Barcode generator and print-ready labels

EAN-13 is a purely numeric 13-digit code (12 data digits and 1 check digit) meant to identify products in retail; every checkout in the world reads it and its size is fixed. Code 128 is more flexible: it accepts letters, numbers and symbols, has variable length and is very compact, so it is ideal for inventory, warehouse, shipping and internal references. The trade-off: a Code 128 does not identify a product in someone else's shop. If you will sell in shops, use EAN-13; for internal use, Code 128.

The codes have a technically correct format (structure and check digit) and scan at any checkout. But an EAN is only unique worldwide if GS1, the organization that runs the system, has assigned it to you. Official EANs are bought from the GS1 organization in your country (for example GS1 US in the United States or GS1 UK in the United Kingdom), which gives you your own company prefix. To sell in large retailers, to distributors or on marketplaces like Amazon you need registered codes; for your own inventory, corner shops, markets or internal use you don't: you can use Code 128 or an EAN with prefix 20-29, which GS1 reserves for internal use.

Because the PDF is laid out in real millimetres: every bar has the exact width the scanner needs and every label sits in the exact spot of its cell. If you choose “Fit to page” (or “Fit to printable area”) when printing, the program shrinks the document by 2-5% to fit the printer's margins: the bars get narrower, the scanner may stop reading them and the labels no longer match the adhesive sheet. Choose “Actual size” (Adobe Reader), “Scale 100%” (Firefox, Preview) or “Default (100)” (Chrome and Edge). The optional “100 mm ruler” lets you check with a ruler that the scale is correct.

No. GeneraEtiquetas runs entirely in your browser: your product lists, prices, references and logos are not uploaded to any server. The PDF, PNG, SVG and ZIP are generated on your own device, and you can go offline once the page has loaded and keep working. So you don't lose your work when you reload, a copy is kept only in your browser's local storage; the “Clear all” button deletes it.

Choose the sheet model in step 3 (Avery 5160, L7160, 3474…), download the PDF and print it at 100%. Before wasting adhesive sheets, download the Test sheet, print it on plain paper and hold it up to the light against the label sheet. If everything is shifted by the same amount, fix it with the horizontal and vertical fine adjustment in millimetres. On printers that don't reach the edge, use models with margins (5160, L7160, L7651…) or turn on borderless printing in the driver.

It depends on the type. An EAN-13 needs thin bars of about 0.33 mm (minimum 0.264 mm) and about 37 mm of width counting the blank margins; a QR needs modules of 0.4-0.5 mm or more. GeneraEtiquetas measures the real code in your design and warns you when it is too small or the contrast is low, suggesting the minimum recommended size. Also, always use dark ink on a light background: red laser scanners can't see red, orange or yellow.

Select the name, price and code columns in Excel, copy them and paste them in “Many labels” mode (or save the workbook as CSV and load it). We recognize the most common headers, calculate the check digit and generate all the labels at once; you can also edit the table on the page itself or create an automatic series of codes.

It is free and you don't need to sign up: just come in and use it. The tool is funded by advertising. There is no limit on labels, although for smooth performance in the browser we recommend batches of up to about 5,000 labels in PDF and 1,500 in the PNG ZIP.