Barcode Generator

Make a barcode a scanner can read

A barcode writes a number or a short code as bars, so a scanner reads it in a moment instead of someone typing it. This tool draws three common kinds, with the check digit and the blank margins scanners need, ready for a label, a packaging design or a stock sheet.

How to use it

1. Choose the type: Code 128 for your own codes, EAN-13 or UPC-A for a retail product number.
2. Type the text or number. For EAN-13 and UPC-A you can leave off the check digit, and it’s worked out for you.
3. Set the bar height and width, and whether to show the text under the bars.
4. Download SVG for print and design apps, or PNG for documents and label software. Scan a test print before you print a batch.

The three types

• Code 128 holds letters, digits, spaces and symbols. Where it makes the barcode shorter, runs of digits are packed two to a pattern.
• EAN-13 is the 13-digit product number on retail goods in most countries.
• UPC-A is the 12-digit product number used mainly in the US and Canada.

What the options do

• Bar width sets the narrowest bar, called a module, in pixels. Every other bar and space is a whole number of modules.
• Bar height sets how tall the bars are. Taller bars give a scanner more room to read across.
• Show the text prints the code under the bars, so someone can type it if a scan fails.

Printing it well

• Keep the white margins on both sides. Scanners use these quiet zones to find where the code starts and ends, so don’t crop them or print over them.
• Black on white is the safest pairing. Scale the barcode evenly; don’t stretch it in one direction.
• Use the SVG for print, where it stays sharp at any size. GS1’s nominal size for an EAN-13 is about 37.3 mm wide, quiet zones included, with a 0.33 mm module.

Good to know

A barcode only encodes the number you give it. Retail product numbers, called GTINs, are issued by GS1 through its national offices, and a store’s system has to know your number before a scan means anything there. This tool doesn’t issue, register or look up any number. For a web link or longer text, a QR code holds much more. To turn the SVG into a large PNG, use SVG to PNG.