Bar Code

What Does Bar Code Mean?

A bar code is an optical and machine-readable form of data used to identify objects. A bar code allows a machine to retrieve a great deal of information about an object as soon as the object is identified through a unique visual code format created by drawing adjacent lines with variable widths and spaces. Bar codes were originally linear, one-dimensional representations of objects. Later, advanced two-dimensional data representations appeared in forms like dots, rectangles and other two-dimensional geometric shapes.

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Techopedia Explains Bar Code

Bar codes were initially introduced as a method of identifying railroad cars. Later, bar codes and bar-code scanners were established as grocery store checkout system components, allowing easy pricing and data entry. Bar code components are cost-effective and efficient. Thousands of items can be quickly and easily scanned and priced.

Bar codes are read by an optical scanner.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…