Barcode Generator

A barcode is a machine-readable representation of data in the form of parallel lines (one-dimensional) or patterns (two-dimensional). Traditional barcodes use varying widths and spacing of parallel lines to represent data. Barcodes are scanned using optical scanners called barcode readers. They're widely used in retail, inventory management, shipping, healthcare, and many other industries for quick data entry and product identification.

Our barcode generator supports multiple formats including CODE128 (most common and versatile, supports alphanumeric), EAN-13 (13-digit European Article Number for retail products), EAN-8 (8-digit version), UPC-A (12-digit Universal Product Code), UPC-E (6-digit compressed version), CODE39 (alphanumeric, older standard), ITF-14 (Interleaved 2 of 5 for shipping containers), and MSI (Modified Plessey for retail). CODE128 is recommended for most use cases as it supports letters, numbers, and special characters.

CODE128 is the most commonly used barcode format for general-purpose applications. It can encode all 128 ASCII characters including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. CODE128 is ideal for inventory management, shipping labels, product identification, and any application requiring alphanumeric encoding. It's more compact than CODE39 and offers better error detection. According to ISO/IEC 15417, CODE128 is the standard for high-density alphanumeric barcodes.

Yes, you can adjust both the width (bar thickness) and height of the barcode. Wider bars (higher width value) are easier to scan but take more horizontal space. Taller barcodes (higher height value) are more forgiving of scanning angle but require more vertical space. The optimal size depends on your printing method and scanning distance. For most applications, a width of 2 and height of 100 pixels works well. Test your barcode with your scanning equipment before mass production.

EAN-13 (European Article Number) is a 13-digit barcode standard used internationally, while UPC-A (Universal Product Code) is a 12-digit standard primarily used in North America. EAN-13 includes a country code prefix, while UPC-A doesn't. Most modern systems can read both formats. If you're selling products internationally, use EAN-13. If you're only selling in North America, UPC-A is sufficient. Both formats require numeric input only.

Absolutely. All barcode generation happens entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your data never leaves your device, isn't sent to any server, and isn't stored anywhere. This ensures complete privacy and security. The barcode library runs locally, and the generated barcode image is created in your browser's memory without any network transmission.

Yes, barcodes are excellent for inventory management. CODE128 format is ideal as it supports alphanumeric characters, allowing you to encode product SKUs, serial numbers, or custom identifiers. Generate barcodes for your products, print them on labels, and scan them with barcode scanners or smartphone apps to track inventory, manage stock levels, and streamline warehouse operations. Many inventory management systems support barcode scanning for quick data entry.

You can download barcodes as PNG (Portable Network Graphics) files. PNG is a raster image format that's widely supported by printing software, label makers, and design applications. PNG files maintain high quality and are perfect for printing on labels, packaging, or documents. The barcode will be saved as a PNG image that you can use in any application that supports image files.