Thirteen digits the till can read.
Make an EAN-13 barcode for a product: where the number comes from, how its check digit is worked out, the sizes GS1 allows, and files for print.
By Suraj KumarUpdated 4 min read
An EAN-13 is the barcode a shop's till reads on almost everything it sells outside North America. The KeepSimp EAN-13 barcode generator draws one from your product's number, works out its check digit, and reads it back before you print it.
Where the number comes from.
The thirteen digits are a GTIN-13: your company's prefix from GS1, then your number for the product, then a check digit. Shops look the number up, so it must be yours: KeepSimp draws the barcode but cannot give you a number.
The check digit is worked out from the twelve before it: from the right, they are weighed 3, 1, 3, 1, added, and the check digit makes the sum up to the next ten. Type twelve digits and it is added; type thirteen and it is checked, so a mistyped digit is caught.
The sizes GS1 allows.
At its nominal size an EAN-13 is 37.29 mm wide, with bars on a module of 0.33 mm. GS1 allows from 80% to 200% of that. Choose millimetres in the designer and it tells you the module size and whether it is inside GS1's range. Keep the clear space beside the bars: the arrow marks show where it must stay empty.
Add-ons and EAN-8.
Magazines add a 2-digit issue number beside the barcode, and books a 5-digit price; type it in the add-on field. EAN-8, for packs too small for EAN-13, holds a GTIN-8, which GS1 issues only when a pack really has no room.
Further reading
Topics: ean 13 barcode · ean-13 generator · ean barcode · check digit · gtin · ean 8
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