Difference between Barcode and QR Code

Barcodes and QR codes are both very popular nowadays because they are the easiest means to store and transmit various types of information, including texts, contacts, images, music, etc. These codes, especially QR codes, are flexible enough to make online payments.

Barcode: What does it mean?

The technique of defining data in the form of visual, graphical, and system readable form is known as barcode. Barcodes are used to store the data in the form of 1D and 2D. The structure of the barcodes is designed in the form of bars, with some spaces in the form of numerals; this structure of the barcode is designed in the form so that the computers can easily understand. Barcodes are so useful in tasks of industries and warehouses and these are typically used in supermarkets for purchasing. Barcodes help to take out the details of the products within seconds. These are helpful in companies and shops for accounting. With the help of barcodes, shopkeepers can easily provide the billing of the products to the customers. Notably, these are much less time-consuming and help to save the time of the customers and shopkeeper in the whole procedure of sale of the product. The benefits of barcodes are explained in detail as follows.

Benefits of Barcode

• Identification of the Product: Barcodes are scanned at checkout counters to reveal the kind, brand, and number of goods being bought. Manufacturers also use them for accounting purposes, while warehousing facilities use them for inventory management and stock updates.
• Preventing Theft: Barcodes add a degree of protection and facilitate easy product tracking. Because lost goods may be located, firms have fewer financial obligations.
• Conserving Cash: Barcodes and QR codes are affordable accounting methods that help firms save money over time. Product barcode label printing is inexpensive, costing just a few pence for each label.
• Verifying Customer Identity: Retail establishments, movie theatres, and special events employ barcodes to confirm and validate patrons' identities. Barcodes can also be used to enter locations with allowed access when outside access is banned.
• Making Mobile Payments: Retailers allow patrons to use their mobile devices to scan barcodes, make mobile payments, and redeem loyalty points. Customers may also use smartphone applications to monitor and determine purchases from a variety of restaurant and retail establishments by scanning barcodes.

How to read a Barcode?

Since its introduction in the 1970s, barcode scanning has revolutionized supply chain and industrial processes globally. It is mostly utilized for retail inventory management.

Barcode scanners are the most straightforward way to read barcodes. The leading technologies for reading barcodes are as follows:

• Pen Readers: Pen readers are devices that incorporate a wand with light and photodiode components to decode barcode information into a digital format. Users glide the wand's tip over barcode labels, which are transformed into a waveform and decoded into digital data.
• Laser Scanners: Hand-mounted devices called laser scanners project a light beam onto barcode labels. Labels with black-and-white areas reflect light at varying intensities, creating a certain frequency that is then translated into digital data.
• Camera-based Scanners: Barcode scanners that use cameras are equipped with light sensors and lenses that transform optical impulses into electrical messages. The printed barcode labels are scanned by these scanners using laser beams, which scan the labels and turn the data into digital form. Users receive the encoded data for additional examination or analysis.
• OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Software: OCR software is now connected to barcode scanners, allowing them to read barcodes from PDFs, documents, and photos. The program is precise and facilitates the digitization of data from paper-based files.

Additional Things to Know

Are you still curious about how to scan a barcode? In addition to utilizing the proper barcode scanning technology, there are essential components to consider in order to ensure accurate readings:

• Quiet Zone: This is the space that bars have on either end. It is typically around 2. 5 mm wide and extends from the farthest edge of one barcode to the outermost bar on the other side. Data reading by barcode scanners is hampered by the silent zone margin's inadequate breadth.
• Checksum Digit: A barcode label's final digit is known as the checksum digit. It is employed to verify whether or not the data contained within the barcode is accurate.

Characters that indicate the beginning and conclusion of data in barcodes are called start and stop characters. The types of barcodes used on labels determine their placement and distance from one another.

Benefits of Barcodes

• Real-time Data: When the employee scans the barcodes, all the data regarding sales numbers immediately gets updated in the business management system and enterprise resource planning. Barcodes provide up-to-date data.
• Accuracy: Barcodes help the employee avoid manually adding the details of the product, reducing the employee's efforts and decreasing the chances of error. Barcodes are swiped with a scanner, and the data appears on the computer.

Pros and Cons of Barcodes in Inventory Management

Barcodes are used in inventory management for a variety of reasons; small and large firms would use them less frequently.

Barcodes are a cost-effective option for many firms since they are cheap to use and print. As long as they are applied to the appropriate product, they are also correct. Therefore, they are better than manual methods, which are more likely to be mistake-prone. They can guarantee that your inventory management is constantly current and expedite your process overall, even reducing the need for manual labor.

Additionally, barcode systems are incredibly simple to install and set up. You may utilize the barcode scanning software that can be installed on your smartphone.

When contrasted with QR codes, there are a few drawbacks

with Barcodes. To start with, Barcodes are unidimensional. This implies that they cannot be prepared vertically, only horizontally. On the other hand, text-based product details like kind, size, style, price, and SKU can be stored in them. Their capacity is limited to around 20 to 25 characters, dependent upon the specific kind of barcode being utilized.

Additionally, compared to two-dimensional codes, which support encryption, one-dimensional codes are less secure. There are better options than barcodes if you want top protection for the information you're keeping in these codes.

Lastly, barcodes may be tricky; they must be sometimes read from a certain angle. To aid with this, several companies invest in high-contrast scanners. Additionally, there's a considerable probability that scanners will not be able to interpret the recorded data if there is a problem with damage, deformation, or a printing error.

QR Code: What does it mean?

Rapid Response codes, sometimes shortened to QR codes, have a striking resemblance to barcodes. It is actually a kind of barcode. It has machine-readable data about the object to which it is connected, just like a barcode. However, in contrast to a standard barcode, a QR code is two-dimensional, meaning that it holds data in both vertical and horizontal orientations.

Numerous pieces of information may be found inside QR codes. Anyone may generate a QR code and apply it to their items, from large corporate entities to the grocery store next door.

Due to the proliferation of smartphones over the past ten years, QR codes have become more and more common. Some smartphone applications for scanning QR codes are available for free download. Whenever you come across a QR code, all you have to do is scan it with the app on your phone (which often utilizes the phone's primary camera to do so). This will initiate the pre-programmed action that is linked to the code, which might be anything from accessing a webpage to tweeting about it to downloading an app.

Pros and Cons of QR Codes for Inventory Management

Comparing QR codes to traditional, one-dimensional barcodes for inventory management offers several benefits.

QR codes can hold a lot more data since they can be read both horizontally and vertically. They have a character limit of 2,509 numeric characters and 1,520 alpha-numeric characters, but one-dimensional barcodes can only hold 20-25 characters.

This degree of information may only be necessary or desired by some organizations, but when it is, it is extremely useful. Product specifications, internet addresses, and plain text may all be saved in QR codes that you can affix to your inventory. QR codes are useful for tracking batch numbers and the locations of product manufacturing and imports.

Due to the ability to encrypt data, QR codes are also less vulnerable than one-dimensional bars. Three levels of error detection are incorporated into the code, so even in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, you will be aware of it.

Additionally, these codes are readily readable by smartphones, which are ubiquitously carried around. Additionally, most inventory management software typically include QR scanning directly into their native applications. Even more straightforward to use is the ability to read QR codes from any angle.

The most significant drawback of QR codes is what occurs in the event of a mistake. The code will not be readable if it is smeared, deformed, or otherwise damaged. Normal wear and tear ought not to be a problem. It makes sense to use an app that lets you reproduce barcodes or QR codes just to be safe. That way, updating the labels when necessary will be simple.

Difference Table

Barcode vs. QR Code for Inventory Management: Which is better?

One-dimensional barcodes are less flexible and limited than QR codes, which are far more powerful. However, they're a terrific option if you know you want to keep a lot of information in them or believe you may in the future.

Nevertheless, only some companies want or need to keep so much data in a tracking code. All they want to store is the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), cost, and capability to enter or exit the product from their database.

It's not necessary to switch if your current barcode system is configured and functioning properly. Maintaining the status quo is OK until you truly require such capability, as converting between different types of code may be costly and time-consuming.

Selecting the system that best suits your needs is crucial, so if you're just getting started, it's usually a good idea to go with the more feature-rich, versatile alternative. In this instance, QR codes would be that choice. When monitoring all of your goods by hand, manual solutions are usually far less desirable than barcodes and QR codes. Since they are both precise and efficient, both may help your company make workflow smooth.

Sortly Inventory Software: Featuring Barcode and QR Code

Using Sortly inventory software, you can track inventory instantaneously and from any location by simply scanning barcodes and QR codes with your smartphone. For products without a barcode, you may also create and print unique barcodes and QR codes. This is an excellent way to 'in and out' inspect tools and equipment. All of this may be done using a smartphone or tablet, and then Sortly can be readily connected to third-party scanners.

Using Sortly, you can track, manage, and arrange your inventory from anywhere at any time using any device. This user-friendly inventory software is mainly ideal for small enterprises. Sortly makes inventory monitoring easy to integrate into your daily tasks, allowing you to save time and money, please clients, and grow your business.

Sortly allows you to keep track of everything important to your company, including inventory, supplies, machines, components, tools, and assets. Smart features like low-stock notifications, customizable folders, barcoding and QR coding, data-rich reports, and much more are included. The best part is that you may update inventory in real-time, whether working at your desk, at the warehouse, or when traveling.

This software can completely change the way your business handles inventory so you can concentrate on growing your business. Whether you're new to inventory management or an experienced professional seeking a more effective solution, Sortly can be a great choice; it has over 10,000 satisfied customers worldwide.

What distinguishes a barcode from a QR code?

Despite having the same fundamental function of storing data about a particular product or company, barcodes and QR codes differ significantly in a few key areas.

• Appearance: One of the greatest distinctions is seen in the variations in their designs or just in their appearances. Examine the barcode and QR code. With only a glance, one may quickly distinguish the other from the other.
• Information Holding Capacity: This also has to do with how the two codes are designed. A QR code, also known as a "2-dimensional code", can store data in both horizontal and vertical orientations, whereas a barcode can only store data in one way. The structural difference between a barcode and a QR code allows the former to store hundreds of times more information while also having the ability to store more information in a smaller area.
• Customization and Mistake Reduction: The most appealing benefit of QR codes over conventional barcodes is unquestionably this one. The error margin associated with QR codes varies from 7 to 30%.

Simply put, the QR code will continue to function even if the product's packaging or the printed code itself is tattered or unclean. Businesses and enterprises cleverly use this trait. Thanks to the error-correction capability, they can-and often do-incorporate a little image or emblem within the code to better associate it with the company in question.

Barcodes have existed for over a few decades. Still, QR codes have only gained popularity since the beginning of the previous decade, mostly due to the increase in consumer smartphone adoption. Furthermore, QR codes will remain in use until a completely new coding scheme is introduced as a result of the growing popularity of augmented reality.