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Barcode Generator

Paste values, one per line. Get EAN, UPC, ISBN, Code 128 or QR barcodes as SVG or PNG. Nothing leaves your browser.

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About Barcode Generator

Updated

Barcode Generator draws barcodes from a list. Type or paste one value per line: a product number, a book number, a carton number, text or a link. Each line becomes a barcode in the grid, ready to download as SVG or PNG, one at a time or all together in a ZIP file.

Before it draws a retail barcode, the tool checks the number. A missing check digit is added. A wrong check digit is never drawn: the card shows the right number, and Fix check digits corrects every wrong one in the list. It is free for any use, with no sign-up and no watermark.

How to use it

  • Type or paste values, one per line, or open a .txt or .csv file. Lines that start with # are skipped.
  • Leave the type on Auto to let each line pick its own type, or choose one type for the whole list in the Result header.
  • Set the size, the text under the bars and the colours in Options.
  • Download one barcode with its SVG or PNG button, or every barcode with Download all.

Which barcode do I need?

  • EAN-13 (13 digits): products in shops in most of the world.
  • UPC-A (12 digits): products in shops in the United States and Canada. UPC-E is its short form for small packs.
  • EAN-8 (8 digits): very small packs, when GS1 gives you an EAN-8 number.
  • ISBN: books. Type it with dashes to print "ISBN 978-..." above the bars. An old ISBN-10 is drawn as its ISBN-13.
  • ITF-14 (14 digits): outer cartons, printed straight onto cardboard.
  • GS1-128: logistics labels with AIs (Application Identifiers), such as (01) product, (17) expiry date and (10) batch.
  • Code 128: in-house text and numbers, such as asset tags and order numbers. Code 39 is an older type for capitals and digits.
  • QR code, Data Matrix and PDF417: 2D codes for links, long text and ID cards. Data Matrix with GS1 data in brackets becomes GS1 Data Matrix.

The number comes first

A barcode only draws a number. For products sold in shops, that number must come from GS1. A made-up EAN or UPC can belong to another company's product, and shops and marketplaces refuse it. Sellers who offer cheap barcodes without a GS1 membership often resell numbers that are registered to someone else.

Numbers that stay inside one company are free to choose. EAN-13 numbers that start with 200 to 299 are for use inside your own store, and Code 128 takes any text you need.

Each size makes every bar a whole number of printer dots at 300 dpi, so the bars print sharp. Normal (0.34 mm per bar) is close to the 100% size of an EAN-13. Large (0.51 mm) suits labels read from a distance. Small (0.25 mm) is below the GS1 minimum for checkouts, so keep it for in-house labels.

Every barcode comes with white space around it, the quiet zone. Scanners need it to find where the code starts and ends. Do not place text or lines in it, and do not crop the image. To print label sheets, or to set sizes in millimetres for a label printer, use the EANcheck barcode generator.

SVG or PNG

SVG files are drawn with lines, so they stay sharp at any size, and design programs can change their colours. PNG files are images made at 300 dpi; the resolution is written in the file, so Word and label programs print them at the size you chose, not three times too big.

Common mistakes

A wrong check digit

The last digit of an EAN or UPC is calculated from the others. When it does not match, the number was typed wrong, and the tool does not draw it.

Invalid
5901234123450
Fixed
5901234123457

GS1 data without brackets

GS1-128 needs each AI in brackets, so the tool knows where each value starts.

Invalid
0109501101530003172712311042
Fixed
(01)09501101530003(17)271231(10)42

To check a list of numbers without drawing them, use the Barcode Validator.

Barcode resources

Barcode Generator FAQ

Is this barcode generator free for commercial use?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many barcodes you make. The files are yours to print on products, labels and packaging. The drawing library, bwip-js, is open source under the MIT licence.

Can I make up my own EAN or UPC number?

Not for products sold in other people's shops. Retail numbers come from GS1: you get a company prefix and give each product its own number from it. Shops and marketplaces such as Amazon check numbers against GS1 data.

Inside your own store you may use in-store numbers: EAN-13 numbers that start with 200 to 299, or UPC-A numbers that start with 2. For asset tags, tickets and anything else that stays in-house, use Code 128 with any text.

Which barcode type should I use?

EAN-13 for products sold in shops outside North America, UPC-A inside it, ISBN for books, ITF-14 for outer cartons, GS1-128 for logistics labels with batch and expiry data, Code 128 for in-house text and numbers, and QR code for links. Auto picks a type for each line from what you type.

Should I download SVG or PNG?

SVG for print and design programs: it is drawn with lines, so it stays sharp at any size. PNG for Word, label programs and websites. Both come out at the same size, because the PNG is made at 300 dpi and says so in the file.

What size should I print a barcode?

For EAN-13 and UPC-A at checkouts, GS1 sets the width of one bar between 0.264 mm and 0.660 mm, with 0.330 mm as the normal size. Normal here is 0.34 mm and Large is 0.51 mm. Small (0.25 mm) is below the retail minimum: use it only for in-house labels.

Keep the white space around the barcode (the quiet zone) free of text and lines, and do not cut the bars shorter.

Does my data leave my browser?

No. The barcodes are drawn in your browser, and the files are made there too. Nothing you type is sent to a server or stored.

How do I make many barcodes at once?

Paste one value per line, up to 5,000 lines, or open a .txt or .csv file. Every line becomes a card in the grid. Download all puts every barcode in one ZIP file, as SVG or PNG.

Why does a line get no barcode?

The number cannot be what it says. The most common reasons are a wrong check digit, a digit too many or too few, a character the type cannot hold (Code 39 has no small letters), or GS1 data with an impossible date. The card and the Notes tab say what is wrong, and Fix check digits corrects wrong check digits for you.