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Free Barcode Label Generator — DPI, Print Setup, and Avery Guide
Last updated: March 2026
Generating a barcode image is the easy part. Getting it to print correctly — at the right size, at sufficient resolution, on the right label stock — is where most problems occur. This page covers the Page Designer tool, standard Avery label formats, DPI requirements for scannable barcodes, and the most common print setup mistakes.
Label Sheet Formats and Their Dimensions
| Avery Template | Labels per Sheet | Label Size | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5160 | 30 | 1" × 2⅝" (25.4 × 66.7mm) | Address labels, FBA unit labels, small product labels |
| 5163 | 10 | 2" × 4" (50.8 × 101.6mm) | Shipping labels, larger product labels |
| 5167 | 80 | ½" × 1¾" (12.7 × 44.5mm) | Price stickers, small inventory labels |
| 5161 | 20 | 1" × 4" (25.4 × 101.6mm) | Folder tabs, narrow product labels |
| Custom | Variable | You define | Thermal label rolls, bespoke formats |
The Page Designer in BatchPrintGTIN includes presets for the Avery formats above. If printing on a standard printer, Avery 5160 labels are an excellent choice and are the standard size for barcode labels. To print your generated barcodes, the DYMO LabelWriter 550 is the most popular choice for small product sellers. For thermal label printers (Zebra, Rollo, Dymo LabelWriter), use the custom dimension settings — enter your roll label size exactly, with zero margins on all sides. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DPI Requirements for Scannable Barcodes
Barcode readability depends on the physical width of the narrowest bar element, not just the image resolution. GS1 specifies a minimum narrow bar width of 0.264mm for UPC-A and EAN-13 at 100% nominal size. At 300 DPI print resolution, 0.264mm corresponds to roughly 3 pixels — the absolute minimum for reliable scanning. At 203 DPI (the resolution of many entry-level thermal label printers), that same bar becomes approximately 2 pixels, which causes scan failures.
Recommended minimum print resolutions by barcode type:
- UPC-A, EAN-13 — 300 DPI minimum. 600 DPI recommended for retail packaging. At 300 DPI, print at 100% scale or larger.
- Code 128 — 203 DPI is acceptable for most warehouse scanners if bar width is at least 0.38mm. For healthcare and retail environments, 300 DPI.
- QR Code — 150 DPI is sufficient for QR codes 25mm or larger. For QR codes smaller than 20mm, use 300 DPI minimum.
- ITF-14 — typically printed directly on corrugated cardboard. Minimum bar width 1.02mm, which accommodates lower resolution direct print.
What Fits on an Avery 5160 Label (1" × 2⅝")
An Avery 5160 label is 25.4mm tall by 66.7mm wide. At 100% GS1 nominal scale, a UPC-A barcode is 25.91mm tall and 37.29mm wide — it fits with about 14mm of horizontal space for a product name alongside it, or can be centred with margins.
A practical configuration for FBA unit labels: barcode occupies the left 40mm of the label width, product name in 8pt font in the remaining 24mm on the right, ASIN or SKU in 7pt below the product name. This keeps everything legible and leaves the barcode undistorted.
Using the Page Designer
Open the Page Designer from the main generator toolbar. Select a label sheet preset or enter custom dimensions. Items appear as draggable tiles on a canvas preview. For batch label production, load your CSV through the Batch Generator first, then switch to Page Designer — your batch output populates the label grid automatically, one barcode per label cell, in CSV row order.
The PDF export uses vector rendering for barcodes, meaning the bars remain sharp regardless of printer resolution. The key setting to check before printing: in your PDF viewer, set the page scaling to "Actual Size" or 100% — never "Fit to Page." Scaling down reduces bar width below specification and causes scan failures.
Thermal Label Printers
Thermal direct and thermal transfer printers produce the sharpest barcodes for label printing because they print dot-for-dot without the halftoning that inkjet printers use. Common models: DYMO LabelWriter 550, DYMO LabelWriter 4XL, Zebra GK420d, Zebra ZD421, Rollo X1038, Rollo Wireless Label Printer, Brother QL-820NWB. For all of these, set the Page Designer to your exact roll label size with zero margins on all four sides.
Inkjet and laser printers produce acceptable results at 300 DPI or higher when printing on Avery label sheets such as 5160. Use the SVG download option rather than PNG when printing from a desktop printer — the vector format eliminates rasterisation artefacts at the barcode edges.
| Label Printers | DPI | Recommended as | Approximate Price Range (USD) | Summary and Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DYMO LabelWriter 550 | 300 | Best Entry-Level recommendation | ~$89–$120 | The most widely recommended small business label printer. 300 DPI, USB, integrates with Shopify and Square directly. Huge install base means users can find help easily. Best for: small product sellers, home-based businesses, Etsy/Shopify sellers printing single labels. |
| DYMO LabelWriter 4XL | 300 | Best for Large Shipping Labels | ~$180–$220 | Prints 4"×6" shipping labels — the standard size for UPS, FedEx, USPS, and Amazon. 300 DPI, USB. Targets e-commerce sellers who need full-size packing/shipping labels rather than small product tags. |
| Zebra GK420d | 203/300 | Best Value Zebra for Budget-Conscious Businesses | ~$160–$240 | Older but extremely well-proven Zebra model, widely used in warehouses and retail. Available in 203 or 300 DPI. Direct thermal only (no ribbon). USB, serial, and optional Ethernet. Lower price than the ZD-series makes it a strong recommendation for those who want Zebra reliability without the full ZD421 cost. Large used/refurb market keeps prices low. |
| Zebra ZD421 | 203/300 | Best Mid-Range for Growing Businesses | ~$280–$350 | Industry-standard thermal printer used by retailers worldwide. Accepts the widest range of label stock. USB + Bluetooth + Ethernet options. Square and Shopify integration. Best for users managing real inventory at scale rather than home-based sellers. |
| Rollo X1038 | 203 | Best Wired Budget Option | ~$99–$129 | Rollo's wired USB model. 203 DPI, 4"×6" direct thermal, accepts any third-party labels. No wireless, but more reliable for high-volume desktop setups. Good pick for users who don't need wireless but want to avoid DYMO's proprietary label costs. Pairs well with bulk barcode export workflows. |
| Rollo Wireless Label Printer | 203 | Best Value for Etsy/Amazon sellers | ~$89–$149 | Accepts any third-party label rolls (not proprietary), wireless, works with all major shipping platforms. Very popular with Amazon FBA and Etsy sellers. Lower ongoing label cost than DYMO. |
| Brother QL-820NWB | 300x600 | Best for QR + Barcode Labels | ~$160–$200 | Supports both 1D barcodes and QR codes natively, wireless, USB and Ethernet. The only mainstream label printer that prints black and red labels. Strong choice for users generating QR codes for business cards, product packaging, and menus. |
UPC-A Label EAN-13 Label FNSKU Label (FBA) ITF-14 Carton Label
Label Stock That Works With the Printers Above
The printers are half the equation — the label stock determines whether the barcode actually scans reliably in the field. A few formats that come up repeatedly across different use cases:
Avery 5162 — 1⅓" × 4", 14 labels per sheet
The gap in the Avery lineup that most people discover after trying 5160 (too small) and 5163 (too large). The 5162 hits the sweet spot for product labels that need more horizontal space than a standard address label — think SKU + product name + barcode on one label. 14 per sheet, compatible with any inkjet or laser printer, and BatchPrintGTIN's Page Designer has a matching template.
Between 5160 and 516314 per sheetInkjet and laserView on Amazon
DYMO LabelWriter 30336 — multi-purpose barcode labels, 1" × 2⅛"
If you're running a DYMO LabelWriter 550, the 30336 roll is the one that stays loaded most of the time. The 1"×2⅛" size is wide enough to hold a full UPC barcode at 300 DPI with a readable human-readable number line, and compact enough to fit on small retail products and unit cartons. Available in 260-label and 500-label rolls — buy the larger roll if you're printing in any kind of volume.
DYMO LabelWriter compatible260 or 500 per rollUPC-width fitView on Amazon
DYMO LabelWriter 30373 — price tag labels with string hole
The DYMO-specific format for price tag and hang tag labels. The perforated string hole at the top fits standard display hooks and hang tag strings — useful for retail clothing, accessories, and any product where a barcode label needs to hang rather than stick. If you're generating barcodes for products that go on retail display hooks, this is the label that bridges the generator output to the shelf.
Pre-punched hang holeDYMO LabelWriter compatibleRetail display useView on Amazon
Label Stock — Filling in the Gaps
The printer recommendations above cover the hardware side. The label stock that goes with each setup matters just as much — the wrong size wastes sheet space, and the wrong material fails within weeks on a product that ships in warm trucks. A few additions to what is already listed above.
Avery 5162 — the in-between size most people discover late
If Avery 5160 (30-up, 1"×2⅝") is too small for your product label and 5163 (10-up, 2"×4") is too large, Avery 5162 is the size that tends to appear in the search history of most sellers about two weeks into their first print run. It is 1⅓"×4", 14 labels per sheet — wide enough for a full product name and barcode side by side, without the shipping-label footprint of the 5163. Standard laser and inkjet compatible.
Avery 5162 labels — 1⅓" × 4", 14 per sheet, laser/inkjet
Medium product label — fills the gap between Avery 5160 (too small) and 5163 (too large for most product labels). 14 per sheet, compatible with standard laser and inkjet printers. Works directly with BatchPrintGTIN's PDF Page Designer.
Fills the mid-size gapLaser & inkjet14 per sheetView on Amazon
DYMO 30336 — the standard barcode label for LabelWriter users
If you are running a DYMO LabelWriter 550, 30336 is the label you will use most often for product barcodes — 1"×2⅛", the size that fits cleanly on most retail product packaging without wrapping around edges. It is DYMO's most commonly reordered SKU in the small-product label category. Worth buying two or three rolls at a time; a roll of 500 goes faster than expected once you are labelling in batches.
DYMO 30336 multi-purpose barcode labels — 500 per roll
The standard 1"×2⅛" DYMO label roll for product barcode printing on LabelWriter 550 and compatible models. Clean white matte finish, permanent adhesive. Compatible with all DYMO LabelWriter desktop printers. 500 labels per roll.
LabelWriter compatible500 per rollMost reordered sizeView on Amazon
DYMO 30373 — price tag and hanging labels
For retail settings where products hang on pegs or need a price sticker rather than a flat barcode label — 30373 is the DYMO label for that use case. It has the same white matte finish as 30336 but is die-cut for price tags and small hanging labels. Useful for boutique retail, market stalls, and any product that sits on a hook rather than a shelf.
DYMO 30373 price tag labels — LabelWriter compatible
Die-cut price tag and hanging labels for DYMO LabelWriter printers. White matte finish, permanent adhesive. Standard format for boutique retail and market stall price labelling. Barcode-compatible for combined price and scan-code labels.
Price tag formatLabelWriter compatibleRetail useView on Amazon