A barcode is a machine readable image. They are fonts on your computer. You type in your language and the computer prints in barcode.

MSC Direct, a large distributor, has found a new way to use barcodes and help their customers expedite there ordering and reordering process. MSC puts a barcode with their part number on every item they sell. They can also cross reference with many UPC (Universal Product Codes) that are printed on all items sold in the USA in retail stores.

The real surprise is how they do this! They give their customers a free hand held scanner which can hold about 150 scanned items in it's memory. The customer then plugs the scanner into a USB cable. Automatically your computer will log onto their web site and upload the items you have scanned. You are then presented with your shopping cart with the items you have scanned. The only thing you have to do it tell them the quantity of each.

Did you know that barcodes can also represent alphabet characters? This barcode was print in Code 39. This font is available free. The next thing that you need is a portable scanner. Microvision has a handheld scanner with software for less that $200.

The information that your capture with your scanner is transferred to a computer just as though you were typing on your keyboard. The software used is call a "keyboard wedge".

We are currently writing a production management program that will make use of barcodes to track a product's location in the factory. Each productions step has a barcode label on the foreman's clipboard. The foreman scans the location barcode and all production items at that location. When the information is loaded into the production scheduling system, the location of each order is plotted against it's scheduled position.

We are in the beta stage of a program to a identify products and manufacturers through a barcode. The database has about one million items and over 50,000 manufactures. If you would like to have a beta copy, please send us an email request.

Send me a FREE copy of beta UCC program.