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Which Scanning Technology is Best for Your Application: Laser or Imager ?

Which Scanning Technology is Best for Your Application: Laser or Imager ?

2025-08-31


Choosing the right scanning engine for your PDA is a critical decision that impacts performance. The two primary technologies are laser scanners and digital imagers. Traditional laser scanners use a red laser beam to read standard linear barcodes. They are excellent for quickly reading high-density barcodes from a longer distance and are often very cost-effective. However, they have limitations; they cannot read 2D codes (like QR Codes or Data Matrix codes) which can hold significantly more data, and they require a direct line-of-sight to the barcode.

Digital imagers, which are essentially compact cameras, have become the industry standard for most new applications. They take a picture of the barcode and use advanced decoding algorithms to read it. This allows them to read both 1D and 2D codes with equal ease. Furthermore, imagers are much more forgiving. They can read codes that are damaged, poorly printed, or displayed on a smartphone screen (e.g., for loyalty programs or mobile tickets). They can also read codes from any angle, even if they are not directly in front of the scanner, a technique known as omnidirectional scanning. For any business looking to future-proof its operations, handle a wider variety of codes, and improve scanning speed and reliability, a PDA equipped with a high-performance imager is undoubtedly the best choice.

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Blog Details
Created with Pixso. Home Created with Pixso. Blog Created with Pixso.

Which Scanning Technology is Best for Your Application: Laser or Imager ?

Which Scanning Technology is Best for Your Application: Laser or Imager ?


Choosing the right scanning engine for your PDA is a critical decision that impacts performance. The two primary technologies are laser scanners and digital imagers. Traditional laser scanners use a red laser beam to read standard linear barcodes. They are excellent for quickly reading high-density barcodes from a longer distance and are often very cost-effective. However, they have limitations; they cannot read 2D codes (like QR Codes or Data Matrix codes) which can hold significantly more data, and they require a direct line-of-sight to the barcode.

Digital imagers, which are essentially compact cameras, have become the industry standard for most new applications. They take a picture of the barcode and use advanced decoding algorithms to read it. This allows them to read both 1D and 2D codes with equal ease. Furthermore, imagers are much more forgiving. They can read codes that are damaged, poorly printed, or displayed on a smartphone screen (e.g., for loyalty programs or mobile tickets). They can also read codes from any angle, even if they are not directly in front of the scanner, a technique known as omnidirectional scanning. For any business looking to future-proof its operations, handle a wider variety of codes, and improve scanning speed and reliability, a PDA equipped with a high-performance imager is undoubtedly the best choice.