Placing Barcodes on Products
Once a company licenses their prefix and is given an allotment of UPCs, a company is now ready to place barcodes on products. For items which have yet to be printed, digital barcode files (.eps format) can be created. For companies who already have packaging, printed labels can be provided.
Here are the four primary elements to placing barcodes on products if packaging has not yet been printed.
Create Barcodes – Digital Files
The precision of your original barcode is critical for scanning success. Using the wrong type of file format, such as .png, could result in a barcode that looks ok but cannot be scanned. Digital barcodes should be created as a vector images and the most precise are .EPS and .EMF (Microsoft). Additional information is available at https://www.barcode.graphics/vector-barcodes/.
A critical component .EPS barcode artwork is Bar Width Adjustment. To compensate for bar growth/reduction which occurs during the print process, digital files (original artwork) must include a bar width adjustment factor. Without this factor, the bars in a barcode will grow excessively and result in a poorly printed symbol.
Determing the correct UPC Barcode Sizing
UPC barcodes have a defined sizing range for the width and height dimensions. The minimum sizing dimension is based on the limitations of the scanners used to read the UPC and the printing technology used to create them. Smaller barcodes have tighter print tolerances and can be problematic for scanners.
Included with the GS1 Barcode Service is access to a personal barcode consultant who will assist in determining the correct barcode size and also provide the .eps barcode files. It is very common for new companies to alter the sizing of their barcodes and later find out they being penalized for problematic barcodes.
Placement on Packaging
Placement issues can involve a wide variety of circumstances. The GS1 General Specification has explicit guidelines for UPC barcode placement on most types of products and packaging. The document is extremely comprehensive. It can be viewed by clicking here.
Our certified barcode consultants are versed on the GS1 requirements and assist clients with these types of questions every day.
Barcode Color
Scanners need to dark bars (low reflectance) on a light (high reflectance) background. Although you cannot go wrong with black bars printed on a white background, there are numerous color combinations that work fine. For guidance on barcode color selection, visit https://www.barcode.graphics/upc-color-guide/
To learn more about issues involved with placing barcodes on products, visit https://www.barcode.graphics/top-5-barcoding-mistakes/
How To Companies Obtain UPC Codes?
The GS1 Barcode Service helps companies with every step. In addition to application processing, personal assistance with GTIN assignments and product data uploads, high resolution digital barcodes (.eps) are included. Please note that printed labels may be substituted for digital files for 10 & 100 barcode packages.
Select the number of items you need to barcode.
| No. of Items | GS1 Barcode Total Fee | .EPS Barcodes | Access to GTIN.Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 -10 | SELECT | |||
| 1 – 100 | SELECT | |||
| 1 – 1,000 | SELECT | |||
| 1 – 10,000 | SELECT | |||
| 1 – 100,000 | SELECT |
