Barcode generator
Create retail and logistics barcodes and download them as PNG. Generated locally.
Letters, numbers and symbols · generated on your device
How it works
- Type the number or text to encode.
- Pick the barcode format — Code 128 accepts any text; retail formats like EAN-13 expect a fixed number of digits.
- Click Download to save the barcode as a PNG.
Frequently asked questions
- Which format should I use?
- For products sold in stores, use EAN-13 (worldwide) or UPC-A (US). For internal inventory, shipping labels or anything containing letters, Code 128 is the most compact and widely supported choice.
- Why does EAN-13 reject my number?
- EAN-13 encodes exactly 12 digits you provide plus a check digit that is calculated automatically. If you enter 13 digits, the last one must match the calculated check digit.
- Can I print these barcodes?
- Yes. The PNG downloads at high resolution and scans reliably when printed at 3 cm wide or larger with good contrast.
- Do I need to register my barcode?
- Only for retail. EAN-13 and UPC-A numbers used in stores must come from GS1, the global numbering authority, so scanners worldwide resolve them to your product. For internal inventory, assets or shipping labels you can invent any numbering scheme you like.
- Barcode or QR code — which should I use?
- Traditional 1D barcodes hold a short identifier and are read by the laser scanners used at tills and in warehouses. QR codes hold far more data and are read by cameras. If your hardware is a till or handheld laser scanner, use a barcode; for phones, use a QR code.
About this tool
Each barcode format has a job. Code 128 encodes any text or numbers compactly and is the default for logistics, internal inventory and shipping labels. Code 39 is an older alphanumeric format still required by some legacy and industrial systems. EAN-13 (worldwide) and UPC-A (United States) are the retail formats scanned at every till, and ITF-14 marks the outer cartons and cases those products ship in. Choosing correctly matters, because scanner firmware is often configured to accept only the symbologies it expects.
Retail formats are built around a check digit: the final digit of an EAN-13 or UPC-A code is computed from the others, letting scanners instantly reject misreads. This tool calculates it for you — enter the 12 digits of an EAN-13 and the thirteenth appears automatically. Note that a barcode only identifies a product inside a database; to sell in stores, the number itself must be assigned by GS1, the global numbering authority. For internal use — assets, warehouse bins, member cards — any scheme you invent is fine, and Code 128 is usually the best carrier for it.
The barcode downloads as a high-resolution PNG with generation happening entirely in your browser. For reliable scanning, print at 3 cm wide or more, keep strong contrast between bars and background, leave clear space either side of the code, and avoid scaling the image down so far that thin bars blur together. Bar width, not height, carries the data, so a code can be trimmed vertically if label space is tight. Test with your actual scanner hardware before printing labels in volume.