How to Get a Barcode for Your Product, Step by Step

Number first, image second

A retail barcode has two parts that people often confuse. The number, called a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number), is what identifies your product in retailer and marketplace systems. The image is just a way of printing that number so a scanner can read it. Retailers care about the number being legitimately yours; the image can come from any software that follows the standard.

GS1 is the non-profit organisation that manages the GTIN system worldwide, through national member organisations such as GS1 US, GS1 UK and GS1 India. Only numbers licensed by GS1 are guaranteed to be unique and registered to your company.

Step 1: Decide how many numbers you need

Every distinct product variant needs its own GTIN. A T-shirt in three colours and four sizes needs twelve numbers. Multipacks and cases need their own numbers too. Count your current range and add room for growth, since GS1 pricing is tiered by how many numbers your prefix allows.

• One GTIN per size, colour, flavour or pack quantity.
• A new GTIN when the product changes significantly, such as a new net weight.
• Separate GTINs for cases and outer cartons (used in ITF-14 barcodes).

Step 2: Join GS1 or license individual numbers

Step 3: Assign numbers and record them

Once you have a prefix, you assign the remaining digits yourself, usually in sequence: 001, 002, 003 and so on. Keep a spreadsheet that maps each GTIN to the exact product, and enter the details in the GS1 data portal so retailers can verify them. Never reuse a GTIN for a different product.

Step 4: Create the barcode artwork

Choose the right symbology. Use EAN-13 for products sold outside North America, and UPC-A for the US and Canada (an EAN-13 starting with 0 is the same number). Use ITF-14 for outer cases. Enter the number in a generator such as the PureTools EAN-13 or UPC generator, which adds and checks the check digit, then export SVG or PDF for your packaging designer.

If you have many products, use a bulk generator: put all your GTINs in a spreadsheet and download every barcode in one ZIP file.

Step 5: Print and test

• Print at 80 to 200 percent of the nominal size (about 37 × 26 mm for EAN-13 and UPC-A).
• Do not shorten the bar height, and keep the light margins on both sides.
• Use dark bars on a light background; avoid red bars, which laser scanners cannot see.
• Place the barcode on a flat surface, ideally on the back or bottom of the pack.
• Scan proofs with a real scanner. Some retailers require a verification report showing a grade C or better.