EAN-13

Barcode Generator

Generate production-ready barcodes in 20+ symbologies including EAN-13, UPC-A, Code 128, Data Matrix, and PDF417. Download as SVG or PNG …

Check Digit Calculator

Calculate and verify check digits for EAN-13, UPC-A, ISBN-13, ISSN, ITF-14, and SSCC barcodes. Step-by-step Modulo 10 calculation with visual …

GS1 Prefix Lookup

Look up the country of registration for any GS1 barcode prefix. Enter a barcode number or 3-digit prefix to find …

Barcode Reader

Scan and decode barcodes using your device camera or by uploading an image. Supports all major 1D and 2D symbologies …

Barcode Validator

Validate barcode data integrity across multiple symbologies. Checks format compliance, character set validity, check digit correctness, and data length requirements …

ISBN-10 / ISBN-13 Converter

Convert between ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 formats with automatic check digit recalculation. Validates input, shows the conversion steps, and generates the …

Barcode Print Size Calculator

Calculate the correct print dimensions for any barcode symbology at a given magnification factor. Shows minimum X dimension, height, quiet …

Symbology Recommender

Answer a series of questions about your data type, scanning environment, label space, and industry to get a personalized barcode …

Batch Barcode Generator

Upload a CSV file of barcode data and generate barcodes in bulk. Supports multiple symbologies per batch, custom label layouts, …

What Is a Barcode? A Complete Introduction

A beginner-friendly explanation of what barcodes are, how they encode data into visual patterns, and why they remain essential after …

1D vs 2D Barcodes: Key Differences Explained

A side-by-side comparison of one-dimensional linear barcodes and two-dimensional matrix codes, covering data capacity, scanning, and use cases.

How Barcode Scanners Work: Lasers, Imagers & Cameras

The technology behind barcode reading — from laser scanners and CCD imagers to smartphone cameras and machine-vision systems.

Barcode Anatomy: Bars, Spaces, Quiet Zones & Check Digits

A visual tour of every component in a barcode symbol — start/stop patterns, data characters, quiet zones, and the check …

Check Digit Algorithms: How Barcodes Prevent Errors

A practical guide to Modulo 10, Modulo 43, and Modulo 103 check digit calculations with step-by-step worked examples.

Choosing the Right Barcode Format for Your Project

A decision framework for selecting the best barcode symbology based on data type, scanning environment, label size, and industry requirements.

Barcode Data Capacity: How Much Can Each Format Store?

A comparative reference of data capacity across 30 barcode symbologies — from 8-digit UPC-E to 7,089-character QR codes.

Understanding Barcode Symbology Standards (ISO/IEC)

A guide to the ISO/IEC standards that define barcode symbology specifications, from ISO 15420 (EAN/UPC) to ISO 16022 (Data Matrix).

GS1 Barcodes Explained: The Global Language of Commerce

An introduction to the GS1 system — company prefixes, GTINs, application identifiers, and how 2 million+ companies use GS1 barcodes.

Fixed-Length vs Variable-Length Barcodes

The engineering trade-offs between fixed-length symbologies like EAN-13 and variable-length formats like Code 128.

Barcode Number Systems: GTIN, UPC, EAN & ISBN

How product numbering systems assign unique identifiers — GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13, GTIN-14, and the relationship between UPC, EAN, and ISBN.

Getting Your First Barcode: A Step-by-Step Guide

A practical walkthrough for businesses obtaining their first GS1 company prefix, generating GTINs, and printing production-ready barcodes.

EAN-13 Deep Dive: The World's Most Scanned Barcode

Complete technical reference for EAN-13: encoding tables, L/G/R parity patterns, check digit calculation, and global retail implementation.

UPC-A & UPC-E: North American Product Barcodes

Technical guide to UPC-A and its zero-suppressed companion UPC-E — encoding rules, conversion algorithms, and the UPC-to-EAN migration.

ISBN & ISSN Barcodes: Identifying Books & Periodicals

How ISBN-13 and ISSN barcodes work: the Bookland EAN prefix (978/979), supplemental 2/5-digit add-ons, and the ISBN-10 to ISBN-13 transition.

GS1 Company Prefix: Your Unique Barcode Identity

How to obtain and manage a GS1 Company Prefix — prefix lengths, annual fees, capacity planning, and assigning GTINs to …

GTIN Explained: The Global Trade Item Number System

The complete GTIN reference: GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13, GTIN-14 — structure, allocation rules, and how GTINs flow through the supply chain.

GS1 Prefix Allocation: How Country Codes Work

The GS1 prefix system explained: how 3-digit prefixes are allocated to 115+ countries, what they mean (and don't mean) about …

Variable Measure Items: Weight, Length & Price Barcodes

How to encode weight, count, and price in barcodes for variable-measure products — GS1 prefix 2x, GS1 DataBar Expanded, and …

Barcode Master Data: GDSN & Product Data Synchronization

How the Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) ensures barcode master data is consistent across trading partners worldwide.

GS1 Verify & GEPIR: Validating Barcodes Online

How to use GS1 Verify and GEPIR to validate barcode numbers, look up company information, and verify GTIN assignments.

Sunrise 2027: The QR Code Transition in Retail

GS1's Sunrise 2027 initiative to enable 2D barcodes at retail point-of-sale — timeline, retailer readiness, and the path from EAN-13 …

GS1 Standards for E-Commerce & Marketplace Sellers

Why Amazon, Walmart, and eBay require GTINs, how to list products with GS1 barcodes, and GTIN exemption policies for private-label …

How Point-of-Sale Barcode Scanning Works

The end-to-end POS scanning workflow: from laser hit to database lookup, price display, and inventory decrement — in under 200 …

UPC vs EAN: Why North America Switched to 13 Digits

The history and technical details of the 2005 UPC-to-EAN migration that unified global retail scanning under the 13-digit GTIN format.

Self-Checkout Barcode Systems: Design & Challenges

How self-checkout kiosks handle barcode scanning — omnidirectional scanners, weight verification, produce PLU codes, and loss prevention.

In-Store Barcodes: Shelf Labels, Price Tags & Loyalty Cards

All the barcodes inside a retail store — electronic shelf labels, markdown tags, loyalty card codes, and internal inventory barcodes.

Fresh Produce & Deli Barcodes: PLU, Variable Weight & Price

Barcoding fresh items: PLU codes for loose produce, variable-weight price labels from scales, and GS1 DataBar for the next generation.

Retail Inventory Management with Barcodes

How retailers use barcode scanning for cycle counts, receiving, transfers, returns, and real-time inventory visibility across channels.

Omnichannel Barcodes: BOPIS, Ship-from-Store & Returns

How barcodes enable buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS), ship-from-store fulfillment, and cross-channel return processing.

Private Label Barcodes: When You Control the Supply Chain

Barcode strategies for private-label and store-brand products — in-house GS1 prefixes, internal numbering, and supplier coordination.

Barcode Scanner Hardware for Retail: Buyer's Guide

How to choose retail barcode scanners — handheld vs presentation, wired vs wireless, 1D vs 2D capable, and top considerations …

Age-Restricted Products: Barcode Compliance for Alcohol & Tobacco

How barcodes trigger age-verification prompts at POS — regulatory requirements, scanner configuration, and audit trail management.

Gift Cards & Prepaid Barcodes: Activation & Redemption

How gift cards and prepaid products use barcodes for activation at POS, balance tracking, and multi-retailer redemption networks.

Barcode Label Printing for Retail: In-Store & Vendor

Barcode label creation for retail — thermal printers, label design software, GS1 compliance, and vendor labeling requirements.

Shrink & Loss Prevention: Barcodes as Security Tools

How barcodes help reduce retail shrink — SKU-level tracking, exception-based reporting, anti-sweep scanning, and EAS tag integration.

Retail Analytics from Barcode Data: Sales & Basket Analysis

Turning POS barcode scan data into business intelligence — SKU velocity, basket analysis, planogram compliance, and demand forecasting.

ISO/IEC 15416: Barcode Print Quality Grading Explained

The ISO/IEC 15416 standard for 1D barcode verification — ABCDF grading, scan reflectance profiles, and the eight quality parameters.

Quiet Zone Violations: The #1 Barcode Print Failure

Why insufficient quiet zones cause more scan failures than any other print issue — measurement rules, common causes, and design …

Barcode Color Contrast: Which Colors Scan & Which Don't

The physics of barcode color scanning — spectral reflectance at 660nm, safe color combinations, and the colors that guarantee scan …

Inkjet & Laser Barcode Printing: What You Need to Know

Printing barcodes on desktop inkjet and laser printers — DPI requirements, toner vs ink considerations, and when to use professional …

Barcode Size & Magnification: Getting the Dimensions Right

Barcode sizing rules — X dimension, magnification factors (80%-200%), height requirements, and minimum sizes by symbology and application.

Barcode Verifier vs Scanner: Why You Need Both

The critical difference between barcode scanners and verifiers — why passing a scanner test doesn't guarantee quality, and when verification …

Troubleshooting Barcode Scan Failures: A Diagnostic Guide

A systematic approach to diagnosing barcode scan failures — common causes, visual inspection, verifier readings, and corrective actions.

GS1 General Specifications for Symbol Production

The GS1 General Specifications for barcode symbol production — target sizes, placement rules, human-readable text, and packaging artwork guidelines.

Smartphone Barcode Scanning: Camera APIs & Libraries

Building barcode scanning into mobile apps — iOS Vision framework, Android ML Kit, web-based ZXing.js, and performance optimization.

Barcode Scanning in Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

Implementing barcode scanning in PWAs using the Web API — BarcodeDetector API, camera access, polyfills, and cross-browser compatibility.

Augmented Reality & Barcodes: Product Visualization

Using barcodes as AR triggers — scanning a product barcode to launch 3D models, nutritional info overlays, and virtual try-on …

Barcode Generation APIs: Building Server-Side Barcode Services

Building barcode generation services with Python, Node.js, and Java — library comparison, SVG vs PNG output, and REST API design …

Barcode Scanner Configuration: Prefixes, Suffixes & Parsing

Configuring barcode scanners for your application — programming barcodes, prefix/suffix settings, keystroke emulation, and data parsing rules.

Barcode Validation & Error Handling in Software

Implementing barcode validation in application code — check digit verification, format validation, error handling, and user feedback patterns.

Batch Barcode Processing: CSV Import & Bulk Generation

Processing barcodes in bulk — CSV import parsing, batch generation workflows, parallel processing, and quality validation at scale.

Barcode Scanning in iOS & Android: Native Development

Native mobile barcode scanning — AVFoundation on iOS, CameraX on Android, real-time overlay rendering, and multi-code scanning.

Migrating Barcode Systems: Version Upgrades & Format Changes

Planning barcode system migrations — transitioning symbologies, dual-encoding periods, database schema changes, and scanner firmware updates.

The Barcode Wars: UPC vs European Article Number

How the US-centric UPC and the European EAN competed and ultimately unified under GS1 — standards politics, digit expansion, and …

Barcode Art: When Identification Becomes Creative Expression

The intersection of barcodes and art — Scott Blake's barcode portraits, vanity barcodes, packaging design, and the cultural symbolism of …

50 Years of Barcodes: A Timeline of Key Milestones

A visual timeline of barcode history from 1948 to 2024 — inventions, standards, scandals, and the technology milestones that shaped …