Can you use a barcode scanner for inventory?

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In the time it takes your average person to manually type a couple letters or numbers, you can scan a single barcode containing numerous characters at once. That means barcoding your inventory will make inventory management much quicker and easier.

Do you need a barcode inventory system?

Implementing a barcode system takes time, however, so how do you tell whether you need one? If any of the following are true, you’ll most likely benefit from using barcodes.

1. You warehouse your inventory

Keeping track of thousands of inventory items in a warehouse can be difficult if you don’t have an easy-to-use system to keep an eye on item counts, details, and so forth. A barcode system is a must if you warehouse your own inventory.

2. Your vendors/retailers require barcodes

If your inventory gets sent to vendors or retailers, they might require barcodes for the items they purchase from you.

3. You’re maintaining Barcoding Inventory

Not all inventory is meant to be sent off to vendors or stores. Some items kept for maintenance, repairs, and operations (MRO) are kept exclusively in-house. That said, your MRO inventory management will be much easier and more precise if you use barcodes to track everything. That way, you don’t risk suddenly running out of a spare part you need.

What are the different barcode types and standards?

Barcode types can be categorized into three main groups: numeric, alpha-numeric, and two-dimensional. The first two types are considered one-dimensional and include only numbers or a combination of letters and numbers as well as bars of varying widths. The last type is most commonly seen as a QR code: a square or rectangular shape showing a combination of short lines and dots.

According to Barcoding.com , there are more than 100 different symbologies for barcodes.

Numeric

About one dozen symbologies exist within the numeric-only barcode category. The most popular is the UPC code, which is commonly found on many retail items and contains information such as the manufacturer and product identity. EAN codes are usually used at point-of-sale.

Industrial, interleaved, standard, and Code 11 barcodes are more popular within business and industry. They are often used in airline scanning, warehouse applications, telecommunications, and industrial settings.

POSTNET is a numeric system used by the U.S. postal service, and Codabar is used by FedEx and blood banks.

Alpha-Numeric

Fewer alpha-numeric codes exist with the primary one known as the Plessey code, which is used for grocery store shelf labelling and library coding.

The remainder of the symbologies within this category all originate from Code 39, which was the first alpha-numeric code created to be used in non-retail industries. LOGMARS, Code 93, and Code 128 are all used in defence and automotive industries.

Two-Dimensional

This final category of barcodes became popular with the rising use of smartphones. These 2D barcodes allow the creator to encode more than 7,000 characters in one barcode.

When a 2D reader on a phone sees a barcode, it can transmit secure, encrypted data easily to the user.

Other two-dimensional codes include data matrix codes used in electronic and logistics, PDF417 codes used in transportation and inventory management, and Aztec used in travel industries.

What is a 2D Barcode?

A 2D barcode is a set of small geometric shapes organized within a square or rectangle to store information. Since they can store information in both the vertical and horizontal planes, they provide hundreds of times the amount of data than a 1D barcode can store. One 2D barcode can store more than 7,000 characters and may include information such as brand name, model number, maintenance records, and wealth of other details.

Types of 2D Barcodes

Three types of 2D barcodes are most common today. One 2D barcode can store more than 7,000 characters and may include information such as brand name, model number, maintenance records, and wealth of other details.

QR Codes

QR codes, also known as quick response codes, may be the most popular 2D barcode. Originally used in Japan to track automobile parts, the QR codes can be scanned by smartphones and link users directly to web sites.

The most popular two-dimensional code is the QR code, which is used on just about everything today.

Data Matrix Codes

Data matrix codes must be read with imagers or readers that essentially take a picture of the code to analyze it. They are often used in industrial applications

PDF417 codes

PDF417 codes contain a great deal of information securely and affordably by essentially stacking rows of codes within one another.

How 2D Barcodes Are Used

Although you may be most familiar with QR codes that are found nearly everywhere in today’s world to encourage you to visit particular websites, many 2D codes are used within business and industry to help store and track information about assets.

These barcodes are faster to use and reduce errors significantly. If a person must manually enter codes, you may experience an error for every 1,000 keystrokes while 2D barcode scanners may make a mistake once every 10,000 scans.

2D Barcodes in Maintenance

Data can be easily transferred between a reader and a CMMS, providing an easy way to study particular assets, maintenance records, or repair requests. 2D barcodes can play a vital role in helping a company make smarter business decisions. In addition, 2D barcodes can store enough information for a remote employee, such as a maintenance technician, to access the data required to perform a particular maintenance task or repair quickly and efficiently.

Set up your barcode system for inventory in 6 steps

Once you’ve decided that you need a barcode system, it’s time to get started actually implementing it. These steps should help you get your system set up in a way that will work best with your inventory.

1. Define all SKUs and variants

Start off by making a list of all items in your inventory. You can do this by keying each SKU number and variants into a database. With each unit, you might want to include some or all of the following information:

• Item measurements
• Purchase cost
• Vendor information
• The minimum amount you need in your inventory
• Physical description of the item

This information can make organizing your inventory easier, especially if you have a wide range of similar items.

Tip: Inputting all this information into a spreadsheet is highly recommended. That way, you can easily sort items without having to deal with reams of paper.

2. Choose a barcoding inventory software system

Once you have a complete catalogue of your existing inventory, you’ll want to choose a software system to create your barcodes. Some popular barcoding software systems include:

• Finale Inventory
• Fishbowl
• QuickBooks
• Clear Spider
• Square

Some CMMS’s can be used to create barcodes for items as well, so if you’re working on barcoding your MRO inventory, that option may be worth looking at. Ultimately, the system you choose should match your company’s scale and requirements.

3. Define your barcodes for Barcoding Inventory

With a software system ready, it’s time to determine the types of barcodes you’ll want to use. Some of the most common types of barcodes are:

• Numeric, which are often used in retail, warehousing, and industrial settings
• Alpha-numeric, which are used anywhere from grocery shelves to automotive factories to the military
• Two-dimensional, which include QR codes capable of containing over 7,000 characters in one code

The code you choose will ultimately depend on how much information you want to code into the item. A numeric UPC code may be sufficient for smaller inventories where you only need to track product and manufacturer information, whereas a QR code might be better for tracking vast numbers of different items.

4. Create the barcodes for Barcoding Inventory

When you have a barcode type you like, use your software to create the codes for each item. Most software systems make this fairly straightforward. Typically, you’ll select the type of code you want and use the software to automatically generate a code for each item.

If you plan to use your barcodes for warehousing, you’ll want codes for shelves as well to allow you to track inventory placement.

5. Update your inventory management system with new barcodes

If you’re using a CMMS or inventory management software that’s separate from your barcode creation software, you’ll want to make sure that system is updated with the new barcodes. Doing so will make inventory management much more streamlined.

Tip: If you used a CMMS to create barcodes for your MRO inventory, this step isn’t really necessary. Your system should already have that information stored with each item.

6. Put Barcoding Inventory on your place

Last of all, print the barcodes and place them on each item. Often, this is as simple as printing the tag and sticking it on, but you might need to take extra measures or use special materials with certain items.

For instance, rugged items with uneven surfaces may require foil barcode tags, whereas items used in cleaning might need lamination over the code to protect it.

Your barcodes are on. Here’s what you can do with them!

Now that you have a whole barcode system in place, what do you do with it? Your system will help you with many aspects of inventory and supply chain management, such as those described below.

The company is the world’s best Wired Handheld Barcode Scanner supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Inventory tracking

First off, you’ll be able to track your inventory wherever it goes, whether you’re sending it across the nation, or simply moving it around in your warehouse. Ideally, each time an item moves to a different location, it gets scanned, meaning it’s less likely to get lost. If something does come up missing, it’s easier to track it down.

Tip: In order to keep a close eye on item movements with your barcode system, you will need to have a system in place to support it. Training employees to scan items in or out is a must, and it’s simple to do.

Optimize inventory management

Barcodes make it easier to optimize your inventory management, including the placement of items within a warehouse. By tracking the types of items you have in stock and where they’re placed, you’re able to make decisions about warehouse layout that make logistical sense.

Stock auditing for Barcoding System

Another component of inventory management is stock tracking. Barcoding inventory is much quicker and easier than manually entering numbers into a computer, and it tends to be far more accurate as well. Because of this, you’ll have a much easier time with stock auditing with barcodes than you would otherwise.

How should I choose a barcode scanner?

Choose a barcode scanner by thinking about what you will use it for, how often you’ll need it, and what kind of technology must be integrated with it. Barcode scanning technology has improved a lot in recent years, resulting in a vast number of options to consider. Here are a couple of tips to help you sort through them.

Selecting a Scan Engine

The first consideration in choosing a scanner is what kind of scan engine you want. This should be determined by what you will be using the scanner for. Most barcode scanners use laser technology, which is both a cost-effective and common choice. Laser scan engines can only read one-dimensional barcodes from close distances unless you invest in an extended-range model.

While laser scan engines use light to read a barcode, linear imager scan engines actually capture a picture of the barcode. This engine then can read the information on a one-dimensional barcode from the image. Linear imaging technology has dropped in price and is now comparable to laser scanners while doing a better job of reading damaged barcodes. Both laser and linear imager scan engines require a horizontal positioning of the scanner to the barcode for an accurate read.

The most advanced scan engine is a 2D area imager, which takes a picture of any barcode for analysis. This scan engine can capture the image in any direction, takes a more detailed picture, and is both faster and more accurate. Many 2D area-imaging engines are also able to read barcodes off a computer or mobile device screen.

Choosing a Form

Think about how often and where you’ll be using your scanner in order to select the right form. The most common form is the handheld gun-style, which is available as a cordless model or with a stand. Presentation and in-counter scanners are stationary and rely on the user to move items with barcodes in front of them to scan. These types are similar to ones found in grocery or clothing stores.

For companies using barcode scanners to manage inventory and tracking information, a mobile computer form may work best. In this case, the scanner and computer work in a single unit and transmit the information through a WiFi connection. Fixed-mount scanners are also used in industrial applications. They are usually mounted on a kiosk or conveyor line and are always operating.

To look at how scanners compare side-by-side, study an online buying guide for even more details.

How UpKeep makes inventory management easy

Upkeep provides numerous features that make inventory management simple, including:

• Barcode generation and scanning through mobile devices
• Automatic updates to MRO inventory stock counts as work orders are completed
• The ability to create purchase orders
• Importing inventory lists from a .csv file

Key Takeaways

In the end, a Barcoding system takes a bit of work to implement, but the benefits it can have for your inventory management processes are significant. Certain software solutions also make it much easier to implement, saving you time and expense.

— 6 minutes reading

Over the years, we’ve had countless small businesses ask about barcodes or, more specifically, how to set up a barcoding system. So, by popular demand, we’ve crafted this short tutorial to show you how to set up a barcode inventory system quickly and painlessly!

We tried to keep this article simple, but if you’re interested in a more in-depth look at how to start barcoding your small business, check out our Ultimate Barcoding Guide. It covers absolutely everything related to barcodes.

If you prefer video tutorials, you can find one below:

How To Set Up A Barcode System | inFlow Inventory software

But since you’re here, this post provides some extra detail about the steps from our video for setting up a barcode inventory system.

Step 1: Generate barcodes for your barcoding inventory system

The first thing to do is prepare an inventory list spreadsheet so that you can tie barcodes to specific products.

If you haven’t prepared a spreadsheet, head over to our article about inventory lists. We walk you through what an inventory list is and how to create one. We’ve even included a free-to-download template to make your life easier.

Now, back to generating barcodes. You can use a free online barcode generator to generate barcodes one at a time. However, there is a better option. Barcode inventory software can automatically generate barcodes for each product. If you have custom-built software for utilizing barcodes, you can also do more with your barcode inventory system. 

Generating your own barcodes, however, isn’t for everyone. If you need your barcodes to be recognized globally, you need GS1-registered barcodes. For those, you can visit our official inFlow GTIN Barcode Shop to purchase single barcodes for only $30 with no renewal fee. However, if you need more than ten barcodes, we recommend purchasing a company prefix directly from the GS1 website.

As a quick final example, here’s what an inventory list spreadsheet could look like:

Step 2: Label your inventory

Now that you’ve got a spreadsheet of your products and corresponding barcodes, you’re one step closer to a complete barcode inventory system.

Now it’s time to physically label your current inventory. For this, you’ll need a specialized printer and software to create the labels. We’ve had good experiences with DYMO printers, specifically the LabelWriter 450. DYMO also sells its own labels on its website, but you don’t have to use its branded labels. Generic labels will work as long as they’re the correct size.

The great thing about DYMO is that they offer free label software that works with their printers. It’s quick and easy to install on Windows or Mac. We also created a built-in label designer into inFlow to make it easy for users to create custom labels. Our tip is to stay moderate when adding fields first. Stick to the basics like Item Name and Barcode, and see how that fits with a few test prints. Remember that you’ll still want to be able to read some of the information on the labels, so having fewer fields on each label means they’ll be easier to skim. 

This step is probably the most labor-heavy because you’ll have to print one label for each item you want to barcode. Expect this to take at least a few hours if not days. The labeling process can go faster if you have barcode inventory software that can filter your current stock and automatically print labels for just those products (more on this later).

Once you finish labeling everything you currently have, pat yourself on the back for a job well done. You’ve almost completed your barcode inventory system setup. Just keep in mind it’s a good idea to keep the process going for any incoming products.

Step 3: Get a scanner for your barcode inventory system

Having barcodes on your products won’t do much good without a scanner to read them. Scanners come in all shapes and sizes, from small pen models to larger portable computing systems with built-in software. Today, you can even use the smartphone in your pocket to scan barcode labels.

What scanner you choose to use depends on your workflow. Your smartphone could do the trick if you don’t scan many barcodes regularly. What’s great about this option is that it’s zero investment on your part. However, the more scanning you do, the less efficient it becomes. 

We recommend buying a dedicated barcode scanner for your barcoding system. They can speed things up and save you a lot of time in the long run. If you’re in the market for something that is both affordable and reliable, you could pick up a wired USB scanner. We have one available in our shop, and we recently reduced the price to only $49.99. These are an excellent option for anyone doing stationary barcode scanning 

Anyone in a warehouse that needs mobility should invest in a wireless barcode scanner like our Smart Scanner 3. Smart scanners are great because you can download your barcoding software right onto the device, making the scanning process super seamless.

Step 4: Find inventory software to tie your barcode inventory system together

Finally, you’ll need excellent inventory software to tie your barcode system together. Finding barcode scanners and label printers is pretty straightforward. But you’ll want an inventory management system designed to take advantage of a fully barcoded business. This is where inFlow comes in.

 inFlow can help you build your product list from scratch or import your existing spreadsheet (kudos if you’re already this organized!). After that, you can generate unique barcodes for every product with just a few clicks.

When it’s time to physically label your product, inFlow can kickstart the process. It does this by showing your current stock and printing your labels straight to a DYMO printer. We also simplify printing labels straight from purchase orders, so you can add incoming stock to your barcode inventory system as it arrives.

Your business will reap the benefits the moment your next sale comes in. Instead of typing items onto a sales order, you can scan barcodes right onto it instead. The same goes for other tasks at your business that are heavy on data entry. Such as stock transfers or work orders.

We hope this post has helped you learn all the significant components of setting up a barcoding system. If you’d like to get started, inFlow can help!

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If you want to learn more, please visit our website Handheld Inventory Devices.