Bar Code Scanning

PPSS Diamond and Virtual read and write bar codes. Price, item number and item description are printed on sheets of labels, hang tags (or on adhesive or non-adhesive thermal labels using Diamond or Virtual and a thermal label printer). Bar codes, date in, the discount schedule and disposal codes are optional.

At POS scanning a bar code enters the item on a new-sale invoice. The entry includes the item's ID and description, price and the owner. PPSS auto enters a quantity of 1, taxes and 'buyer fee' (if applicable). Those entries may be edited.

VLINE Barcode Scanner ($99)

The VLINE is an inexpensive tethered scanner which connects to the PC with a 6.5' USB cable. It has a 4-inch read range, 4.7" read width and can read 200 bar codes per second. It reads all popular bar-code symbologies. This scanner is included in PPSS Special Offers. 3-Yr Warranty (more)

XI3200 Barcode Scanner ($149, Hand-Free Stand $20; upgrade from VLINE $56)

The XI3200 is a shock-resistant tethered scanner with a reading distance of up to 14 inches. The hands-free stand is almost a must at POS. Also included are the configuration software, a manual and USB cable. This scanner is available as an upgrade in PPSS Special Offers for $56. 5-Yr Warranty (more)

XI3200BT Bluetooth Wireless Scanner ($492)

The XI3200BT Bluetooth scanner is wireless with a range up to 328 feet and a reading distance up to 14 inches. It is shatter resistant. The scanner is rechargable with a battery life up to 50,000 scans. This scanner is available as an upgrade in the PPSS Special Offers for $393. 3-Yr Warranty (more)

A cash register is different from a cash drawer. All cash registers have a cash drawer. A cash register records sales and provides a printout at the end of the day for balancing the cash drawer. A cash drawer is simply a place to store money. PPSS uses your computer, receipt printer and a cash drawer in place of a cash register.

A cash drawer is typically connected to the receipt printer (which is connected to the PC). When a receipt is printed, the cash drawer opens. The cash drawer can be connected directly to the PC (without a receipt printer) using a special cable, and can be opened in PPSS by pressing the F12 key.

A receipt printer prints (on 3-inch-wide roll paper) showing the details of the sale: date, items, quantity, price, subtotal, tax, total amount.

 The 'Instant-Cash-Drawer-Balance-feature' in PPSS Diamond or Virtual tracks each salesperson's sales balance in real time and determines how much cash should be in the till at any time. Multiple employees can transact from the same POS station or on the same network.

XCHD Series Heavy-Duty Cash Drawer ($119 or $158)

The Heavy Duty XCHD Series printer-driven cash drawer ($119) attaches to the receipt printer, or directly to the PC with a special cable (add $39, total $158). It conveniently opens when a sales receipt is printed (or when the F12 key is pressed in PPSS). It has a locking drawer for storing money securely. A cash drawer makes a better impression on customers and provides better security. (more)

EVO Thermal Receipt Printer ($284)

This is a 'silent' thermal printer which prints 1-ply receipts. Copies of the receipt are printed by reprinting the receipt or by setting the number of copies in the printer's configuration. The printer has a jam-free autocutter. It has swappable interface cards and drop-in paper loading. (more)

XM95 Magnetic Stripe Reader ($79)

The XM95 is a 3-track MSR designed to read magnetically-encoded drivers licenses bi-directionally. It has a 'plug n play' USB interface - Just plug it in and scan to enter pawners' identifying information in PPSS. Velcro or Screw mounting options. 3-year Advance Replacement Protection. This reader can only be used in (AK, AR, CA, CO, FL, IA, KS, LA, MD, MI, MN, NM, OH, PA, SC, VT)

DS4208 Motorola 2D Scanner ($295)

The DS4208 is a '2 Dimensional' scanner which reads license barcodes. It can read (slightly) damaged barcodes and even barcodes from cell phones. It can withstand a six-foot drop to a concrete floor. This reader can NOT be used in (AK, AR, CA, CO, FL, IA, KS, LA, MD, MI, MN, NM, OH, PA, SC, TX, VT) Quick-Start Guide | Motorola Support

Complete Computer Systems (~$550)

PPSS speed and efficiency is only limited by a PC's storage capacity, Windows edition (XP, Vista, Windows 7), processor, 'front bus' speed, RAM, cache memory and PC 'health'. Shops with a few thousand inventory entries should have at least 512MB of RAM for XP, 2 GB for Vista or Windows 7. For large operations storing 10,000 or more inventory items, greater horsepower is needed: 3.0 GHz or higher processor - no Celeron or Centrino - 1GB of RAM for XP (2-4 GB for Vista or Windows 7) - 3 GB free disk space - for 32-bit machines. Sixty-four-bit machines can have considerably more.

Software - The Operating System

Microsoft Windows is an 'operating system' (OS). Every PC must have an operating system to run other programs and hardware. Operating systems perform basic tasks such as installing other software, recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the monitor, keeping track of files and directories on the hard disk, and controlling devices such as optical drives and printers.

For most computer users, Windows Vista is difficult to use. (See Vista.) If at all possible, insist on Windows XP (Service Pack 3) or Windows 7 Professional when purchasing a new computer, and consider reformatting a PC that has Vista and install XP or Win7. PPSS is compatible with Vista but many software users are not compatible with Vista.

Windows 7

The following are the minimum requirements for Windows 7. Vista users will surely want to dump Vista for Windows 7 and XP users will eventually lose support for XP, so purchase hardware now that has sufficient resources to run Windows 7:

• Processor = 2 GHz or faster
• RAM = 2-3 GB
• Disc Space = 16 GB 32 bit; 20 GB 64 bit
• Video = DirectX 9 capable device with WDDM 1.0 or higher
• Clean installation suggested with no bloatware.

Hardware - Computer Components (Hard Drive, Processor, Memory)

Simply put, your computer should be one that was built for business purposes. Many computers (desktops and laptops) sold 'off the shelf' are intended for light home use - email, word processing, web surfing...

All too often businesses use home PCs and laptops that have been connected to the Internet (which are likely infected with 'malware' - viruses, spyware, trojans...). (Run this free computer scan to see problems on your computer.) Invariably inadequate computer resources and poor or nonexistent computer maintenance are responsible for computer crashes and error messages, lock ups and slow processing.

Only software necessary for business use should be installed on the computer. Each additional installation of a software program increases the chances for incompatibilities and conflicts.

Get a Dell (888-782-3355) Optiplex 390 Minitower - $15/month lease (48 months) or $469 (keyboard, mouse, no speakers or monitor).

Get the FastTrack Package (~$550) with Windows 7 Professional.

Uninstall the Trend Micro anti-virus software and use ESET.

Here's why you would love this machine:

• Fast Shipping
• Fast Hard Drive (7200RPM)
• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7500 RPMs with VT (2.93GHz, 3M, 1066MHz FSB)
• 2GB3 DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
• USB Keyboard, Optical Mouse, DVD-ROM Drive
• Windows 7 Professional 32-Bit
• 1066GHz Front Side Bus (A 'bus' connects components to the motherboard. 1066GHz is fast.)
• 3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service

It may be advisable to upgrade to IntelR CoreT 2 Duo E8500 w/VT (3.16GHz, 6M, L2Cache, 1333FSB) for $230. (This is an option listed on Dell's 'Configure It' function.)

Reasons to Love Dell:

• 30-Day Getting-Started Assistance for installation optimization, configuration and limited usage questions
• 'Fast Track' ships in 24 hours. Shipping is free if the order is $499 or more. 'Fast Track' is $469 so add a Belkin Surge Protector ($17), an internal speaker ($9) and another option to exceed $498.
• 24/7 Comprehensive On-Line Support
• Telephone Technical Support
• 1 Year Next-Business-Day On-Site Service
• 1-Year Basic Limited Warranty and13-Year Next-Business-Day On-Site Service
• Free Shipping, Including Peripherals (Like Printers) on orders over $600
• Next-Business-Day On-Site Service
• 1 Year Hard Drive Data Recovery
• Financing - There's no reason not to have a brand new trouble-free computer under warranty - $16/month lease, no payment for 90 days. (Offers vary.)

Laser Printers

Together PPSS (and any laser/inkjet/bubblejet or dot matrix printer) can print consignment agreements, checks, reports, sales invoices, address labels, price labels and hang tags (with or without bar codes) - on 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper and 8.5 x 11 sheets of labels.

(A disadvantage of printing sales invoices on 8.5 x 11 paper is ink usage. Cheaper and more impressive 3" receipts can be printed using a receipt printer. The printer is considerably more in price than laser-style printers ($289 vs $50) but there are no costly 'ink cartridges' to continually replace and paper usage is less.

Similarly, address and price labels and hang tags can be printed at lesser cost over the long run using (an expensive $379) thermal printer.

If color printing is not necessary, purchase any Hewlett Packard low-end black and white printer with a paper feed. For a few dollars more, purchase their 5510 All-in-One copier-fax-printer-scanner. If you are purchasing a new computer, consider Dell for added support and for possible savings on printers and shipping. Their V305 All-in-One is under $50.

Thermal Label Printers

PPSS prints 2" to 4"-wide thermal labels (adhesive and non-adhesive hang tags) - from 1" to 4" high using the TSC TDP-247 Thermal Label Printer (or the Zebra 2844 LP Thermal Printer, or 2" labels with the Zebra 2824). Bar codes may be printed on labels that are 2" wide or wider.

Direct thermal printers use a thermal printhead that applies heat to a chemically-treated paper, creating lines, text and graphics. A black line (adhesive) or gap (non-adhesive) across the back forces the printer to print before moving forward, so there is no waste.

Buy labels and hang tags from Barcode Warehouse or MarkAT. They are familiar with our software and know which labels are compatible. Shipping is fast and prices are very competitive.

The label printer is $349 and the 2.25 x 1.25 labels are about $8 for 2100 labels. The printing cost per label is less than printing sheet labels in the long run because no ink or ribbon is required and label cost is lower. It is also easier to print one or several labels using a thermal printer and there's a wider variety of labels.

TSC TDP-247 Thermal Printer

Standard 4 MB Flash Memory - 8 MB SDRAM - 200 MHz processor for fast printing in a 203 dpi resolution. Speeds up to 7 IPS (75% faster than the Zebra LP2844). Supports TSC, EPL (Eltron) and ZPL (Zebra) programming languages. Holds up to a 5” roll on a 1” core. Adjustable media sensor for use with gap, black mark and notch media. Bartender Ultralite labeling software. 2 year limited warranty (twice that of Zebra). USB 2.0/Parallel/Serial Features and Specs | Quick-Start Guide | Manual | Driver | TSC Website

USB Memory Sticks (Flash Drives)

A flash drive (edge memory, pen drive, memory stick) is a data storage device that plugs into the PC's USB (universal serial bus) port. Flash drives are faster than floppies, hold more data and are more reliable because they do not have moving parts. They are preferable over CDs because they can be updated whereas CDs cannot. For most consignment shops, capacity of 2GB is sufficient. Sticks may be purchased online for about $10. They are commonly used for storing data backups and for transferring data between PCs.