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Barcode Generator
Every common barcode: EAN, UPC, ISBN, Code 128, Code 39, ITF-14, GS1-128, Data Matrix, PDF417, Aztec and more, as PNG or SVG.
Free. Runs in your browser: nothing you enter or open is uploaded.
Loading the barcode engine...
Which barcode do I need?
- Selling products in shops or on Amazon
- Use EAN-13 (most of the world) or UPC-A (USA and Canada). The number itself must be issued to your company by GS1, the organisation that runs retail barcodes, through your country's GS1 office. A barcode made here from a number you invented will scan, but shops and marketplaces check numbers against the GS1 register and can reject or delist products that use one that is not yours. This tool draws the barcode; it cannot give you a number.
- Books, sheet music and magazines
- Use ISBN for books, ISMN for printed music and ISSN for magazines and journals. These numbers come from your national ISBN, ISMN or ISSN agency.
- Cartons, pallets and shipping
- ITF-14 is printed on outer cartons, SSCC-18 identifies a pallet or parcel, and GS1-128 carries extra data such as batch, weight and expiry dates. All of them build on numbers from GS1.
- Your own stock, assets, tickets or library
- Code 128 is the best general choice: compact and able to hold letters and numbers. Code 39 is older and wider but still common in industry and government. You can use any numbering you like.
- Lots of data or small items
- Use a 2D code. Data Matrix suits tiny parts and electronics, PDF417 is used on ID cards and boarding passes, Aztec on tickets, and QR Code for anything phones should open. For a styled QR code, use our QR Code Generator.
- Post and medicine
- Postal barcodes (USPS Intelligent Mail, Royal Mail, Australia Post, Japan Post) only work with values issued by that postal service. Pharmacode and Code 32 are for pharmaceutical packaging.
Before printing a batch, print one label at the final size and scan it with the scanner or app that will be used. Dark bars on a light background, a quiet zone on both sides and enough bar height make the biggest difference.
Barcodes are drawn in your browser by bwip-js (MIT licence), which is built on Barcode Writer in Pure PostScript by Terry Burton. Check digits are worked out by this page and, where you typed one, checked against the standard. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere. QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE. GS1, EAN and UPC are trademarks of GS1.
How to use it
- Choose the barcode type. Each type shows an example value and what it is used for.
- Type your value. The check digit is added for you where the standard has one, and the page says when it did; a wrong check digit is pointed out.
- Set the size, bar height, colours and rotation, then download a PNG for screens or an SVG for print.
Questions
Can I make my own EAN or UPC number?
You can draw any number, but to sell through shops or marketplaces the number must belong to your company in the GS1 register. Buy a company prefix or single numbers from your national GS1 office; resellers of unregistered numbers are often refused by large retailers.
What is a check digit?
The last digit of EAN, UPC, ISBN, ITF-14 and SSCC numbers is calculated from the others, so a scanner can spot a misread. Type the number without it and it is added; type it with one and the page checks it is right.
PNG or SVG?
SVG is a vector file that stays perfectly sharp at any size, which is best for print and label software. PNG is a normal image for screens, documents and web pages; choose a larger scale for print.
Why will my barcode not scan?
Usually it is printed too small, with too little blank space on each side, or in colours with weak contrast. Use dark bars on white, keep the quiet zone, and avoid red bars: many scanners use red light and cannot see them.