thread Re: Square Register and Zebra LS2208 don't read 0 at beginning on barcodes in Payments Troubleshooting

Square Register and Zebra LS2208 don't read 0 at beginning on barcodes

Onice — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 06:57:28 GMT

Hello everyone,

I am having a small problem with my Square Register kit when scanning barcodes with the Zebra LS2208 reader.

Not all barcodes work, I'm talking about barcodes printed on products, not barcodes that I print myself.

The reader does not read barcodes correctly if they start with 0, it simply does not read the leading 0.

Example: For the barcode 082xxxxxxx707, it considers the code [Redacted]07 and therefore does not make the connection with the product in my list of items, which does include the code 082xxxxxxx707 .

For a barcode like 810xxxxxxx698, no problem, the association with the item is done correctly.

Do you have any leads for me ?

I performed a factory reset of the reader but with no change.
Thanks in advance

Re: Square Register and Zebra LS2208 don't read 0 at beginning on barcodes

rtfulk — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 17:05:14 GMT

@Onice You will need to download the LS2208 reference guide and go to chapter 12.

LS2208 Reference Guide

Scan the Correct Configuration Barcodes:

Look for the "UPC-A Preamble" or "Code 39 Full ASCII" section in the manual, depending on the barcode type you're using.
UPC-A Preamble adds or removes leading zeros.
Enable Leading Zeros for UPC-A:

Scan the barcode labeled "Transmit UPC-A Preamble" (or similar wording in your manual).
For Code 39 Barcodes:

If your barcodes are Code 39, ensure that "Full ASCII Mode" is enabled.
Save the Settings:

After scanning the necessary barcodes, the scanner should retain the settings.

You can print which page that has the barcodes on you need to scan from the guide.

Re: Square Register and Zebra LS2208 don't read 0 at beginning on barcodes

Candlestore — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 21:45:26 GMT

@Onice ;

How did you enter the Barcode information for the Items?

Did you scan the Barcode that had the Leading 0 or did you import them using a csv file? Did the leading Zero show up the first time you created said item?

Did you Importing through CSV? For numbers starting with a leading 0 this can be a problem depending on formatting of CSV file.

Did the leading 0 get dropped in the import process along the way?

What Barcode is showing for the Item in Square? Does this have the leading 0 or not? Does Square match the Barcode being Scanned?

Make sure in Square the GTIN or SKU field that your using has the Leading Zero as shown circled in red below:

I used SKU but this should be the same if you used the GTIN column.

If your Scanner is reading 015766.... for example but Square has item 15766....... your item will not be found.

If the Scanner is reading 15766.... then the scanner may not be configured for that Barcode, The barcode might not be readable completely that the 0 is damaged?

To see what the Scanner sees:

Since the LS2208 is a USB barcode scanner, unplug the scanner, take it to a computer and plug it in. Then open a Text editor and scan the barcode. This should show what the scanner is scanning, with or without the leading 0.

I have small round items that the Barcode sometimes wraps around on, and the barcode is sometimes scanned with missing numbers. Example Scanner reads 8 of 12 numbers or insert any number for the 8.

You stated your Reset the reader, do you mean Scanner?

Here is a Link to the Zebra Quick Start Guide PDF for Scan options for your Scanner.

Page 3 has a scannable barcode that resets the Scanner to Factory :

https://www.zebra.com/ls2208.pdf

With my Zebra Scanners at Factory Settings like on Page 3 my scanners work fine for barcodes with or without leading Zeros.

Since this is a Pre Printed Barcode do you know what Type of Barcode it is? Use an app on a cell phone to read the barcode. I use the app Barcode Reader & Generator. The reason I use this app is because when it shows what the Barcode, QR code states, it also labels the barcode with the Correct type of Barcode..... Code 39, Code 128, EAN 13 etc. Then you can make sure your scanner can read that barcode. In most cases it should be set that way from the factory.

Page 12 of the above PDF also gives some Troubleshooting for the Scanner as seen below.