Back in the 1970s and earlier, going to the grocery store was a very different experience that it is today. Checkers used manual cash registers and punched in the price of each product individually. Store employees also had to mark each product with a price sticker. Today of course, the food and other grocery items have a bar code, and you simply scan the product and the computerized cash register does all the adding up. The codes also help keep inventory in check, which makes life easier for store managers.
For the most part, Americans did not see scanners in supermarkets until the early 1980s, but they were actually invented several decades earlier. In 1952, Norman Woodland and Bernard Silver were granted a patent for the earliest form of a bar code and scanning machine which they built using parts from a movie projector and a light bulb. It wasn't until 1974 that a scanner was installed in a grocery store, and the very first product that went across the scanner was a pack of gum. This package is on display in Washington, D.C. at the National History Museum.
The bar code that you see on your grocery products is called the Universal Product Code, and it was developed in the mid-1960s. Each number represents something very specific. The initial digit indicates the type of item you are purchasing. For instance, if you purchase shampoo or a health product such as aspirin, the number will be a 3. A 5 is printed on coupons, and a 2 is reserved for items that have a random weight, such as sliced meats and cheeses from the deli. The next set of numbers indicates the actual company that manufactures the product. Coca-Cola, for instance, has the number 49000 on its product labels.
We have all seen the UPC bars on products, but there are also many other numbers that are printed on packages. Particularly on a food or drink item, you will see the batch number and expiration number printed somewhere on the label. This printing is done using a type of printer that is called an id coder or an id printer. The coders are fast printers with quick-drying inks that can print on materials such as plastic, glass, metal and many more surfaces.
There are many different brands of coders, and they are either continuous inkjet coders or drop-on-demand coders. If you are in the food product business, you can purchase a refurbished coder such as a Domino coder, Imaje printer or Maxima coder for much less than a new model. There are several product id companies that sell refurbished coders, as well as offering repairs and parts for every major brand.
You might also find that your product id company sells lower cost inks and the necessary make-up fluids you often need to purchase. Buying Domino ink or Videojet ink can be costly, so going through a product id service can serve as an excellent way to cut your costs.
For the most part, Americans did not see scanners in supermarkets until the early 1980s, but they were actually invented several decades earlier. In 1952, Norman Woodland and Bernard Silver were granted a patent for the earliest form of a bar code and scanning machine which they built using parts from a movie projector and a light bulb. It wasn't until 1974 that a scanner was installed in a grocery store, and the very first product that went across the scanner was a pack of gum. This package is on display in Washington, D.C. at the National History Museum.
The bar code that you see on your grocery products is called the Universal Product Code, and it was developed in the mid-1960s. Each number represents something very specific. The initial digit indicates the type of item you are purchasing. For instance, if you purchase shampoo or a health product such as aspirin, the number will be a 3. A 5 is printed on coupons, and a 2 is reserved for items that have a random weight, such as sliced meats and cheeses from the deli. The next set of numbers indicates the actual company that manufactures the product. Coca-Cola, for instance, has the number 49000 on its product labels.
We have all seen the UPC bars on products, but there are also many other numbers that are printed on packages. Particularly on a food or drink item, you will see the batch number and expiration number printed somewhere on the label. This printing is done using a type of printer that is called an id coder or an id printer. The coders are fast printers with quick-drying inks that can print on materials such as plastic, glass, metal and many more surfaces.
There are many different brands of coders, and they are either continuous inkjet coders or drop-on-demand coders. If you are in the food product business, you can purchase a refurbished coder such as a Domino coder, Imaje printer or Maxima coder for much less than a new model. There are several product id companies that sell refurbished coders, as well as offering repairs and parts for every major brand.
You might also find that your product id company sells lower cost inks and the necessary make-up fluids you often need to purchase. Buying Domino ink or Videojet ink can be costly, so going through a product id service can serve as an excellent way to cut your costs.
About the Author:
Keren Kipfer enjoys researching products for industrial manufacturers such as ink jet printers. To get more information on parts for a Video Jet printer or to discover Videojet equipment, please check out the PrintJet.net site today.
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