Why typing items by hand slows the counter
Barcode billing software reads the code on the pack and puts the right item, price and GST on the bill in one step. Without it, the cashier hunts for the item in a long list, types a quantity and hopes the price is the latest one.
Picture a busy supermarket counter at 7 in the evening. One customer has thirty items. Each one typed by name takes a few seconds, a wrong pick goes unnoticed, and the stock report at month end does not match the shelf. A scanner fixes most of that, but only if the software around it is just as quick.
What Cartix Prime does at a barcode counter
Three ways to find an item
- Scan the barcode. Any USB barcode scanner that types into the computer works. The item lands on the bill with its price and GST rate.
- Type the item code. For shelves where you use your own short codes.
- Type the first letters of the name. "Sug" brings up sugar, "pars" brings up Parle items. Pick and move on.
One-tap buttons for fast sellers
Milk, bread, eggs, a cup of tea: the items you sell all day can sit as one-tap buttons on the billing screen, so nobody scans or types them.
Two layouts
A keyboard-first classic layout for a cashier who never touches the mouse, and a touch layout for a touch screen or tablet. Choose the one that suits each counter.
Hold, recall and split
A customer runs back for something they forgot. Put the bill on hold, bill the next person, and recall the first bill when they return. At payment, take cash, UPI, card or credit, or split one bill across them: part cash, part UPI, the rest on the customer's khata.
Items that came without a barcode
Loose rice packed in the back room, a local snack brand, hardware sold by the piece: many items have no barcode at all. Cartix Prime can make an in-store EAN-13 barcode for such items, checked so it is not already in use, and on Silver and up print it on labels. Each size or colour of an item can have its own barcode. The barcode label printing page covers label sizes, printers and templates.
When you scan a maker's barcode that is new to your shop, Cartix Prime can fill in the item name from Open Food Facts while you are online, so adding a new item takes less typing.
How it works at the counter
- Import your items from Excel, with their barcodes in one column. Exports from Tally, Busy, Marg or Vasy are recognised.
- Connect a USB scanner. Open billing and scan a pack to test.
- Add your fast sellers as one-tap buttons.
- At the counter: scan, type or tap each item, change the quantity if needed.
- Take the payment, whole or split, and print the bill or send it on WhatsApp.
Billing keeps working when the internet goes. Bills are kept on the counter and go up to the cloud when the connection is back, so a broadband cut does not stop the scanner. More on that in offline billing software.
A quick look at the counter flow
| Situation | What the cashier does |
|---|---|
| Packed item with a barcode | Scan it |
| Item with your own short code | Type the code |
| Item with no code to hand | Type the first letters of the name |
| Milk, bread, tea | Tap the fast-seller button |
| Customer steps away | Hold the bill, recall it later |
| Pays part cash, part UPI | Split the payment |
Who barcode billing suits
- Supermarkets and mini marts with most stock already barcoded. See billing software for supermarkets.
- Kirana stores moving from a notebook or a calculator to a scanner, often with a mix of barcoded packs and loose items.
- Pharmacies, stationery, cosmetics and fancy shops where many small items look alike and a wrong pick is easy.
- Shops with a weighing counter, where loose items are weighed and billed beside the scanned ones. See weighing scale billing.
If you are still deciding whether barcodes are worth it for your shop, the guide on barcodes for a retail shop walks through the choices.
Which plan has barcode billing
Scanning, item code and name search, fast-seller buttons, hold and recall, and split payment are on every Cartix Prime plan, starting with Starter at ₹2,499 a year for one computer and one phone, or ₹599 for a phone only, before 18% GST. Starter takes up to 1,000 items; Silver and above take any number.
Making barcodes for your own items and printing labels come with Silver, at ₹4,999 a year (₹1,099 phone only). Every new shop gets 7 days of Silver free, no card needed, so you can test the scanner and the labels at your own counter. All prices are on the pricing page.
Questions people ask
Which barcode scanner works with Cartix Prime?
A USB barcode scanner that types the code into the computer, the common kind sold for shops, works with Cartix Prime. Plug it in, open billing and scan a pack. The item comes onto the bill with its price and GST rate.
Can I bill items that have no barcode?
Yes. Type the item code or the first letters of the name, or tap a fast-seller button. Cartix Prime can also make an in-store EAN-13 barcode for the item, and on Silver and up print it on a label, so it can be scanned next time.
Can I put a bill on hold and bill the next customer?
Yes. Hold the bill, serve the next customer, and recall the held bill when the first customer returns. This is on every Cartix Prime plan, along with split payment across cash, UPI, card and credit.
Does barcode billing work without internet?
Yes. Scanning and billing carry on when the internet goes. Bills are kept on the counter and go up to the cloud when the connection comes back, and other devices see them then.
Is there a free barcode billing software?
Cartix Prime has a free plan with 100 items and 5 bills a day, after a 7-day free trial of Silver with no card needed. A busy shop will need a paid plan; Starter starts at ₹2,499 a year before GST.