A Barcode is a representation of data in a machine-readable format; it shows data about the object to which it attaches. Barcode is generally made of parallel lines of different widths and is referred as linear or 1 dimensional (1D).
You may have seen some barcode scanners (hardware) in some stores are shopping complexes, but what if you want to scan your barcodes or QR codes on your Windows PC? You can do so using some of the applications that enable you to do so.
Free Barcode Reader Scanner software
You can use these barcode scanners for your small business and even your big business. Entering the barcode number in the PC is rather difficult if compared to scanning barcodes, and it even reduces the chances of mistakes in entering the product details. So, read on to learn about the different free software.
- BcWebCam
- Zbar Barcode Scanner
- Free Barcode Scanner & Reader Software
- ByteScout BarCode Reader.
1] BcWebCam
It is a free tool that can scan your barcode and can give you instant online results. The application is very easy to use and you don’t need any hardware device, you can just scan those barcodes with your webcam. You don’t need to spend extra money on any expensive barcode scanners – you can do so with your Windows PC. The application has a field that instantly shows you the item number in the field. You just need to capture an image of your barcode, and you are ready to go. The list of supported codes includes EAN 13 and EAN 8. You can also read QR codes, which are generally used in magazines and websites.
Read: How to Scan QR Codes on Windows PC
3] Zbar Barcode Scanner
It is a free open-source utility that is very efficient in barcode reading. The application can even scan barcodes from various sources, including video streams, image files, and raw intensity sensors. It also supports barcode types like EAN, QR codes, Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, and many others. The application is very easy to use, and you can use this free app for your business or personal use. Get it here.
3] Free Barcode Scanner & Reader Software
It is another free tool that can again scan your barcodes from your webcam and you can use the scanned data for different purposes. It is a very simple tool with a very intuitive interface; you can scan various codes with this tool. Get it here.
4] ByteScout BarCode Reader
ByteScout BarCode Reader makes scanning barcodes a breeze.
This is our list of free Barcode Scanners or Barcode Readers. I personally liked bcWebCam the best, as it supports many formats and webcams.
If you have any suggestions or comments to make, they are most welcome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPe_9bhPtT4
Unfortunately, BcWebCam does not read standard U.S. UPC barcodes without paying for it, Zbar is NOT a windows-based software, it is only Unix, and “Free Barcode Scanner & Reader Software” is nowhere to be found. 3 Strikes.
game.set.match.
Actually, Zbar does work on windows, as well as Unix/Linux. http://sourceforge.net/projects/zbar/
The problem I had with both Zbar and BcWebCam is that my web cam seems to be too wide-angle. The bar code takes up too small a portion of the image and the software doesn’t find it automatically. If I try to bring the bar code closer, the camera can’t focus on it.
Nice collection for barcode scanning!
i only used this qr code reader
I decided not to install BcWebCam because it wants to install an unrelated web browser plugin. Sorry, ain’t gonna happen!
I tried Zbar, and while it is accurate and fast, the interface sucks… It sucks bad.
It opens a console that then opens a camera window. After scanning (which is really quick) it writes the text out to the Windows console (which as you know if you’ve used the Windows console, it’s not quick copy and paste, it’s right click, context menu, select text…)
It would have been so much better if it just spit out the text in a popup dialog.
I suppose I should get powershell or another shell in case copying and pasting is more simplified.
You may try the barcode reader sdk from http://www.stecos.net. It reads Micro QR Code also.
If you can’t to turn out the lens a little to make the focus distance closer, you can easily set the additional lens in front of your webcam, so the focus will be closer. I’m using additional lens with the focus distance about 50mm. Zbar works well for me, under Windows.
BcWebCam hasn’t recognize a code and was uninstalled.
To use “Free Barcode Scanner and Reader” I must to know what the code type I’m scanning, and it want to open an image file instead of using webcam. I don’t know, uninstalled…
Zbar is the best at now.
Actually it is the Windows console sucks. But there is a trick: open “Zbar command prompt”, right click on the top, select “Properties”, Click the Options tab. In Edit Options, select the Quick Edit Mode and Insert Mode check boxes. In the Apply Properties dialog box, click Save properties for future windows with same title. (or save this for this shortcut). After this, you can select a text from this console by mouse (left button), and get it into the buffer by pressing Enter. Just select and “Enter” – not very long way.
Hey Lavish, you described yourself in the third person. Another way you could have described yourself (the proper way) could go something like this:
My name is Lavish. When I am not attending school, I love to follow up on the latest happenings in technology. I also love to try out new Windows based software and gadgets. One of my favorite hobbies is developing new software for Windows. Currently, I am learning JAVA. One of my best recommendations is creating a System Restore Point first before installing a new software.
This version is a lot better, primarily because it is in the first person. Please feel free to copy and/or edit.
Thank you for your suggestions, will think over it and modify accordingly.
Does this read barcodes from a USB scanner?