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- A drawn barcode and a registered number
A drawn barcode and a registered number
A barcode is a picture of a number. Anyone can draw the picture. What matters on a product sold in shops is the number, and that number has to belong to you.
What a barcode is
The bars are only a way for a scanner to read a number. A generator such as this one takes the number you give it and draws the bars. It checks the length and the check digit. It does not know who owns the number, and it cannot make a number belong to you.
Why the number must be yours
EAN and UPC numbers are meant to be different for every product in the world. If two products carry the same number, a till or a marketplace cannot tell them apart.
To keep them different, GS1 member organisations give each member a company prefix. The member makes its product numbers from that prefix, so no two members’ numbers clash.
When you need a GS1 number
- You sell through shops that scan products at the till.
- A marketplace or a retailer asks for GS1 numbers for your products.
- Check the rules of the shop or marketplace you sell through. They say which numbers they accept.
When any code is fine
If a code never has to be unique outside your own business, you can invent it. That covers stock inside your shop, warehouse shelves and bins, asset tags, tickets and passes, tool and library tracking, and labels on boxes for your own customers. Use Code 128 or a QR code with codes you choose.
Where to get a GS1 number
GS1 has member organisations in most countries. Start at the GS1 website, find the one for your country, and apply to it. Membership is paid, so ask the member organisation for its current fees and steps.
Do not copy a number from another product, and do not put a made-up number on products sold in shops.
What this tool does and does not do
- It draws Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, ITF-14, ISBN, GS1-128, Codabar, and QR codes from the text you give it.
- It checks the length and works out or checks the check digit.
- It does not issue numbers, and it does not check whether a number is registered.
Questions
Can I use the UPC from a product I bought?
No. That number belongs to the company that made the product, and it points to their product. Using it on yours would make your product look like theirs.
Do I need a GS1 number for a barcode on my own shelves?
No. A code that only your own business reads can be anything you choose. Use Code 128 or a QR code.
Is a drawn EAN-13 valid?
It has the right shape and a correct check digit, so a scanner can read it. Whether it is valid for selling products depends on whether the number was issued to you, and only GS1 can tell you that.
Sources
Checked on .