A plurality of the areas of differing light reflectivity of a bar code symbol or the like are simultaneously illuminated using, for example, a beam of light that has an elongate cross-section. The light beam is swept over the symbol to be read in a direction transverse to the elongated dimension of the illuminated region so that a two-dimensional area of the symbol is illuminated over time. The reflected light is sensed by a 1D CCD array. A microprocessor within the scanner provides visual feedback to aid a user in aligning the device, and also provides for a selectable aspect ratio for the image, a selectable image resolution and size, a selectable aspect ratio of the illumination, and a selectable pixel size. All of these options may be programmed within the microprocessor, enabling the device to read a large variety of two-dimensional symbols.