Supplies for magnetic stripe card readers come in various forms: there are several kinds of stand-alone readers as well as different screen interfaces and combinations with other devices. Depending on your business, determine the best products for streamlining and simplifying the activities and practices you and your employees engage in every day.

This guide will function as a source of all the magnetic readers information you'll need to implement the right products in your business. From retail sales to employee clock-in records and security access, find what you require in the way of:

1. Stand-alone magnetic readers for sales, security and log-in needs

2. Magnetic swipe card reader and keyboard combinations for sales registers and computer access

3. Customer interface magnetic stripe credit card reader products for points of sale.

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Check your options for magnetic stripe readers to streamline your business

Speed up sales, records access and employee clock-in and clock-out tasks by instituting magnetic stripe readers for these needs. You'll save time and money in the long run by making your business faster and more cost-effective. Process sales more quickly and simplify employee tasks for greater efficiency.

I recommend: Look into your options for magnetic stripe readers by checking out various types of products, such as swipe, insert and proximity devices. ZBA provides several different stand-alone swipe models, and you can select from many kinds of magnetic card readers at Peripheral Dynamics.

Cover your magnetic card reader and keyboard necessities with one combination

Whether you want to enhance your points of sale with streamlined technology or make computer access more secure, you can implement combination keyboard/magnetic card readers in your business. You can process credit cards more easily, and company computers can be locked to anyone without an access card.

I recommend: Look at the magnetic card reader and keyboard combinations for your register and employee computer access upgrades that are available from Semicron and ID Automation. Both distributors have various models.

Procure customer interface magnetic card readers for your retail business

Customer satisfaction is a prime goal of any business; products and practices that can speed up or simplify customer interaction are a benefit to your company. By installing credit card reader/keypad devices, you give your customers another choice for how they pay for their merchandise, increasing their satisfaction and speeding up the sales process.

I recommend: Look into customer-interface magnetic credit card reader products at Merchant Warehouse and VeriFone. Merchant sells several models of card swiper keypads, and VeriFone has touch-screen and digital-pen-based retail card readers for even simpler customer activity.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Another function that magnetic card readers can fulfill is hotel keycard tasks. They work with the same technology, and there are companies that specialize in this sort of product. If you run a hotel or other business that can use these keycards, look into magnetic reader technology for your business.

Magnetic stripe card readers no longer qualify as retail business luxuries. In an era when quality customer service and convenience is expected faster than the speed of light, magnetic readers are essential.

Luckily, magnetic readers themselves have evolved significantly to provide you with even more versatility. Vendors can now outfit a multitude of retail management systems with retail card readers. In addition, magnetic card readers can connect to anything from a cash register to a PDA, which is good news for those who want to make their business more efficient and customer-friendly while on the road.

It's possible to find a magnetic card reader to fit your business needs online. While shopping on the web, keep the following in mind:

1. Consider what type of device you'll connect the magnetic stripe reader to, such as a PDA, personal computer or register.

2. Determine whether you'd like your magnetic stripe card readers to multitask, like including "smart card" capabilities.

3. Purchase test cards to try out and develop your new magnetic stripe readers.

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Get your magnetic swipe card reader to multitask

Smart card technology provides an extra level of safety and protection for your business. Many magnetic swipe card readers come with this technology already built in.

I recommend: A USB smart card reader from the manufacturer Cherry is a versatile choice, as is the Hercules Hardened Hybrid reader with smart card technology.

Take your mag stripe readers on the road

If your card swiper needs to travel with you, consider a device that can connect to a laptop computer or handheld PDA. Your customers will appreciate the fact that you offer the option to pay with a card.

I recommend: The DigiSwipe card reader hooks up to most standard laptops and PDAs.

Test out the magnetic strip reader

Purchase magnetic test cards to make sure your magnetic card readers are operating correctly--from cards that act as brand new credit cards to those that simulate scratched or damaged cards.

I recommend: Q-Card makes a multitude of test cards to cover all your bases.

Research different magnetic swipe card reader brands

A number of sites allow you to sort through card swiper options by manufacturer, which helps you shop around for the best magnetic card reader for your needs, at the best price.

I recommend: Visit the Barcodes Inc. website for a comprehensive breakdown of card swipers by manufacturer.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  To avoid any suspicion of identity theft or fraud, try to make sure your cash registers are hooked up to your business' point of sale terminal. With this configuration, cashiers won't have to run cards through multiple magnetic stripe readers, a practice that can raise a red flag for skimming with many consumers.

A magnetic swipe card reader is a device based on technology that can provide great benefits to your company. It can increase productivity by eliminating inefficient practices, cutting down on the waste of materials like paper, speeding up employee activities or providing more reliable security for various aspects of your business. Refer to this as a beginner's guide to explain magnetic swipe card reader technology and how it can help you.

The important aspect of knowing about magnetic stripe card readers basics is to benefit your work. As a result, the information contained here will focus on the relationship of the technology to streamlining business. Consider the following steps to see:

1. What a magnetic card reader is

2. How magnetic card readers work

3. How magnetic strip reader technology can help your business

Action Steps
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Know what magnetic stripe readers are so you can determine possible uses

A stripe reader, whether it's a security badge scanner or a magnetic stripe credit card reader, is a device that reads magnetic code from a card. The code is preprogrammed onto the card, and the reader accesses the code and performs certain tasks based on the information. It can transmit credit data for purchasing, grant an employee access to a computer or building or simply record inventory or reservation information on your company system.

I recommend: Begin your magnetic stripe card readers basics tutorial by checking out the information available at Whatis.com and High Tech Aid. Whatis gives you some facts about the different types of readers and formats, and High Tech will give you an initial idea about some of the ways magnetic readers can be implemented in your business.

Discover how magnetic card readers work for a better understanding of the technology

These products work by using magnets to scan code from various types of cards. A card is either slid through a slot with magnetic readers or held near the scanner; magnets in the reader take information encoded on the card and transfer it electronically to the computer, where it is decoded and displayed for the user or saved as a record. Since the whole procedure is an automated process, you save time and effort.

I recommend: Get detailed information as to how magnetic card readers function by perusing the explanations at techFAQ and High Beam Encyclopedia. Both give you solid info about the scientific workings of the products, or you can just go through them to get ideas about how to apply the technology in your business.

Learn how magnetic readers can be implemented in your business for greater efficiency

If you're looking for ways to increase efficiency in your business, products such as the magnetic credit card reader, badge scanner and security access devices may be a good way to start. Streamline various aspects by instituting card swiper stations, by speeding up employee clock-in and clock-out tasks, by speeding up customer point of sale interactions and other digital information-based work processes.

I recommend: Determine ways to use magnetic stripe readers by checking out the applications mentioned by AIM Global and in an essay from Purdue University. The latter also gives you an idea about some of the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a magnetic card reader.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Various types of magnetic stripe readers exist, and each has its advantages depending on the task for which you will implement it. Research all kinds of products and decide which will provide the best solution for your requirements.

Magnetic stripe card readers allow you to accept a variety of payment cards, from credit cards and debit cards to loyalty cards. You can also use magnetic stripe cards to ensure the security of items when you use employee ID badges equipped with a magnetic data strip. To identify the best magnetic stripe card readers for your business, you may want to consider key terms associated with the readers. These terms incorporate varying aspects of the technology used to electronically pass information from a card to a reader.

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Reading head

The reading head, sometimes called an access point, is the part on a magnetic stripe card reader that translates, or reads, the encoded information from the magnetic stripe, commonly known as magstripe.

I recommend: ZBA provides photos of different reading heads and includes information on the programming features for each type.

Point of sale, POS

A point of sale system is used to complete sales transactions. Many businesses opt to use a POS system with a magnetic card stripe reader included in the cash register, but some still use a separate card reader that interfaces with the register.

I recommend: View the ST8300 Series at POS for Less to see a POS system with an integrated magnetic stripe card reader.

Coercivity

Magnetic card stripes rely on coercivity to determine the endurance of the magstripe. Most card manufactures will refer to their cards as high-coercivity, meaning it's difficult to damage or erase the data, or low-coercivity, meaning it's easy to damage the magstripe.

I recommend: Ace Copper Concepts provides a brief description of coercivity. The International Card Manufacturers Association has an article detailing coercivity.

ISO cards

Access points for different applications can read different types of information. An ISO card is a specific type of card that meets security standards established by the ISO to ensure the safety of the data on the card.

I recommend: Cardlogix offers an overview of the ISO standards used in magstripe cards.

Data density

The data density, measured in bits per inch (BPI), refers to the amount of data a magstripe can hold.

I recommend: Browse the chart provided by DGA Houston to see data density for common magstripe cards.

Track

A track, which is invisible to the eye, is the area in which a company embeds the data on a magstripe. Cards can have single, dual or triple tracks. The ISO regulates the type of information a company can use in certain tracks.

I recommend: Acme Technologies offers an in-depth look at the tracks used on magstripes.