EAN-13 Barcode Generator
Twelve digits in, a scannable barcode out.
Spaces and hyphens are ignored. Paste straight off a label.
Twelve digits in, a scannable barcode out.
How to use it
- Enter twelve digits. The last digit is the check digit and is worked out for you. Paste thirteen and it is verified instead.
- Read the line under the code. It says whether the check digit was calculated or verified. If it does not match, the code is refused rather than drawn.
- Download the SVG. Print it at the size you need. Scaling a bitmap barcode up blurs the bars and scanners give up.
When you would use this
EAN-13 is the barcode on almost everything sold in shops outside North America. Thirteen digits: a country or product prefix, a company number, an item number, and a check digit worked out from the other twelve. That last digit is the part most free generators get wrong, and the failure is expensive because it is invisible: the label looks right, prints right, and no scanner will read it. This tool calculates the check digit when you supply twelve digits, verifies it when you supply thirteen, and refuses to draw anything that would not scan. The quiet margin either side is part of the image rather than something to remember at layout time, because trimming it is the next most common reason a label fails.
Questions
- What is the check digit?
- The last digit is calculated from the others. Scanners use it to catch a misread, and if it does not match they reject the scan entirely rather than reporting the wrong number.
- Can I make up a number?
- You can generate one, but a barcode for sale needs a company prefix issued by GS1. An invented number may already belong to somebody else's product.
- Why will my printed barcode not scan?
- Usually size or the margin. Print from the SVG at its intended size, keep the clear space either side, and use black on white rather than a colour.