How to Create Barcodes for Products and Labels (Code 128, EAN-13, UPC)

Barcodes let a scanner read a product, a shelf, a parcel or a file in a fraction of a second. For a small shop, a warehouse or an online seller, they save time at the counter, reduce mistakes in counting stock and are required by marketplaces. The free Barcode Generator creates them in your browser.

Quick answer

Pick a format, paste your codes (one per line) and download one image for each, or print a full page of labels on A4 or US Letter. Everything is created in your browser.

Which barcode format should you use?

If you only need to label your own stock, Code 128 is the easiest. If you sell through retail chains, you normally need official EAN or UPC numbers.

Important: where official numbers come from

An EAN or UPC is not just any number. For products sold in stores and many marketplaces, the numbers must be registered with the official global standards organisation (GS1) so that they are unique to your product. Making up a number can conflict with someone else's product. For internal tracking, use Code 128 with your own codes.

How to create barcodes, step by step

1. Open the Barcode Generator.
2. Choose the format.
3. Type or paste your codes, one per line.
4. Choose whether to show the text under each barcode.
5. Download PNG or SVG for each code, or a sheet of labels to print.

Printing labels

For labels, choose the sheet option and the paper size (A4 or US Letter). A page can hold about 30 labels in three columns by ten rows, which matches common label sheets. Before you print a whole run:

• Print one page on plain paper and place it over a label sheet against a light to check alignment.
• Print at 100 percent with no scaling.
• Test the scan with a phone or a scanner.

Tips for barcodes that scan

• Keep high contrast: black bars on a white background.
• Leave quiet space to the left and right of the bars.
• Do not stretch the barcode to a different aspect ratio.
• Do not print too small, especially on rough paper.
• Protect the label from smudging and moisture.

A simple stock system

1. Give every product a unique code.
2. Print a label and stick it on the item or shelf.
3. Record quantity and price against the code in a spreadsheet.
4. Scan to find or update items quickly.

For price tags and margins, see the Margin and Markup Calculator. To link a code to a web page instead, make a QR code.

Choosing between a barcode and a QR code

Use barcodes for stock and checkout, and QR codes when people will scan with their phones.

Setting up a simple inventory with barcodes

1. Make a list of products with a unique code for each.
2. Generate the barcodes and print labels.
3. Attach labels to products or shelves.
4. Record stock in a spreadsheet with code, name, price and quantity.
5. Scan during sale and receiving, and update quantities.
6. Count stock periodically and fix differences.

Label printing tips

• Use label sheets that match your layout, such as 30 per A4 page.
• Print at 100 percent scale with no margins added by the printer.
• Use a laser printer for sharp bars, or a thermal label printer for volume.
• Check one label with a scanner before printing hundreds.
• Keep the barcode away from folds and curved edges where it may not scan.

Selling online

Marketplaces often require specific codes: EAN or UPC for retail listings, and their own codes for fulfilment services. Read the marketplace's current requirements, and make sure that your codes are unique and valid for the product.

For stock pricing and margins, use the Margin and Markup Calculator, and for paperwork, the Receipt Maker and Invoice Maker.

Quick checklist

1. Choose the right format.
2. Use unique codes.
3. Test scans before printing in bulk.
4. Record codes against products.

A worked example: a small grocery store

A shopkeeper has about 300 products, many without barcodes from the supplier. For loose items such as rice and lentils sold by weight, he creates Code 128 labels with his own codes, such as RICE-01 and DAL-02. He prints sheets of labels, sticks them to shelves and containers and records code, name and price in a spreadsheet. At the counter, he scans each code and a simple sheet or cash register app looks up the price. Counting stock each Sunday takes half the time it did before, and mistakes in prices have almost disappeared.

What to watch out for

• Products from suppliers already carry a barcode. Use theirs rather than creating a new one.
• Labels on wet or oily items peel off; use a protective layer.
• Print a fresh label when prices change if the price is part of the printed text.
• Back up your product list, since the codes are only useful if the list is safe.

Frequently asked questions

Which format is best for my own stock? Code 128 works for most internal codes.

Can I make many barcodes at once? Yes. Paste many codes and get one image for each, or a page of labels.

Can I print labels? Yes, on A4 or US Letter, for example 30 labels per page.

Do I need official numbers for EAN or UPC? For retail products, yes. They are issued by GS1.

Is it free? Yes, and it runs in your browser.

Can I scan the barcodes with a phone? Yes, many phone camera or scanner apps read common barcodes.

Do I need to register a barcode? For retail products sold through chains and many marketplaces, EAN or UPC numbers must come from the official issuer.

What does the number under the bars mean? It is the human-readable version of the encoded data, so staff can type it if the scanner fails.

Can I put a barcode on a phone screen? Many scanners read from a screen, but glare and brightness can cause trouble.

What happens if two products share a code? Scans will return the wrong item, so keep codes unique.

Next step

Open the Barcode Generator below and label your first batch of products.