but will also cause a distortion in the cash register. So, you should remove all the unwanted and confusing labels from your boxes before the products are displayed.

As you can see, the speed and accuracy of barcode laser scanners depend not just on the system. Other factors like the printing of the codes come into play. Using the above tips, you should be to lower the price error rate of your barcode laser scanners and maximize your returns.