If you’re still typing product names or codes into your invoicing screen by hand, you’re losing time on every sale and introducing errors that create headaches later. Barcode scanners are inexpensive, plug-and-play devices that can transform the speed and accuracy of your sales process. iMagic Inventory is designed to work seamlessly with standard USB barcode scanners, and getting set up takes less than an hour.
How Barcode Scanning Works with iMagic Inventory
A USB barcode scanner connects to your computer and behaves exactly like a keyboard — when you scan a barcode, the scanner “types” the barcode number into whatever field your cursor is in. In iMagic Inventory’s invoice screen, this means you position your cursor in the product line, scan the item, and iMagic Inventory instantly looks up the matching product and fills in the description, price, and tax settings.
The result: adding a product to an invoice takes about one second instead of fifteen. Over the course of a busy day, that’s significant.
Assigning Barcodes to Your Inventory Items
Before scanning can work, each item in your inventory needs a barcode assigned to it. Many products come with manufacturer barcodes already printed on the packaging — these are typically EAN-13 (European) or UPC-A (US) barcodes. Using iMagic Inventory, you simply enter that barcode number into the barcode field on the item’s record in View > Inventory.
For products that don’t have printed barcodes — loose items, custom products, or anything you package yourself — iMagic Inventory supports printing your own barcode labels using Avery label stock. You assign a barcode number to the item, print the label from iMagic Inventory’s label printing feature, and apply it to the product. From that point on, it scans exactly like any commercial product.
Printing Your Own Barcode Labels
iMagic Inventory’s built-in Avery label printing feature makes it easy to produce professional barcode labels for your entire product range. You can print individual labels or batch-print for all items in a category. iMagic Inventory includes the product name, barcode, and price on the label — giving your products a retail-ready appearance even if you’re a small operation.
Select the items you want to label from View > Inventory, choose the label format that matches your Avery label stock, and print. The result is scannable barcode labels that work with any standard scanner.
Faster Stocktaking with a Scanner
Barcode scanners aren’t just for invoicing. iMagic Inventory lets you use your scanner during stock counts to speed up the counting process. Open a stock count in View > Stock Counts, position your cursor in the item field, and scan each item as you count it. iMagic Inventory identifies the product instantly, and you enter the quantity. Your stocktake is faster and more accurate than manual entry.
How to Set Up Barcode Scanning in iMagic Inventory
- Plug your USB barcode scanner into your computer. It requires no special drivers — it works like a keyboard.
- In iMagic Inventory, go to View > Inventory and open a product record.
- Enter the product’s barcode number in the Barcode field. For products with a printed barcode, scan it directly into this field — iMagic Inventory captures the number instantly.
- Save the item. Repeat for all products.
- For items without barcodes, use iMagic Inventory’s Avery label printing feature to print and apply your own barcode labels.
- To test, open New Invoice, add a customer, click in the product line, and scan an item. iMagic Inventory should populate the product details instantly.
- For stock counts, go to View > Stock Counts, create or open a count, and scan items to identify them quickly.
The ROI on a Barcode Scanner
A basic USB barcode scanner costs between $30 and $80. If it saves you 10 seconds per line item and you process 50 line items a day, you’re saving over 8 minutes every working day — roughly 35 hours a year. That alone pays for the scanner many times over. Add the reduction in pricing errors and the improvement in your customers’ experience at checkout, and it’s one of the easiest productivity investments you can make.
Download iMagic Inventory free for 30 days and start scanning your way to a faster, more accurate sales process.