Picking the right format first
The page draws eleven formats. Most people need only one or two, and the choice depends on where the barcode will be scanned.
| Format | Holds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Code 128 | Letters, digits, symbols | Your own stock, files, asset tags, shipping labels |
| EAN-13 | 13 digits | Retail packs in India and most countries |
| EAN-8 | 8 digits | Very small retail packs |
| UPC-A and UPC-E | 12 and 8 digits | Retail in the US and Canada |
| ISBN | ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 | Books, drawn as EAN-13 |
| ITF-14 | 14 digits | Outer cartons and cases |
| Code 39 | A to Z, 0 to 9, a few symbols | ID badges, older industrial systems |
| Codabar, MSI, Pharmacode | Digits | Libraries, shelf labels, pharmaceutical packaging |
If nothing outside your own shop or office will ever scan it, choose Code 128. It packs digits tightly and nearly every scanner reads it.
Numbers from GS1 are a separate matter
This page draws the picture. It does not issue numbers. A barcode on a retail pack (EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC, ITF-14) must carry a number licensed from GS1, which is GS1 India if you sell in India. You get a company prefix, then give each product and pack size its own number under it.
Supermarket chains and online marketplaces check these numbers, so an invented one can clash with someone else's product and get your listing rejected. For stock that stays inside your own business, no licence is needed.
A barcode also does not carry a price. It stores a product number, and the billing software looks up the MRP. Print the MRP as ordinary text on the label.
How the check digit works
The last digit of EAN, UPC, ITF-14 and ISBN is a check digit. Leave it off and the page adds it. Type all of it and the page checks it, then tells you if it is wrong.
By hand: multiply the first 12 digits alternately by 1 and 3, starting from the left, and add them up. The check digit is whatever brings the total to the next multiple of 10. For 400638133393 the sum is 89, so the check digit is 1 and the full number is 4006381333931.
The first digits of an EAN-13 are a GS1 prefix. In India it is 890. That shows where the number was registered, not where the product was made.
Two things people get wrong
First, stretching. A barcode dropped into a design file and resized only sideways has bars of the wrong ratio, and scanners then reject it. Keep the proportions locked, or change width and height in the settings here instead.
Second, a UPC-A is simply an EAN-13 with a leading zero. A US-bound product can therefore be drawn in either format, and checkout scanners accept both. Pick the one your buyer asked for.
Thermal label printers add a third trap. They print in whole dots, so a bar width that falls between dot sizes blurs the thin bars. Try a width that is a clean multiple of your printer's dot size, print one label, and scan it.
Making a barcode
- Choose the format and type the number or text.
- Set bar width, height and margin. Show or hide the digits under the bars, and set their font size.
- Change bar and background colour if you must. Dark bars on white are safest.
- Download PNG, SVG or JPG, or print from the page.
The image is drawn in your browser and the numbers you type are not sent to this site. For a whole list of values, the bulk barcode generator makes up to 1000 at a time.
Books and ISBN
Choose ISBN and enter an ISBN-10 or ISBN-13, with or without hyphens. The page converts it to the EAN-13 that starts with 978 or 979. For example, 0-306-40615-2 becomes 978-0-306-40615-7, with the check digit recalculated.
The ISBN itself comes from your country's national agency. In India that is the Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency for ISBN. This page makes the main barcode only and does not add the small price add-on some bookshops use.
Size and print
Printing at home on an inkjet works for a shelf label or a file folder. For packaging that goes to a press, ask the printer which resolution and colour mode they want before you export.
At full size an EAN-13 is about 37.3 mm wide and 25.9 mm tall including the digits, and retail packs are usually printed between 80% and 200% of that. Scale width and height together and do not crop the height to save space.
Send your designer the SVG so the bars stay crisp. Keep the empty margin on both sides, avoid red bars since many scanners use red light, and test a printed label with the scanner before a full run. If people will scan with phones, a QR code holds much more than any of these.
Frequently asked questions
Which format for my own inventory?
Code 128. It takes letters and numbers, produces a compact barcode and is read by nearly every scanner.
Can I sell products with a barcode made here?
Only if the number is licensed from GS1 (GS1 India in India). The image is fine, but retailers verify the number itself.
Do I need to type the check digit?
No. For EAN, UPC, ITF-14 and ISBN you can leave the last digit off and it is added. If you type it, it is validated.
Can I hide the digits underneath?
Yes, switch off the readable text. On retail packs keep it, because staff type the number when a scan fails.
Is an ISBN different from its barcode?
The ISBN is the number, thirteen digits on current books. The barcode is that same number drawn as bars, so a bookshop scanner can read it at the counter.
Will a barcode show the price?
No. It carries a product number only, and the shop software finds the price.
Updated 2026-10-14