How to set up a barcode scanner for billing
Connect a USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner to QuPOS in keyboard mode, test it, and fix the common problems (missing Enter, wrong keyboard layout, double scans).
About 10 minutes · Applies to: Barcode Billing, Supermarket, Textile, Mobile Shop
QuPOS reads barcodes the way the scanner sends them: as keystrokes, followed by Enter. This is called keyboard or HID mode and it is the factory setting on nearly every retail scanner, so there is usually nothing to install.
You will need
- USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner
- Windows PC with QuPOS installed
Steps
Plug in the scanner
Connect a USB scanner to any USB port, or pair a Bluetooth scanner from Windows Settings > Bluetooth & devices. Windows installs it as a keyboard automatically.
Test in Notepad
Open Notepad and scan any product. The digits should appear and the cursor should jump to the next line. If it does, the scanner is in keyboard mode with an Enter suffix, which is what you want.
Fix the Enter suffix if needed
If the digits appear but the cursor stays on the same line, scan the "Add CR/Enter suffix" setup code in your scanner's manual.
Open the billing screen
Start QuPOS and open a new bill (F10). Keep the cursor in the item/barcode box.
Scan an item
Scan a product that exists in your items list. It is added to the bill with quantity 1; scanning it again increases the quantity.
Handle unknown barcodes
If an item is not found, add it to your items with that barcode, or generate a new barcode for it and print a label.
Tips and troubleshooting
- If letters come out wrong (for example on Code-128 labels), set the scanner's keyboard language to match Windows (usually US English).
- Turn off "continuous" or "auto-sense" mode at the counter to avoid accidental double scans.
- A 2D scanner also reads ordinary 1D barcodes and can read IMEI barcodes from tightly packed phone-box labels more easily.
Seeing an error message? Look it up on the troubleshooting page.