Barcodes are a very important tool that helps our society keep well organised within itself. We have all bought a product that has its own barcode on it. This code is designed to help computer systems keep track of product stock levels, identify prices and help keep the general space more organised and monitored on a central computing system. We all know what they look like, we all know how they work. However, we do not know how they came about. Here is the history of the barcode.
It Started With An Idea
In 1932 a group of students had decided to collaborate on a new project. The project was designed to simplify the shopping experience as well as the payment system. These students had created a system that allows shoppers to mark off which products that they would like in a catalogue, that would then be handed over to the cashier, then the cashier would place this in a reader, and the reader would then tally up the price of the items. These items would then be pulled from a storeroom. This way a bill would be calculated, and the stock would automatically be recorded.
The Modern Day Barcode
The original design of the barcode was said to be a circular bull’s eye shape. This shape and the amount of rings in the bull’s eye would assist the system in differentiating the products and stock. Due to a growth in the system population over the decades, and the growth of products available in the average store, this system would need to evolve to help differentiate all these products. This is why bars were introduced as well as numbers. As technology improved, the system was developed to be able to read more and more complicated designs. This all lead up to the creation of the barcode as we all know it.
Libra Labels
Barcodes have definitely had a lasting impression on our society, and they have proven themselves to be a wonderful feature to organisation. If your business is in need of barcode printers and ribbon supplies, be sure to contact Libra Labels!