Barcode generator
EAN-13 and EAN-8 for products, Code 39 for internal labels. The check digit is calculated automatically and the result downloads as SVG.
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What EAN is and who issues numbers
EAN-13 is thirteen digits: the first identify the registering country and the company, the next identify the product and the last is a check digit. The numbers are allocated by GS1, which assigns a prefix to a company; within that prefix the company numbers its own products.
Hence an important consequence: a code generated here is technically flawless and any scanner will read it, but it may belong to someone else’s product. For internal accounting, packaging mock-ups and scanner testing that does not matter; for retail it does.
Printing it so it scans
Do not shrink it too far. A standard EAN-13 is about 37 mm wide. Below 80 per cent of that the narrow bars start merging in print and the code stops scanning.
Leave quiet zones. Both ends need blank space at least ten narrow bars wide: that is how the scanner finds the edge of the code. It is the most common reason a neatly designed label refuses to scan.
Print black on white. Scanners see red bars as blank space, and a coloured background kills the contrast. Use the SVG rather than an image: raster bar edges blur.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell a product with this barcode?
Not unless the number was officially issued to you. EAN numbers are allocated by GS1: they assign a prefix to a company and you assign the rest. A code generated here is technically valid and scans correctly, but it may already belong to another product. Fine for internal use, mock-ups and testing; retail needs your own prefix.
What is the check digit?
The last digit, derived from the others: digits are summed with alternating weights of 1 and 3, and the check digit rounds the total up to a multiple of ten. Scanners recompute it and compare, which filters out misreads. We calculate it for you, so you enter twelve digits for EAN-13 and seven for EAN-8.
How does Code 39 differ from EAN?
Code 39 encodes letters, digits and a few symbols, needs no registration and has no fixed length, which makes it convenient for internal labels: inventory numbers, shelf tags, folder markings. The price of that flexibility is size — the same information takes noticeably more space than in EAN.
Why SVG rather than an image?
A barcode is made of lines, and in SVG they stay perfectly crisp at any size. A raster image blurs when printed on a label, and scanners are sensitive to soft bar edges.
How wide should it be printed?
The standard EAN-13 width is about 37 mm; going below 80 per cent of that risks the narrow bars merging. Leave quiet zones at both ends — at least ten narrow-bar widths — or the scanner will not find the edge of the code.
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