Overview  |  Anatomy of a Bar Code  |  Bar Code Symbologies
How to read a Bar Code  |  Terms & Abbreviations

If you need basic, easy to understand information about bar codes, you're in the right place.

Other forms for automatic identification are available, but bar codes are designed to be quickly and easily read by simple bar code readers and is both cost-effective and simple to use. All that is required to read bar codes is a source of light and a single optical sensor.

This overview is designed to give you a close look at bar codes. To better acquaint you with terms associated with bar coding, Terms & Abbreviations are provided. Understanding these terms enables you to select a particular bar code for a given task and know what attributes are offered based on its merits and strengths. You'll learn how to read a bar code with or without an input device; and, how to install and use various input devices. Also, included is a summary of the descriptions and specifications of the most widely used symbologies.