Barcode Generator

A barcode generator draws the familiar pattern of black bars that scanners read as numbers or text. Small businesses use barcodes for inventory and stock labels, shipping and courier slips, library and asset tags, and for printing product codes they've licensed for retail.

This generator supports three of the most used linear barcodes: Code 128 for any short text, and EAN-13 and UPC-A for retail products. It calculates and checks the check digit, lets you set the bar width and height and whether to print the text, and downloads the result as SVG or PNG. No library or upload is involved.

Code 128 encodes letters, digits and symbols compactly and is the standard for shipping labels, warehouse bins and asset tags; long runs of digits are packed two per symbol. EAN-13 is the 13-digit product code on retail goods; Indian products registered with GS1 India start with 890. UPC-A is its 12-digit North American form.

The last EAN digit is a check digit: weight the first 12 digits alternately 1 and 3, add them up, and take what's needed to reach the next multiple of 10. Scanners use it to catch misreads. To sell products in shops you need numbers issued by GS1, not invented ones.