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Barcode Generator — Complete Feature Guide with Diagrams

This guide explains every setting in the BatchPrintGTIN barcode generator — from selecting a barcode type and entering your data to customising appearance, choosing an output resolution, and downloading your barcode image. The annotated diagrams below show exactly where each setting is located in the generator.

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Generator Layout Overview

The barcode generator is divided into two panels: a Form Panel on the left where you configure settings, and a Preview Panel on the right where the barcode renders live as you type.

Step 1 — Select Your Barcode Type

The Barcode Type dropdown at the top of the form lets you choose from all supported formats. The input fields below update automatically to match the requirements of the selected format — for example, switching to UPC-A shows a note that 11 digits are required and the check digit is auto-calculated.

Format	Input required	Check digit	Primary use
UPC-A	11 digits	Auto-calculated	North American retail (Amazon, Walmart, grocery)
UPC-E	6 digits	Auto-calculated	Compressed UPC for small packaging where space is limited
EAN-13	12 digits	Auto-calculated	International retail (Europe, Asia, global e-commerce)
EAN-8	7 digits	Auto-calculated	Small packaging where a full EAN-13 will not fit
Code 128	Any alphanumeric text	Built-in (not shown)	Shipping labels, warehouse, inventory, FNSKU
Code 39	Uppercase A–Z, 0–9, and: - . $ / + % SPACE	Optional	Asset tracking, ID badges, automotive industry
ITF-14	13 digits	Auto-calculated	Outer carton / case barcodes (GS1 logistics)
MSI	Numeric only	Auto-calculated	Retail shelf price tags, inventory control
Codabar	Numeric + A B C D as start/stop	Optional	Blood bank labels, library systems, FedEx
PDF417	Any text up to ~800 characters	Built-in	Boarding passes, ID documents, shipping labels

Step 2 — Enter Barcode Data

Type or paste your barcode value in the Barcode Data field. For UPC-A and EAN-13, enter the number without the check digit — the generator appends the correct check digit automatically and shows the full number below the barcode in the preview. For Code 128 and Code 39, enter your complete alphanumeric string.

Tip: For UPC-A, enter exactly 11 digits. Leading zeros are significant — 01234567890 and 1234567890 are different products.

Step 3 — Appearance Settings

The Bar Color and Background colour pickers support any hex code or standard CSS colour name. For retail scanning compliance, bars should always be darker than the background — aim for a minimum contrast ratio of 5:1. Black on white is always safe.

Bar Height controls the vertical size of the barcode bars. GS1 specifies a minimum height for retail barcodes — do not reduce below 15mm in the final printed size. The Bar Width (also called the X-dimension) controls the width of the narrowest bar. Wider bars produce a physically larger barcode that is easier to scan at distance.

Flat Mode removes the small extensions on the guard bars (start, middle, and stop bars) of UPC and EAN barcodes. The barcode remains fully scannable. Flat mode produces a cleaner look for modern packaging design.

Transparent Background exports the PNG without the white background fill. Use this when placing the barcode over coloured or patterned packaging artwork in design software.

Step 4 — PNG Resolution and Output Size

Choose your output resolution before downloading. The resolution multiplier chips apply at download time — they do not change the live preview. Each click re-renders the barcode at full resolution from the original vector data, so no upscaling quality loss occurs.

Resolution chip	Multiplier applied	Typical output	Best for
1× Standard	1×	~200–400 px wide	Screen display, web images, digital-only use
2× HD	2×	~400–800 px wide	Standard label printing, desktop printers up to 300 DPI
4× Ultra	4×	~800–1600 px wide	High-quality label printing, thermal printers, 600 DPI
8× Print	8×	~1600–3200 px wide	Commercial offset printing, large-format packaging

SVG is always sharper for print. Use SVG download for design software (Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Inkscape) and commercial packaging work. SVG is a vector format that scales to any size with zero quality loss. Use PNG for word processors, spreadsheets, and online product listings.

DPI Preset, Print Size, and Embed DPI

Below the resolution chips, an optional DPI Preset dropdown lets you target a specific printer resolution instead of choosing a multiplier manually. Select a preset (72, 96, 150, 300, or 600 DPI) and enter a Print Size in inches — the generator calculates exactly how many pixels are needed to hit that DPI at that physical size, and overrides the resolution chip accordingly. A live hint confirms the resulting pixel count — for example, "300 DPI @ 2 in = 600 px".

The Embed DPI checkbox writes the target DPI value into the downloaded PNG file's metadata. Design applications, label software, and printers that respect PNG DPI metadata will automatically place the image at the correct physical size without you needing to manually resize it. Leave this unchecked if your workflow ignores PNG metadata.

Step 5 — Download Your Barcode

Three download buttons appear in the Preview panel once a valid barcode is generated:

↓ SVG — Scalable vector file. Renders directly from the barcode data — scales to any size without quality loss. Use for design software (Adobe Illustrator, Figma, Inkscape, CorelDRAW) and commercial packaging artwork. This is the preferred format for print production.
↓ PNG — Pixel image at the selected resolution multiplier. Use for word processors, spreadsheets, basic label printing, and online product listing images. Always choose 4× Ultra or 8× Print when the PNG will be printed physically.
🖨 PDF / Page Designer — Opens the Page Designer overlay. This is a full print layout tool built into the generator. You can choose paper size (US Letter, A4, Legal, A3, Tabloid), set custom margins, pick from Avery and Uline label presets (5160, 5163, 5167, and more), drag-position individual barcodes on the sheet, toggle alignment guides, and export a print-ready multi-page PDF. Use this whenever you need to print barcodes on sticky label sheets — it removes the need for any external label software.

Number Font Size — Barcode Digit Text

The Number Font Size slider (8–36 px, default 18 px) controls the size of the human-readable digits that JsBarcode renders directly beneath the bars. This setting is only visible when Show Barcode Data Below is enabled (the toggle in the Appearance section). Changing this value does not affect the data encoded in the bars — only the printed digit size in the downloaded image. For retail packaging, a font size between 10–14 px is typical at standard label dimensions.

Label Text and Label Font Settings

The Custom Label field adds a completely separate second line of text below the barcode digit line — useful for product names, SKUs, lot numbers, or internal references. The label text is appended to the barcode SVG geometry, so it is included in all download formats (SVG, PNG, and PDF).

When you enter label text, two sliders appear:

Label Font (6–28 px, default 11 px): Font size for the custom label line. This is separate from the Number Font Size above — the two lines can be sized independently.
Gap Below (0–30 px, default 4 px): Pixel gap between the bottom of the barcode content and the top of the custom label text. Increase for visual breathing room between the barcode number line and your label.

Batch Barcode Generation — CSV Settings

The Batch tab generates hundreds of barcodes at once from a CSV file. All the styling options from the single barcode generator are available in batch mode. Here is what each batch barcode setting controls:

Setting	What it controls
Default Barcode Type	The barcode format applied to every row that does not have a `type` column, or whose type column value is blank or unrecognised. You can mix formats in one CSV by specifying `type` per row (e.g. `upc`, `EAN13`, `CODE128`).
Flat Mode	Removes the extended guard bars at the start and end of UPC-A, EAN-13, and EAN-8 barcodes, producing a shorter barcode. Not recommended for retail scanning.
Transparent Background	Removes the white background fill from all PNG exports. Use when placing barcodes on coloured labels without a white box.
Show Barcode Data Below	Shows or hides the human-readable numbers beneath the barcode bars. Corresponds to the "Display Value" toggle in the single barcode generator.
Label Font (px)	Font size for the human-readable number text. Range: 6 px – 28 px. Default: 11 px.
Gap Below (px)	Spacing between the bottom of the bars and the human-readable text. Range: 0 px – 30 px. Default: 4 px.
Foreground / Background	Bar colour and background colour applied to the entire batch. Matches the colour pickers in the single barcode generator.
Output Resolution	Multiplier applied to PNG exports for the whole batch: 1× Standard, 2× HD, 4× Ultra, 8× Print. SVG exports are always vector and ignore this setting.
Bar Height (px)	Pixel height of the barcode bars. Range: 40 px – 200 px. Default: 80 px. Increase for wider label stock.
Bar Width	Width multiplier for each bar module (the narrowest bar unit). Range: 1.0 – 4.0. Default: 2.0. Higher values widen the whole barcode.
Number Font Size (px)	Font size for the standard barcode digit text (separate from the custom Label Font above). Range: 8 px – 36 px. Default: 11 px.
DPI Preset	Optional target printer DPI for the batch PNG export (72, 96, 150, 300, or 600 DPI). Works together with the Print Size field — selecting both overrides the resolution chip and calculates the exact pixel count needed. Leave blank to use the resolution chip multiplier instead.
Print Size (in)	Physical printed width in inches. Used together with DPI Preset to calculate the required pixel count. For example, 300 DPI at 2 inches produces a 600 px wide PNG.

CSV format: The batch generator expects columns data (required), label (optional — appears as a second text line below the barcode), and type (optional — overrides the default barcode type for that row). Download the template CSVs from the Batch tab to get started instantly.

GS1 / GTIN Batch Tab — Auto-Generate Sequential UPC-A Barcodes

The GS1 / GTIN tab is a specialist tool for brand owners with a GS1 Company Prefix who need to assign and print sequential UPC-A barcodes for a new product range without a spreadsheet. It is separate from the CSV batch tab and works entirely from your prefix.

Enter your GS1 Company Prefix (the 6–10 digit number assigned to your company by GS1 US or your local GS1 member organisation). The generator immediately shows how many digits remain for your item reference and how many unique product GTINs your prefix supports in total.

You can add items in two ways — use either or both in the same session:

Manual entry: Type or paste individual item reference numbers one at a time. Each is validated against the prefix length and added to the results table with its auto-calculated check digit and the complete 12-digit UPC-A.
Bulk paste / auto-sequence: Open the bulk accordion panel and paste a list of item references (one per line), or enter a start number and count to auto-generate a sequential range. The generator fills all rows instantly.

All appearance controls from the single barcode generator apply to the GS1 batch output — bar colour, background, flat mode, transparent background, show/hide digit text, font sizes, bar height, bar width, and output resolution. Results appear in a live table showing each 12-digit UPC-A, prefix, item reference, and check digit. From there, three export options are available:

Download CSV — exports a spreadsheet with columns: UPC-A (12 digits), Company Prefix, Item Reference, Check Digit, Label. Use this to import your new GTINs into GS1 Activate, Walmart Supplier Portal, Amazon Brand Registry, or your inventory system.
ZIP PNG — downloads a ZIP archive containing one PNG barcode image per item, named by the full 12-digit UPC-A value.
ZIP SVG — same as ZIP PNG but in scalable vector format. Preferred for commercial print production.

Note: The GS1 / GTIN tab generates UPC-A (GTIN-12) barcodes only. For EAN-13 or other formats in a batch, use the CSV Batch tab instead.

PDF Page Designer — Print Layout Tool

The PDF / Page Designer button (available from the single barcode preview, single QR preview, and the batch results panel) opens a full print layout overlay built directly into the generator. It is designed to arrange barcodes or QR codes on standard label sheets and export a print-ready PDF — no external label software required.

When opened from the single barcode or QR generator, the Page Designer loads that one code and tiles it across the sheet. When opened from the batch results panel, every generated code in the batch is placed into successive cells across the sheet, paginating automatically.

The controls in the Page Designer are:

Control	What it does
Paper size	Sets the page dimensions: US Letter (215.9 × 279.4 mm), A4 (210 × 297 mm), Legal (215.9 × 355.6 mm), A3 (297 × 420 mm), or Tabloid (279.4 × 431.8 mm).
Portrait / Landscape	Rotates the page orientation. Landscape is useful for wide barcode labels.
Label Preset	Applies a pre-configured item size for a specific label stock: Avery 5160 (66 × 25 mm), Avery 5163 (102 × 51 mm), Avery 5167 (43 × 17 mm), Uline 1″×2.5″ (64 × 25 mm), Uline 2″×4″ (102 × 51 mm), or Online QR (50 × 50 mm). Selecting a preset sets the Item W and Item H fields automatically.
Columns / Rows	Number of code cells per row and per column on each page. Leave Rows blank to auto-fill as many rows as fit within the margins.
Item W / Item H (mm)	Physical printed width and height of the barcode or QR code itself — not the full label cell. Dimensions are in millimetres and apply to the code image only; any label text is additive below.
Lock Aspect Ratio	When checked, changing Item W or Item H automatically recalculates the other dimension to preserve the code's original proportions.
Margin H / Margin V (mm)	Left/right and top/bottom page margins in millimetres. Default 12 mm each side.
Gap H / Gap V (mm)	Horizontal and vertical spacing between adjacent label cells.
Centre H / Centre V buttons	Recalculates the horizontal or vertical margin so the grid is perfectly centred on the page.
Labels toggle	Shows or hides the label text line (the barcode value or custom label) beneath each code in the PDF output.
Grid toggle	Shows or hides a light cell-border grid in the PDF. Useful for cutting guides on plain paper; turn off for clean label sheets that already have die-cut borders.
Guides toggle	Shows or hides blue snap-guide lines on the canvas preview to help align items visually.
Drag to reposition	Each code in the canvas preview can be dragged to offset its position within its cell. Press Escape to cancel a drag in progress. Click Reset Positions to return all items to their default grid positions.
Page navigation	For batches that span multiple pages, use the ← → arrows to preview each page before exporting.
Save Template / Load Template	Saves all current Page Designer settings (paper, orientation, columns, rows, item size, margins, gaps, preset, toggles, and per-item offsets) to a JSON file, and restores them in a future session. Use this to avoid re-entering settings for a label stock you use regularly.
Export PDF	Renders every page at full print resolution (barcodes re-rendered at 12× scale from SVG source for maximum sharpness) and saves a multi-page PDF.
Export CSV / Export XLSX	Exports a spreadsheet listing each code's row, column, label text, and detected code type (Barcode or QR Code). Useful for record-keeping or cross-referencing printed sheets against your inventory.

Tip: For the sharpest PDF output with barcode labels, always generate the barcode as SVG first. The Page Designer re-renders SVG barcodes at 12× scale internally during PDF export — the result is crisp at any label size. PNG-source barcodes use the preview canvas resolution and may show softness at very small label sizes.