Cino

Cino barcode scanners, chosen by the job

Cino is the barcode scanning brand of PC Worth International, a Taiwanese manufacturer that has built barcode hardware and very little else for more than 35 years. Every scanner here runs the company's own FuzzyScan imaging platform, which is tuned to decode the codes that stop cheaper scanners: creased, scuffed, smudged, printed lightly or wrapped around a curve.

Model numbers are the least useful way to choose one. The table below starts from what you actually need to do and names the scanner that does it, with the current price beside it.

Start with the job

What you need to doThe scannerWhy that onePrice inc GST
Ring up ordinary printed barcodes at a counterF-560 LinearThe cheapest thing that will not let you down. Reads 1D and stacked codes, not QR.$155.84
The same, but QR codes and phone screens turn up tooFuzzyScan A670 2D CordedThe default counter scanner. Five part numbers covering USB, serial, black, white and a stand.$207.35
Scan away from the counter without a cableFuzzyScan A678BT 2D Cordless with Wireless ChargingCordless, charges by induction so there are no contact pins to wear out or clean.$507.65
Keep both hands on the goodsFuzzyScan S680 2D PresentationSits on the counter facing out and reads whatever is passed across it. The stand also mounts it.$350.35
Work across a whole site, not one tillFuzzyScan F790WD Wi-Fi with Colour DisplayJoins your Wi-Fi rather than pairing to a till, with a colour screen and offline batch collection.$754.33
Build it into a kiosk, bench or lineFM-480 USB Fixed Mount LinearA 48 by 41 by 23 mm module with two M3 holes, sealed to IP54. No operator required.$284.57

Prices shown in this table were correct at the time of writing and include GST. The product page carries the current price.

The three questions that actually decide it

Does anything you scan come up as a square? QR codes, Data Matrix and codes on a customer's phone are two dimensional and need a 2D imager. Bars and spaces are one dimensional and a cheaper 1D scanner reads them perfectly well. This is the one choice that cannot be fixed later with a setting, so it is worth two minutes at the counter checking what people actually present.

Does the scanner go to the goods, or the goods to the scanner? If stock comes to the counter, a presentation scanner leaves both hands free and clears a queue faster. If the operator walks to the stock, a handheld is right, and if they walk far enough, a cordless one.

What is it plugging into? USB keyboard suits almost every modern till and needs no driver. A genuine RS232 port is still common on weighbridges, kiosks and older terminals, and Cino sets the interface by the cable the scanner ships with, so it is settled at the order rather than afterwards.

If you already run older Cino scanners

The F760, F780, F790 and A780 series are the previous generation, and several of those part numbers are now at zero and not being restocked. The current equivalents are the F560 where the old unit was 1D, the A670 where it was 2D on a cable, and the A678BT where it was 2D cordless.

That matters most when you are buying a spare rather than a first unit, because a fleet standardised on a discontinued model is a problem that arrives quietly. Call us on 1300 026 062 with the model number on the base of the scanner and we will tell you honestly what is still available and what the drop in replacement is.

What comes with every Cino scanner

Two features are included across the range at no extra cost, and on a site with more than a couple of counters they are the practical argument for standardising on one brand. iCode packs an entire configuration into one printed barcode, so a replacement unit is set up with a single scan instead of being programmed by hand. DataWizard Premium reshapes the scanned data before it reaches your software, trimming a prefix, adding a tab, padding a field or reordering a code.

The interface cable is a separate part that clips into the base of the handle rather than being moulded into the body. That means the most common accident on a counter, a lead caught under a chair wheel, costs you a cable and not a scanner. We stock the replacements in both USB and RS232, along with the BT2100 battery for the cordless models and a 5V 2A supply.

Frequently asked questions

Which Cino scanner should I buy?

Work from the job rather than the model number. If every code you scan is an ordinary printed barcode, the F560 does it for the least money. If QR codes or codes on a customer's phone ever appear, you need a 2D model: the A670 on a cable, the A678BT without one, or the S680 sitting on the counter. If the scanner has to be built into a machine, the FM-480 is the one.

What is the difference between the older F7 series and the current models?

The F760, F780 and A780 are the previous generation. Several of those part numbers are now at zero and are not being restocked, and the current equivalents are the F560 for 1D, the A670 for 2D corded and the A678BT for 2D cordless. If you are standardising a fleet or buying spares for an existing one, ring us before you order so we can tell you what is genuinely still available.

Do Cino scanners work with my POS software?

In the standard USB configuration, almost certainly. The scanner presents itself as a keyboard and types the barcode into whatever field has focus, so nothing is installed and no driver is needed. USB VCOM and RS232 are there for software that expects a serial port. Tell us what your till runs and we will confirm before you order.

How long is the warranty?

It follows the form factor rather than the model. Anything corded and held in the hand, so the A670 or the F560, is covered for 60 Months Return to Base. Anything cordless, the A678BT or the F790WD, is 36 Months Return to Base, and the battery sits outside that because a cell is used up by its charge cycles rather than failing. Anything that stays in one place, the S680 on a counter or the FM-480 inside a machine, is 24 Months Return to Base. Return to base means it comes back to us and we repair or replace it here, not through an overseas process.

Can one setup be copied across several scanners?

Yes, and on a multi counter site it is the main practical reason to standardise on one brand. Cino's iCode holds a complete configuration in a single printed barcode, so a replacement unit is commissioned with one scan. DataWizard Premium then reshapes the data before it reaches your software, which is how an awkward supplier barcode is made to fit a system you cannot change.

Will they read a damaged or badly printed label?

That is what the FuzzyScan engine is built for. Cino specifies its imagers for codes that are creased, scuffed, smudged, low contrast or overwrapped, which is what a thermal label looks like after a week in a crate rather than on a specification sheet.

Do you stock the cables and batteries?

Yes. The common spares are the BT2100 battery for the cordless models, 1.8 metre RJ45 interface cables in USB and RS232, and a 5V 2A power supply. Cino cables detach at the handle, so a lead crushed by a chair wheel is a cable rather than a dead scanner.

Who makes Cino?

Cino is the barcode scanning brand of PC Worth International, a Taiwanese manufacturer that has built barcode hardware and little else for more than 35 years. Every scanner in the range runs the company's own FuzzyScan imaging platform rather than a bought in decoder, which is why the reading behaviour is consistent from the entry level model upwards.

Not sure which one fits?
Tell us what you scan, what the till runs and whether the scanner stays on the counter or travels, and we will tell you which Cino suits and which one is more than you need. Call POS Sales on 1300 026 062.