Make a barcode
Choose the type, type the number or text, and download the barcode as a PNG or SVG. It is drawn in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark, and a missing EAN or UPC check digit is added for you.
Your code appears here as you type.
Never expires. The code holds what you typed. There is no short link in it, so there is nothing to switch off, redirect or track.
Which type to choose
To recreate an existing card or label, use the type it already has, so scanners read the copy the way they read the original. For something new, Code 128 suits a membership number or anything with letters in it. EAN-13 and UPC-A are for retail products, whose numbers are issued by GS1 rather than made up. For links and longer text, a QR code is the better fit: switch to QR code at the top of the tool.
Printing a code that scans
Print it dark on white and keep the empty margin around it: scanners use that margin to find where the code starts. SVG stays sharp at any size, so it is the better file for print. Very small barcodes are the ones that fail, so scan a test print with a phone before printing many.
FAQ
Is what I type sent anywhere?
No. The barcode is drawn in your browser by a barcode writer that this site serves itself.
The site does count page views with Google Analytics, which is never given your files or anything you type. Privacy has the details.
Why does it say the check digit is wrong?
The last digit of an EAN or UPC is calculated from the others, so a typo shows up as a wrong check digit. Check the number, or leave the last digit off and the generator adds the right one.
Can I use these barcodes on products I sell?
The barcode itself, yes, but shops expect an EAN or UPC number registered with GS1, the organization that issues them. A made-up number can clash with someone else's product.
Carrying a card code around?
Wrist Codes keeps loyalty cards, membership numbers and short codes on Apple Watch and iPhone, ready at the checkout. Barcodes fit, and so do short QR codes of up to 32 plain characters. Scan one off this screen with the app to add it.
FreeiPhoneApple Watch
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