Barcode Generator

Barcode Generator

What the barcode generator does

This page turns a short value into a barcode and renders it live in the browser. You choose a symbology, enter the value, adjust the bar width, height, margin and text settings, then download the result as SVG or PNG. It uses the JsBarcode library loaded from a CDN, so the drawing happens on your device. The page is a label and design helper, not a product database or a GS1 registration service.

Supported barcode formats

The format menu includes CODE128, CODE39, CODE93, EAN-13, EAN-8, EAN-5, EAN-2, UPC-A, UPC-E, ITF-14, ITF, Codabar, MSI, MSI10, MSI11, MSI1010, MSI1110 and Pharmacode. Each symbology has its own rules for which characters and how many digits it accepts. CODE128 is the most flexible for mixed text and numbers. EAN and UPC are retail formats with fixed lengths and check digits. Choose the format your scanner or trading partner requires, not the one that merely looks good.

Input rules and check digits

Retail formats such as EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A and UPC-E expect a specific number of digits and may calculate or validate a check digit. ITF-14 expects a fixed-length numeric value. CODE39 and CODE93 accept a narrower character set than CODE128. Pharmacode is numeric. If the value does not fit the selected format, the preview may refuse to render and the download buttons may stay disabled. Switch to a compatible format or correct the value.

Appearance controls

Width controls the thickness of the narrow bars, height controls the overall bar height, and margin adds quiet space around the symbol. The font size affects the human-readable text, not the bars. Black and white are the defaults because most scanners expect high contrast. You can change the colors, but test the printed result with the actual scanner before using an unusual combination in production.

Human-readable text

The text option can show the value below the bars, center it and place it at the bottom. A monospace font is used so digits line up. The text is a convenience for people reading the label; the scanner reads the bars. Keep the text legible and avoid covering the quiet zone. For a very small label, hiding the text may give the bars more room, but the label becomes harder to verify by eye.

Live preview and reset

The preview updates as you change the value or settings. Reset returns the controls to their defaults. If the preview is blank, the value likely does not match the selected symbology. The page does not send the value to a server, so there is no upload step. A very long value can produce a very wide barcode; reduce the data or the bar width if it no longer fits the label.

SVG versus PNG

SVG is vector output and stays sharp at any print size, which makes it the better choice for labels and professional printing. PNG is a raster image rendered at twice the display size and is convenient for documents, slides and web pages. If you need a specific pixel dimension or resolution, check the PNG in your layout tool; the page does not expose a DPI setting. Keep the SVG if the barcode may need to be resized later.

Printing and scannability

Print on a clean background with enough contrast and leave the quiet zone intact. Do not stretch the barcode non-uniformly, because that changes the bar widths a scanner expects. Avoid low-resolution screenshots, heavy compression and colored backgrounds that reduce contrast. Test with the scanner and the distance that will be used in practice. A barcode that looks fine on screen can still fail on a thermal label printer.

When to use it

Use it for internal labels, inventory tags, test fixtures, event wristbands and simple product mockups. It is also useful for checking how a value encodes in a particular symbology before you commit to a label design. For retail shelves and regulated supply chains, follow the GS1 or trading-partner specification and verify the final artwork with the recipient.

Limits and failure behavior

The generator is client-side and depends on a CDN script. If the CDN is blocked or unavailable, the page cannot draw a barcode and there is no fallback. Invalid values disable the download controls. The page does not validate check digits against an external registry, register a GTIN or guarantee that a code is unique. It also does not create QR codes or two-dimensional symbols.

Privacy and local processing

The value is processed in the browser and is not sent to Newisty. The SVG or PNG is generated on your device. That is convenient for internal identifiers, but the value is still visible in the page and in the downloaded file. Clear the input on a shared computer. Do not encode secrets that you would not want someone to scan or read from the label.

Common problems

If the preview is empty, check the format and the number of digits. If the download button is disabled, the current value is invalid for that symbology. If the barcode is too wide, shorten the value or reduce the bar width. If a scanner cannot read it, increase the size, restore the quiet zone and check the contrast. If the page does not load, the CDN may be blocked.

What not to do

Do not use a random format for a retail product without checking the specification. Do not ignore check digits. Do not crop the quiet zone. Do not stretch the image. Do not use a low-contrast color scheme. Do not assume the barcode is registered or globally unique. Do not encode confidential data on a label that other people can scan.

Choosing a barcode format

Start with the scanner and the label specification, not with the menu. Retail products usually need EAN or UPC, cartons may need ITF-14, and internal assets can often use CODE128. If the value contains letters, CODE128 is usually the most flexible. If a trading partner requires a specific symbology, use that even if another format is easier to generate.

Frequently Asked Questions