Symbology Guide

EAN-13Retail shelf products worldwide. 12 digits plus a check digit the tool appends. Scanners expect the guard bars to run longer than the data.

UPC-AThe US flavor of EAN. 11 digits plus a check digit; encoded as an EAN-13 with a leading zero.

EAN-8The short EAN for small packs. 7 digits plus a check digit the tool appends, issued by GS1 like EAN-13.

Code 39Digits, capital letters, and a few symbols. Wider than Code 128 for the same text, but readable by almost any scanner.

Code 128Logistics and internal labels. Any printable ASCII, with Code C packing digit pairs so numeric payloads come out half as wide.

ITF-14Shipping cartons. 13 digits plus a check digit, printed with bearer bars so a partial scan cannot read as a shorter valid code.

ModuleThe width of the narrowest bar. Retail scanners are speced for 0.33 mm at 100% magnification; going under 0.26 mm risks misreads.

About the Barcode Generator

Generates retail and logistics barcodes with the check digit worked out and the layout drawn to spec, entirely in your browser. Pick the type, enter the content, and download the result as PNG or SVG.

Every Setting

Symbology

The barcode type. EAN-13 and UPC-A are the retail product codes, and EAN-8 is the short form for small packs; Code 128 packs any text for logistics and internal use; ITF-14 is for shipping cartons and draws its heavy bearer frame automatically; Code 39 is the older label and ID code that many warehouse, badge, and government systems still ask for.

Add a Check Character

Code 39 only. Appends the modulo-43 check character some systems require. Leave it off unless the spec you are following asks for it, since a reader that does not expect one reads it as part of the text.

Content

The digits or text to encode. Retail types validate length and compute the final check digit for you; a code that fails validation says why.

Bar Width

The width of the thinnest bar, settable in real millimeters. Scanners care about physical size, so setting print size directly avoids scaling surprises. The readout shows the total printed size.

Height

Bar height in millimeters. Taller bars scan more forgivingly at an angle.

Show Text

Prints the human-readable digits under the bars, the way retail labels do.

Quiet Zone

The blank margin around the code. Scanners need it to find the edges; turning it off is for layouts that already provide their own margin.

CSV Batch

Paste or upload a CSV and every row becomes a barcode in one ZIP, with per-row errors reported instead of a silent skip.

Download PNG / SVG, Copy PNG

The same geometry in both formats. SVG stays sharp at any print size. Copy PNG puts the image on the clipboard, ready to paste into a document or design tool.

Common Questions

Which type do I need?

EAN-13 or UPC-A for retail products, EAN-8 for packs too small for those, Code 128 for logistics and internal use, ITF-14 for shipping cartons, and Code 39 when a system specifically asks for it.

Can I make many at once?

Yes. Paste or upload a CSV and each row becomes a barcode, with per-row errors reported.