Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the questions our customers ask most often about barcode numbers, QR codes and everything in between. You can also watch our help videos. If you can’t find what you need, get in touch, and someone will reply within one business day.
Barcode basics
What is a barcode?
A barcode is an image that holds a small amount of information a scanner or phone app can read instantly. Barcodes come in many shapes and formats, but on retail products the barcode is almost always a 12- or 13-digit number encoded as an image. The checkout scans it, and the store’s system pulls up the price.
How does the retail barcode system work?
George Laurer created the system in the 1970s while working at IBM. It gives every product its own number, so no two products anywhere share the same one. Almost every retailer worldwide now runs on it. The system covers both UPC-A numbers and the wider EAN-13 range.
What information is stored in my barcode?
Only the number itself. Your barcode holds no company name, product name, or price. The retailer links your product details to that number in their own system when they first take the product in. After that, scanning the barcode pulls up whatever they entered.
Who invented the barcode?
George Laurer invented the 12-digit UPC-A system at IBM. He also supported reseller barcode numbers like ours, because he disagreed with GS1 restricting market access through high fees.
Why are there so many names for the same barcode?
Different countries adopted different names for the same formats, and the industry has never standardised them. Here is the plain-English version:
- EAN-13 = EAN, JAN, JAN-13, GTIN-13, IAN
- UPC-A = UPC, UPC-12, GTIN-12
- ITF-14 = ITF, DUN-14, TUN-14, DUN, TUN, GTIN-14, carton codes
- EAN-8 = GTIN-8
- EAN-13+2 = EAN-2 (used on magazines)
- EAN-13+5 = EAN-5 (barcode with a price add-on)
Do I need a barcode for my product?
Do I need a barcode number to sell in stores?
Usually, yes. Most retailers find products far easier to handle when they arrive with a barcode already on them, and many now insist on it. A barcode is what opens the door to getting stocked.
There are exceptions. If you only sell through your own shop or your own website, you don’t need one. And if you simply want to track your own stock internally, cheaper non-retail barcodes will do the job, because internal codes don’t need to be part of the global system.
Which barcodes do you supply?
Mainly EAN-13 retail barcodes, the format used on retail products almost everywhere outside the United States. We also supply UPC-A, ITF-14 carton barcodes, QR codes, 2D barcodes, Code 128 and Code 39 images, ISBN book barcodes, ISSN magazine barcodes and GLNs. Our retail numbers come from the same original system as GS1 numbers but now sit outside GS1’s control, so we can sell them for a one-off cost.
How many barcode numbers should I buy?
Buy one number for each product and each product variation. Stores use barcodes for two jobs: looking up prices at checkout and tracking stock so they know when to reorder.
If a retailer only does the first, you could reuse one number across two variations, such as two colours of the same item. If they also track stock, every variation needs its own number. Since you rarely know in advance which system a buyer runs, a separate number per variation is the safer choice. Retailers also prefer products that are simple to manage, and some will pass on a line if staff have to count sizes by hand.
What is the difference between UPC-A and EAN-13?
Both work in retail stores worldwide. The 12-digit UPC-A format is most common in the United States and Canada, while the 13-digit EAN-13 is standard almost everywhere else.
The two are closely related. Add a zero to the front of a UPC-A number, and you have an EAN-13, with printed bars that look identical. Scanners read both without trouble. As a rule, choose UPC-A if your product sells mainly in North America and EAN-13 if it sells anywhere else. Our UPC-A versus EAN-13 page covers this in more detail.
Are your barcodes suitable for every retail product?
Nearly. The exceptions are books, which use ISBN barcodes, and magazines, which use ISSN. Everything else uses UPC-A or EAN-13, and you can buy those here.
Where our barcode numbers are accepted
Do your barcodes work in every store?
They work in the large majority of stores worldwide, but a handful of chains require their suppliers to hold GS1 membership, so our numbers won’t work with them. The ones we know of are Walmart, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Macy’s, and JCPenney in the United States, and Super Retail Group and Foodstuffs in New Zealand and Australia. Some retailers accept our numbers but also ask for a verification report, which we can arrange. Our barcode acceptance page sets out the position country by country and stays up to date.
Do you guarantee every store will accept your barcode numbers?
No, and no barcode company honestly can. Retailers set their own requirements; those requirements change without notice, and they don’t always make much sense. We’ve sold tens of thousands of these numbers, and the exceptions above are the only ones we have heard of. If a specific retailer matters to you, ask them before you buy, or ask us and we’ll tell you what we know.
Will my barcodes work outside my own country?
Yes. EAN-13 works worldwide, UPC-A works throughout North America, and both are included on every retail package. Our numbers are currently in use in more than 160 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia. Our barcode acceptance page lists the restrictions we’re aware of in each one.
Can I arrange a verification report?
Yes. We can arrange independently accredited barcode verification reports that verify that your printed barcode meets the official standard for size, contrast, and print quality. Some retailers ask for one before listing a product, and a report also catches printing problems before a whole run goes wrong.
Buying barcodes from us
How do I order?
Choose a package from our retail barcode packages page, then check out with a credit card or PayPal. We’ll email your numbers and image files as soon as payment clears, which for retail barcodes is usually within minutes. If you’d prefer to pay by bank transfer, or need something urgently, just email us.
Why should I buy from you?
- One payment, with no renewals, joining fee or annual fee
- Instant email delivery on retail barcodes
- High-resolution 600 dpi images in several formats, ready for print
- No membership forms to complete
- A guarantee certificate proving you own the number
- Accredited verification reports arranged on request
- Optional barcode registration so retailers and shoppers can look your product up
Our Why Buy From Us page goes into more detail.
Will my barcode number be unique?
Yes. We check every number we sell against our database first, so it has never been sold or used before. Our numbers originate from the Uniform Code Council (now GS1 US), and we hold a written guarantee from our source that they are for resale only. We also check each number for misuse online before it goes out. You then receive a guarantee certificate you can show a retailer as proof of ownership.
Will my barcode number ever expire?
No. Once you buy it, the number is yours for life, and you can use it however you like. There are no annual fees because these numbers now fall outside GS1’s control, and we pass that benefit on to you.
How can barcodes be sold for a one-off cost?
It comes down to a change in the 1990s. Back then GS1 licensed its 13-digit numbers to members for ongoing fees, while a separate American body, the Uniform Code Council, sold 12-digit numbers outright with no recurring charge. When the UCC merged into GS1 US in the late 1990s, GS1 began charging annual fees to everyone, including members who had already paid once.
Those members took GS1 to court and won in the early 2000s. The outcome confirmed that numbers originally issued by the UCC sit outside GS1’s control, so no licence fees apply. Those are the numbers resellers like us supply. They have never been used on a retail product, and they remain part of the same global system.
Will my numbers come with a company prefix?
Not if you buy a single number, since no barcode company can supply a prefix for one barcode. Buy a block of 10, 100, 1,000 or 10,000, and your numbers arrive with a unique company prefix.
Using your barcode
What do I do once I receive it?
Add the image to your packaging artwork, or print it onto adhesive labels. You can resize it first, as long as you stay inside the permitted dimensions. When a retailer takes your product in, they scan the barcode once and enter your product details. From then on, every scan automatically brings up that information.
How big should my barcode be?
The standard EAN-13 size is 37.3 × 25.9 mm. You can shrink it to 80% or enlarge it to 200% and still stay within spec. Individual retailers vary in how strict they are, but if you need a verification report, stick to the standard sizes, because anything outside them will fail. It’s also worth doing a test scan before artwork goes to print. Our specifications page has the full details.
Can I print on a coloured background?
Often, yes, though it depends on which colours you choose. Scanners need enough contrast between the bars and the background, and some combinations don’t provide it. Our barcode colour guide shows which combinations work.
What country code will my number start with?
Ours begin with 07, which means the number itself originated in the United States. That says nothing about where your product is made. A country code identifies the origin of the barcode number only, never the origin of the goods, and products from any country can carry a number from any other.
Will my barcode be registered in an official database?
There is no official national or international barcode database, and registration isn’t compulsory anywhere. As the manufacturer, you decide how to tie each number to a single product, and resellers like us can help ensure each number is sold only once. We offer optional barcode registration, which makes your product details searchable and adds a few extra benefits. Your barcode works with or without it.
QR codes and 2D barcodes
Do QR codes ever expire?
A static QR code always scans to the URL encoded in it, so it keeps working for as long as that page stays live. A dynamic QR code points to our redirect service instead, so it keeps working as long as your hosting is paid and the destination URL is live, and you can change where it points at any time.
How small can I print a QR code?
It depends on how much data is encoded. A short URL can be printed smaller than a code carrying a lot of information. The official minimum is 2 cm by 2 cm. Always test a printed sample with a few different phones before committing to a print run.
How do I change where my dynamic QR code points?
Log in to the customer portal and update the destination URL. The change takes effect straight away, so codes already printed on packaging or posters start pointing at the new page without a reprint. Our barcodes customer portal page covers what else the portal can do.
Books, magazines and other formats
What do books need?
Books use ISBN barcodes. You’ll need an ISBN first, which is issued by the national ISBN agency in the country where you publish. Our book barcode page explains how to get one and how we turn it into a print-ready barcode.
What do magazines need?
Magazines use ISSN barcodes. You start with an 8-digit ISSN from your national agency, which we then convert into a 13-digit barcode, or a 13+2 version if you need to identify separate issues.
What about CDs and DVDs?
CDs and DVDs use standard retail barcodes, the same EAN-13 and UPC-A numbers as any other product. Our CD and DVD pages cover where to place the barcode on a case or sleeve.
What are carton barcodes for?
ITF-14 carton barcodes identify an outer case rather than a single item, so a warehouse can scan a whole carton in one go. The ITF-14 is built from the product’s retail barcode number and a digit indicating how many are in the case.
What is a Global Location Number?
A GLN is a globally unique number some retailers use to identify a supplier’s location rather than a product. If a retailer asks you for one, we can supply it.
About us
Why was the International Barcodes Network formed?
The network exists to make reseller barcodes and reliable barcode information available worldwide. It does so through local offices staffed by people who know their own markets and can answer questions in their customers’ languages. We’re an authorised member, and our barcodes are in use in over 160 countries.
Still have a question?
We answer our own emails. Send us your question, and someone will reply within one business day.
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