Barcode Generator

EAN-13 is the 13-digit retail standard scanned at point-of-sale tills worldwide; its number is assigned by GS1 and it is purpose-built for products sold in shops. Code 128 is a flexible, high-density symbology that encodes digits, letters, and symbols, making it the usual choice for internal SKUs, asset tags, and shipping references where you control the numbering. The simplest rule: if a code must scan at a retail checkout, use EAN-13 (or UPC-A in North America); for everything in-house, Code 128 is more compact and accepts text. Picking the wrong one means a reprint when the scanner refuses it. This generator supports both formats plus EAN-8, UPC-E, Code 39, ITF-14, and more, so you can select the right symbology from a dropdown and preview it before printing.

A check digit is the final digit of EAN and UPC codes, computed mathematically from the preceding numbers. The scanner recalculates it on read and rejects the code if it does not match, which is how it catches a misread or a typo before bad data enters a till system. Because it follows a fixed formula, an incorrect check digit makes the whole barcode invalid even if every other digit is right. This generator validates your input against each format's rules in real time: for EAN and UPC it verifies the trailing check digit and, when it is wrong, suggests the correct one so the printed label will actually scan. Enter your product number above and the tool confirms the math for you, removing the most common reason a freshly printed barcode fails at the checkout.

Regular one-dimensional barcodes like EAN, UPC, and Code 128 store data in the width of their bars, so they hold a short string of digits or letters and are read by retail and warehouse scanners. QR codes are two-dimensional and hold far more information, including full website links, Wi-Fi credentials, and contact details, and they scan instantly from a phone camera. Use a 1D barcode when the value feeds a point-of-sale or inventory system that expects a product number; choose a QR code when you want a person to open a link, join a network, or save a contact by pointing their phone at it. This tool includes a dedicated QR builder that assembles URL, Wi-Fi, vCard, or plain-text codes with selectable error-correction levels from L to H, alongside its eleven barcode symbologies.

Choose SVG whenever the barcode will be printed. SVG is a vector format, so the bars stay perfectly crisp at any size, from a small shelf tag to a large carton label, with no blurring or jagged edges when scaled. PNG is a fixed-resolution raster image: it is fine for screens, slides, and web pages, but enlarging it past its native size softens the bars and can hurt scan reliability. A clean, high-contrast print is what lets a scanner read a code on the first pass, which is why print shops prefer vector files. This generator exports PNG, resolution-independent SVG, and compressed WebP, and you can also copy the image to your clipboard or send it straight to your printer. For printed labels, pick SVG; for quick on-screen use, PNG is the convenient option.

Most scan failures come from physical print problems rather than wrong data. The biggest culprit is the quiet zone, the blank margin on each side of the bars; if it is too narrow the scanner cannot find where the code starts and stops. Low contrast also breaks reads, so keep dark bars on a light background and avoid coloured or transparent fills behind the bars. Printing too small, scaling a low-resolution raster image up, or using the wrong symbology for the scanner all cause refusals too. This generator helps you avoid these: it lets you set the quiet-zone margin, bar width and height, use real-world size presets, control bar and background colours, and export sharp SVG for clean printing. Adjust the margin and size above, print at full resolution, and test the result before running a full batch.