Barcode Generator
Code 128 or EAN-13
Code 128 encodes letters, digits and punctuation, at any length. It is what you want for anything inside your own business: stock codes, asset tags, shelf labels, job numbers. Nobody has to allocate you anything.
EAN-13 is the retail barcode on packaged goods. Exactly thirteen digits, with the last one calculated from the other twelve. The number itself must be allocated to you through GS1 — a made-up one may scan perfectly and still belong to another company, which is a problem discovered at a checkout rather than at your desk.
The quiet zone is part of the barcode
The white space either side is not a margin, it is how a scanner finds the start and end. Cropping tightly to the bars is the single most common reason a printed barcode will not read. Leave it.
Printing so it scans
- Use the SVG for printing — it stays sharp at any size.
- Print at full quality. Draft mode blurs the bar edges.
- Keep it flat and matt. Curved and shiny surfaces scatter the beam.
- Test before a long run. Scan one with a phone app first.
Barcodes hold a number, not information
A barcode is a way of writing a code that a machine can read quickly. It has no built-in meaning, no price and no product name — those live in your system, looked up by the code. Nothing here is stored or transmitted.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Code 128 for anything internal — stock codes, asset tags, shelf labels — because it takes letters and digits and any length. EAN-13 only if you are labelling a retail product, since it must be exactly thirteen digits and the number has to be one issued to you.
You can generate one that scans, but you must not put it on a product for sale. Retail EAN numbers are allocated through GS1, and an invented one may already belong to someone else — which causes real problems at a till. For internal use, Code 128 has no such restriction.
Yes, if printed large enough and with the white space around it left alone. The quiet zone on either side is part of the barcode: crop it off and scanners fail. Test with a phone scanner app before printing a few hundred.
SVG for printing — it stays sharp at any size, which is what matters on a label. PNG for putting into a document or a system that will not take vector files.
Usually too small, printed at low resolution, or the quiet zone has been cropped. Increase the bar width, print at full quality, and leave the margin. A shiny or curved surface also defeats scanners.
No. The barcode is drawn in your browser and nothing is uploaded, so stock codes and asset numbers stay with you.