How to Use Your Barcode

Your barcode has arrived. Here’s what to do with it, from artwork through to the first time a retailer scans it.

If you haven’t bought one yet, start with how to get a barcode for your product.

First: which file do I use?

Your barcode arrives in 3 formats. All 3 hold the same number and image; the difference lies in what each is good for.

PDF and SVG are vector files. They can be scaled to any size without going blurry. Send these to your designer or printer.

PNG is a standard image file. Use it for online listings, spreadsheets, and anywhere you need to drop a picture.

If in doubt, send the PDF. Every printer can open it, and it’s the safest choice for packaging artwork.

You’ll also have both UPC-A and EAN-13 versions. Same number, two formats. Most Canadian sellers use the UPC-A image on packaging; use EAN-13 if you’re selling mainly outside North America. Either scans anywhere.

Step 1: Add the barcode to your artwork

Place the barcode image in your packaging or label design at the desired size.

Keep it at the size supplied where you can. If space is tight, you can scale it down within limits, but scale width and height together. A stretched or squashed barcode won’t scan. Full size and print specifications.

Leave clear white space around the barcode. This is the most common reason a barcode fails to scan, and it’s the easiest thing to lose when you’re fitting artwork into a tight space.

Colour: black bars on a white background is the safe choice. You can use other combinations, but scanners read contrast rather than colour, and red, orange and yellow bars read as white, meaning the scanner sees nothing at all. See our barcode colour guide (PDF) before you commit to anything unusual.

The bars themselves must stay clean and unobstructed. Design around the barcode, not over it.

Step 2: Choose where it goes

Put the barcode somewhere flat, visible, and easy for someone at a till to reach with a scanner. The back or base of the pack is usual.

On a curved surface (a bottle, jar or tube), the orientation matters. Rotate the barcode so the bars run down the curve like the rungs of a ladder, rather than around it like a picket fence. A fence-orientation barcode on a curve distorts at the edges and often won’t read. More on positioning your barcode.

Already printed your packaging? You can have the barcode printed on adhesive labels and applied by hand. This is common for first production runs and small batches.

Step 3: Check the artwork before you print

Check it before the print run, not after. Errors creep in at every stage of a design and print process, and a barcode problem discovered after printing means reprinting.

Check that:

• The numbers under the barcode match the number we emailed you
• The image is still sharp, and hasn’t been stretched or compressed
• The white space around the barcode survived the layout
• The size is within specification

Then do a sample print and scan it. A phone barcode app is enough for a rough check.

If you want certainty before a large run, we offer a barcode artwork test. Send us your artwork, and we’ll check the barcode against the official specifications. We can also arrange a full verification report upon request.

Step 4: Send your product to your retailer

This is the point at which the barcode is connected to your product.

The first time a retailer scans it, nothing comes up; your barcode is a blank number and carries no product information. They enter your product name and price into their system, and from then on your details appear automatically every time it’s scanned in that store.

Each retailer does this once, with their own system. Nothing further is needed from you.

Step 5: Register your barcode (optional)

Registration puts your barcode number and product details into the International Barcodes Database, which feeds into several other online databases.

Registration is optional – your barcode works whether you register it or not. What it does is make your product findable when someone searches the number online or scans it with a phone app, and it gives you extra proof the number is yours if it’s ever copied.

Registration is included free with our barcode packages. Register your barcode number.

Common questions

Can I resize the barcode? Yes, within limits, as long as you scale width and height together. See the specifications.

Can I change the colours? Yes, with care. Avoid red, orange and yellow bars, and avoid dark or busy backgrounds. Colour guide (PDF).

My barcode won’t scan. What’s wrong? Usually one of four things: it’s been stretched, it’s too small, the white space around it has been lost, or the colours are too low-contrast. Work through those first, then get in touch.

Do I need to tell you what my product is? No. Your barcode is yours to use as you like. Registration is the only place product details are recorded, and that’s optional.

Can I use the same barcode on two products? No, each product variant needs its own. If you’ve run short, buy more here.

Selling on Amazon? Amazon barcode requirements.

Shipping cases to a retailer? You’ll likely need an ITF-14 carton barcode as well, generated from your retail number. Carton barcodes.

Lost your barcode files? They’re available any time in the customer portal.

Still stuck? Email us. We’re a small team, and we answer our own emails, Monday to Friday.