Make Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, EAN-8 and UPC barcodes and download them as PNG images.
If the barcode is only for you (stock bins, asset tags, tickets, shipping labels you print yourself), use Code 128. It takes letters, digits and most symbols, packs them tightly, and practically every scanner in use today reads it.
Code 39 is older and much wider for the same data. It only supports capital letters, digits, space and a handful of symbols (lowercase is turned into capitals for you). Pick it when an existing system or a customer's spec asks for it, which still happens in some warehouses and on older forms.
EAN-13 (used in most of the world) and UPC-A (mainly the US and Canada) are the numbers printed on retail packaging. EAN-8 is the short version for very small packs. These formats only hold digits, and the last digit is a check digit calculated from the others. Type 12 digits for EAN-13, 11 for UPC-A or 7 for EAN-8 and the tool adds the check digit. If you type the full length yourself, the check digit has to be right or you'll get an error.
This trips a lot of people up. The tool will draw any valid EAN or UPC number, but that doesn't mean the number belongs to you. Retailers and marketplaces such as Amazon check product codes against the GS1 database, and the only way to get numbers registered to your company is to license them from GS1 or your country's GS1 office.
For anything that never leaves your own business, like internal SKUs, library cards, event tickets or warehouse locations, you don't need GS1 at all. Use Code 128 with whatever numbering you like.
Most scanning problems come from printing, not from the barcode. Keep the bars black on a white background; pale colours or a dark background often won't read. Leave white space on both sides (the tool adds a margin, so don't crop it off). And don't squash the image in another program to make it fit, because changing the ratio between thin and thick bars can make it unreadable. Use the width slider here instead.
On a label printer, a bar width of 2 or 3 at the default height suits most 50 mm labels. Print one test label and scan it with your phone before printing a few hundred.
No. This tool only makes 1D (linear) barcodes. For a QR code, use our QR Code Generator, which also lets you change the colours and size.
When you enter all 13 digits, the last one is a check digit and has to match the first 12. A typo anywhere will make it fail. Enter only the first 12 digits and the tool works out the correct check digit for you.
Only if the number itself comes from GS1 and is licensed to you. The image this tool makes is fine; the problem is the number. Made-up or resold EAN and UPC numbers get listings removed.
A PNG at the size you see in the preview. To make it bigger without blurring, raise the bar width and height before downloading rather than stretching the PNG afterwards.
No. The barcode is drawn in your browser with the JsBarcode library, and nothing you type leaves your device.
OneClickly is a set of 119 free tools for PDFs, images, text, everyday math and code. They run in your browser, so the files and text you work with stay on your device.