Reading barcodes from documents that have been printed with some kind of symbology is a kind of micro-specialization. There are several different kinds of symbols used (UPC, EAN, Interleaved 2 of 5, Code 39, etc.) in which barcodes are produced by printing on laser printers, barcode label printers, dot matrix printers, etc... and then you have readers (wands, scanners, etc.) that are either serial or keyboard wedge readers. The latter -- keyboard wedge -- are easier to use, and often plug and play. A decent reader will cost between US$100 and US$200 and should be programmable to read different symbols, look for check digits, etc. Once you have a reader, you can get the result into a text box just as though someone had typed the information using a keyboard. What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable . . . and yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust? -- Hamlet, Act II, Scene ii.