How to use it
GS1 data builds a GS1 barcode from fields. Enter a GTIN, then add the Application Identifiers you need: expiry date, batch, serial number, weight or any other. Choose the barcode:
The generator puts the fields in the order GS1 recommends, adds separators where they’re needed, and checks every value against GS1’s rules before it draws anything.
Any barcode makes a barcode from your own data: product barcodes (it adds the check digit if you leave it off), Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Interleaved 2 of 5, QR Code and Data Matrix.
For QR codes, choose the error correction level for where the code will be used. See How much error correction should I use?
Using the barcodes
- Use real numbers. The examples use GS1’s demonstration prefix, 952, which never identifies a real product. For products you sell, use GTINs issued to your company by GS1.
- Keep the white margin. Every barcode includes its quiet zone as solid white, in both the SVG and the PNG. Don’t crop it or make it transparent: in dark mode, an app shows its own dark background through a transparent margin, and the barcode stops scanning.
- Print at the right size. Download SVG for print: it stays sharp at any size. Check the barcode type’s page for minimum sizes and quiet zones.
- Test before printing in bulk. Scan a printed sample with the scanners that will read it. To see what’s inside a barcode, use Barcode anatomy.