Free Barcode Generator
Beta
Beep! I mean, hello. Barcodes are my love language.
13 characters. Code 128 checks itself, nothing to add.
The bars are drawn as vector at the size you set, with the quiet zone on each side included. A retail number has to be one your company was issued by GS1; this encodes the number you own and never invents one.
BetaThis is in beta, so some things may not work yet. We’d love your feedback.Send feedback
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Pick the type, type the number, and get a barcode drawn as vector at the exact size you will print it, with the quiet zone that makes it scan.
Free blank templatesThe three things that make a barcode scan
Bars have to be crisp, so the code is drawn as vector here and never as a blurry image. There has to be a quiet zone, the clear margin on each side that tells the scanner where the code begins; it is built in and you cannot accidentally crop it. And the code has to be big enough: a retail UPC-A or EAN-13 below about 1.175 inches wide is outside the standard, and the tool warns you before you print thousands.
The check digit, and the number you are allowed to use
The last digit of a UPC or EAN is arithmetic: it is worked out from the ones before it, and a scanner uses it to catch a misread. Type the first eleven or twelve digits and the tool adds the right one. Type all of them and it tells you if the last one is wrong.
What the tool cannot do is give you a number. A retail barcode has to encode a number your company was issued by GS1. An invented one may collide with somebody else's product and a shop will not stock it. Use Code 128 for anything internal, where the number is simply yours.
Common questions
Questions about free barcode generator
Which barcode should I use?
Code 128 for anything inside your own business: cartons, asset tags, job numbers. UPC-A for US retail, EAN-13 outside the US, EAN-8 for small retail packs.
Does it work out the check digit?
Yes. Type the number without the last digit and it adds the correct one. Type the whole thing and it tells you if the last digit is wrong.
Can I make up a UPC number?
No. A retail barcode has to use a number issued to your company by GS1. This tool encodes the number you own and never invents one.
How small can a barcode be?
A UPC-A or EAN-13 at full standard size is about 1.47 in wide, and the standard allows down to 80% of that, about 1.175 in. Below that a shop scanner may refuse it. Code 128 has no retail minimum.
What file do I get?
A print-ready PDF at the exact size you set, or an SVG. Both are vector, so the bars stay sharp at any size.
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