ScoutPalSE can scan in nearly any kind of barcode, including the barcodes printed on books,
CDs, DVDs, audio and video tapes, and other media merchandise.
Most of this merchandise will have EAN-13 barcodes printed on them.
EAN-13 barcodes are actually the underlying ISBN "transformed" into a 13
digit UPC, and always start with "978".
For merchandise without an EAN-13 barcode, you will want to look for
and scan in a 12-digit UPC
barcode.
The following link will take you to an Amazon web page that describes
how to identify the two different kinds of media merchandise barcodes:
Amazon: How to Identify ISBNs and UPCs
EAN-13 barcodes can be found on the back cover of most
trade paperbacks, on the back leaf of dust jackets, as well as on most
other media that has been recently produced, including DVDs, CDs, and
tapes. Some music and video merchandise, as well as software and games,
will have a UPC, but not an EAN-13. Some merchandise will have both, in
that case the EAN-13 is most likely to succeed when looking it up on
Amazon.
Many mass-market paperbacks will have the EAN-13 barcode
printed on the inside front cover, instead of on the back cover. The
back cover barcode will often be a publisher's SKU for the book. SKU
barcodes are unique and proprietary to each publisher, and cannot be
used when searching or listing with Amazon.
On many books, you will also see a smaller, five-digit barcode adjacent
and to the right of the EAN-13 barcode. The content of this barcode is
specific to each publisher, and typically contains encoded pricing
information. It is not part of the EAN-13 (ISBN) barcode, however
ScoutPalSE has been designed so that it will be okay of this barcode is
scanned in along with the EAN-13 barcode.
To operate the scanner, hold it about 3 inches ABOVE the
barcode, then press and RELEASE the scan button. Do not hold the scan
button in, or press the scanner up against the barcode. Instead, push
the button like you would ring a doorbell, and aim the scanner like you
would aim a flashlight. The red laser light will shoot out after you
press and release the button. If the beam is not shining completely over
the barcode, just tilt the phone, or move it closer or further away,
such that the beam shines completely over the barcode.
Refer to the picture below, showing how the red laser beam should be aimed
to shine completely over the barcode:
You can
scan the barcode either right-side-up, or upside-down, as long as the
beam is shining completely across the barcode as shown.
The instant the scanner detects the barcode, the beam
will automatically shut off, and the barcode digits will appear in the
ISBN list on phone. The scanner is very flexible, and does not need to be
held at an exact distance or at an exact angle, within
limits. With just a few practice scans, you will learn how to routinely
aim the scanner such that you accurately, efficiently and quickly capture a wide
array of barcode formats and sizes. Variables to learn with practice
include the angle that you hold the scanner, and the distance from the
scanner to the barcode.
In a nutshell, the basic instructions for scanning in your merchandise
are:
1) Find and scan the EAN-13 barcode (Look for a 13 digit barcode that
begins with "978")
2) If you can't find an EAN-13 barcode, look for a 12-digit UPC instead
3) Do not scan in the SKU barcode on the back of mass-market paperbacks,
it is not usable except to the publisher. Look for the EAN-13 printed
inside the book