If a barcode is written on with marker does it still work?
If a barcode is written on with marker does it still work?
I was wondering if you can write on a barcode with permanent marker and it will still set off a security alarm or it is still scan-able.
Sorry to be more specific. I wanted to know if you draw OVER an already exsisting barcode with a permanent marker will it still be scannable?
Best answer:
Writing on a barcode with permanent marker has nothing to do with whether or not it will trip the security system. The barcode is simply an identification means for the library/store to log a book to know how much it costs. There are additional magnetic (usually) tabs in books that will set off the security system if not properly deactivated.
Tags: Barcode, marker, still, work, written
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2 Comments for If a barcode is written on with marker does it still work?
1. Oliver P | January 25th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Joel W answered the bit about setting off security alarms.
As for being scannable, well… It is theoretically possible to write a barcode on with a black marker pen. A normal barcode scanner operates by detecting the particular patttern of black and white lines, and has no way of knowing what implement was used to make the lines.
However, if the barcode scanner is to recognise the pattern, it must be drawn to an accuracy of a fraction of a millimetre. So in practice, I very much doubt that any human hand would be able to draw with sufficient precision. But by all means try it… :)
2. Atheneum | January 25th, 2010 at 3:37 am
That depends entirely on how much of the barcode you’ve marked OVER. See, a barcode scanner produces at least one single horizontal line of laser light. So long as that line cleanly passes across all bars, you’re good to go.
Here is how you can simulate this and predict if it’s going to scan:
1) Take a ruler
2) Lay it horizontally across the top of the barcode like this:
___________
||| || | ||| || ||||
3) Now move the ruler down while keeping it nive and level.
4) Look and see if at any point, the line cleanly passes across all bars without any markings in the way. If it does then the codes will scan (with a few tries by the cashier).
Make sense?
Hope this helps!
Your friends at Simply Barcodes
UPCcode.net
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