A data transmission subsystem, operably coupled to the bar code reading engine, communicates such symbol character data to the communication interface of a host system over a communication link therebetween. The data transmission subsystem implements a plurality of different communication interfaces. During an interface configuration mode of operation, the data transmission subsystem is able to automatically configure itself such that its interface is suitable for communication to the communication interface of the host system. Moreover, the device is thus capable of interfacing to a variety of different host devices in an automatic and error free manner with minimal human involvement, thus providing significant advantages over the prior art bar code symbol reading devices.