Barcode Generator
Make a scannable Code 128 or EAN-13 barcode and download it.
About this barcode generator
Type the value and a scannable barcode is drawn immediately. Two symbologies are covered: Code 128, which encodes any text and is what shipping labels, warehouse tags and internal asset numbers use; and EAN-13, the thirteen-digit retail barcode found on almost every product in a shop.
Download as PNG for documents and labels, or SVG for print โ SVG stays crisp at any size, which matters because a barcode printed from a scaled-up bitmap often will not scan.
Code 128 or EAN-13?
Use Code 128 for anything internal: order numbers, asset tags, shelf locations, batch codes, ticket references. It handles letters, digits and punctuation, has no fixed length, and is dense.
Use EAN-13 only for retail products, and only with a number you are entitled to use. Retail barcodes are built from a GS1 company prefix, which is issued to a business โ you cannot invent one. Making up a thirteen-digit number produces a barcode that scans perfectly and means nothing, or worse, collides with someone else's product. Type the first twelve digits and the check digit is calculated for you.
Printing a barcode that actually scans
Three things break barcodes in practice. First, the quiet zone: the blank margin either side is part of the symbol, not padding, and cropping it stops scanners finding the code. The slider controls it; leave it at ten modules or more.
Second, resolution. Print from the SVG, or from a PNG generated at the size you are printing. Scaling a small bitmap up blurs the bar edges, and a scanner reads edges.
Third, contrast. Black on white scans; light grey on cream does not, and red bars are invisible to the red lasers most scanners use. If you need a code that carries a URL or more than a few dozen characters, use the QR code generator instead โ barcodes are one-dimensional and run out of room quickly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Code 128 and EAN-13?
Code 128 encodes any text at any length and is used for internal and shipping labels. EAN-13 is exactly thirteen digits and is the retail product barcode you see in shops.
Can I make my own EAN-13 barcode for a product?
You can generate one here, but selling a product in shops needs a number based on a GS1 company prefix issued to your business. An invented number may duplicate somebody else's.
What is the check digit?
The last digit of an EAN-13, calculated from the other twelve. It lets a scanner detect a misread. Type twelve digits and it is worked out and appended for you.
Why won't my printed barcode scan?
Usually the quiet zone has been cropped, the image was scaled up from a small bitmap, or the contrast is too low. Print from the SVG, keep the blank margins, and use black on white.
Should I use PNG or SVG?
SVG for anything printed โ it stays sharp at any size. PNG is fine for screens and for pasting into a document at its natural size.