Barcode Artwork Test
A reprint costs many times as much as a barcode. This test is the cheap way to find out whether your artwork is right while changing it is still free.
You email us a PDF of your barcode artwork. We print it on a laser printer in black and white, test it on calibrated verification equipment, and email you the report — the same measurements and the same grade an official verification report gives you.
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Thousands of happy customers Worldwide | 3m+ Barcodes sold globally | 10,000+ scans each day
Barcode Artwork Test
Test your barcode artwork before it goes to print. We print your PDF and test it on the same equipment used for official verification reports, then email you a graded report showing whether the barcode will scan and what to fix if it won’t.
$20 USD per test.
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Is this the right test for you?
You’re about to send packaging to print — yes. This is what the test is for.
A retailer has asked you for a verification report — no. You need the official barcode verification report for $59 USD, which is printed on the packaging. This test won’t satisfy them.
Your packaging is already printed — the artwork test tells you nothing useful at that point. Go to verification instead.
You just want to know your barcode image is the right size — check it against our EAN-13 specifications first. That’s free, and it catches the most common problem on its own.
What to send
- A PDF of the barcode artwork
- A4 or smaller
- At 100% — not scaled to fit the page
Order the quantity you need, then email us the PDF. Scaling is the thing to watch: a barcode that has been shrunk to fit an A4 sheet will test as the wrong size, and the report will tell you about a problem you don’t have.
What you get back
A report giving an overall grade and the individual measurements behind it. Grades run from A down through F, where A to C are passes and D and below are fails. Where it fails, the report names the parameter that caused it — decodability, modulation, magnification, quiet zone — so you know what to change.
Sample reports:
- Pass — grade A
- Pass — grade B
- Pass — grade C
- Fail — decodability
- Fail — right margin too narrow
- Fail — modulation and magnification
What this test will not tell you
Worth being clear about, because it’s the difference between the two products.
We print your artwork in black and white on a laser printer. That means the test covers the barcode itself — its dimensions, quiet zones, bar edge definition and decodability — but not how your actual print run will behave.
It won’t catch problems caused by your print colours, your substrate, ink spread on absorbent stock, a curved or reflective surface, or a symbol printed across a seam or fold. Those only show up on the finished packaging, which is what the $59 verification report is for.
A clean pass here makes a later verification much more likely to pass. It doesn’t replace it.
Common questions
Which one do I need, this or the $59 report? If a retailer asked for a report, you need the $59 verification. If you’re checking your own work before print, this one.
Can I test several barcodes at once? Yes. Buy one test per barcode.
What if it fails? Correct the artwork and re-test. Each test is a separate purchase, but most failures are due to a size or quiet-zone issue that costs nothing to fix in the file.
Will a pass here guarantee a retailer accepts my barcode? No. Retailers who require verification want a report on the printed pack. This is a check on your artwork, not a document to hand over.