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.
While the bar code scanners weren't commonplace until the 1980s, bar codes were actually developed as early as the 1950s. The first patent for a bar code was issued in 1952 to Bernard Silver and Norman Woodland who developed the code and reader using a light bulb and movie projector parts. The first bar code scanner for a grocery store was installed in 1974 at a supermarket in Ohio, and the very first item scanned was a package of Wrigley gum, which is now on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
In 1966, the Universal Product Code was created which established guidelines for bar codes on grocery products. This is a 12-digit code that can be used to identify any grocery-related product. The first digit represents the type of product, while the next set of digits identifies the manufacturer. For example, if the first digit is a zero this means that the product is a national brand. A 2 would be placed on item that you had received at the deli, such as cheese or sliced meats or potato salad. A 3 is placed on items that are beauty products, such as shampoo.
In addition to the UPC bar on a food product, the manufacturer also prints other special codes onto the product. These include things such as batch identification numbers and expiration dates. Food producers use special printers known as id printers or id coders to affix these numbers onto a variety of product surfaces, such as glass, plastic, cardboard and more.
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.
In addition, a product id firm is a great place to buy replacement inks and make-up fluids. You can find companies that create generic Domino ink, Altima ink, Videojet inks, Willett inks as well as all the make-up fluids you need at considerably lower prices than you get from the manufactured.
While the bar code scanners weren't commonplace until the 1980s, bar codes were actually developed as early as the 1950s. The first patent for a bar code was issued in 1952 to Bernard Silver and Norman Woodland who developed the code and reader using a light bulb and movie projector parts. The first bar code scanner for a grocery store was installed in 1974 at a supermarket in Ohio, and the very first item scanned was a package of Wrigley gum, which is now on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
In 1966, the Universal Product Code was created which established guidelines for bar codes on grocery products. This is a 12-digit code that can be used to identify any grocery-related product. The first digit represents the type of product, while the next set of digits identifies the manufacturer. For example, if the first digit is a zero this means that the product is a national brand. A 2 would be placed on item that you had received at the deli, such as cheese or sliced meats or potato salad. A 3 is placed on items that are beauty products, such as shampoo.
In addition to the UPC bar on a food product, the manufacturer also prints other special codes onto the product. These include things such as batch identification numbers and expiration dates. Food producers use special printers known as id printers or id coders to affix these numbers onto a variety of product surfaces, such as glass, plastic, cardboard and more.
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.
In addition, a product id firm is a great place to buy replacement inks and make-up fluids. You can find companies that create generic Domino ink, Altima ink, Videojet inks, Willett inks as well as all the make-up fluids you need at considerably lower prices than you get from the manufactured.
About the Author:
Keren Kipfer loves researching products for industrial manufacturers such as ink jet printers. For more information on parts for a Video Jet printer or to discover Videojet equipment, please check out the PrintJet site today.