Graphic Design: How to generate bar codes?

They should be encoded as EAN-13 ;)

The end result is the same: the scanner just converts the bars into the numbers you see.

Edit: Maybe I should add to that. What the bars look like is irrelevant, it's the scanner's job to read and decode them. In both cases it'll be read and output as the same number.
 
Last edited:
ToxicWazte said:
Choosing EAN-13 doesn't output the same bar code I have. However, choosing Code 128 does. Thanks though. The EPS download option is awesome.
Click to expand...

remember that the last digit is not input and should automatically come up as the check - not sure if this was mentioned
 
Another thing to keep in mind is that barcodes need to be generated at a magnification of either 80% or 100% - if space on the packaging allows it of course. You can truncate the barcode (shorten the height of the bars) to get it to fit if space is a problem, though it is always a good idea to stick to the recommended size of either 80% or 100%. I know this is a requirement for some of the bigger sort of chain stores out there.

Also depending on how the packaging is going to be printed you would have to worry about bar width reduction when creating the barcode. As an example for flexo printing bar width reduction is quite a serious thing that has to be taken into account, though for offset litho you would not really have any bar width reduction.

Oh, and never ever make the barcode red in colour...
 
Murdoc said:
remember that the last digit is not input and should automatically come up as the check - not sure if this was mentioned
Click to expand...

I'm using the following digits: 6009 6629 6174 6

Using the URL provided by Texo (thanks), if I put in only the first 12 digits, it automatically adds the last (checksum) digit, which is 6 in this case. If I do put in the last digit (can be 6, or any other number), the generated result is the same as in the first case. So it looks like it only looks at the first 12 digits, ignores the 13th digit, but calculates it and adds it to the barcode. This is when using EAN-13 encoding.
 
DCS said:
Another thing to keep in mind is that barcodes need to be generated at a magnification of either 80% or 100% - if space on the packaging allows it of course. You can truncate the barcode (shorten the height of the bars) to get it to fit if space is a problem, though it is always a good idea to stick to the recommended size of either 80% or 100%. I know this is a requirement for some of the bigger sort of chain stores out there.

Also depending on how the packaging is going to be printed you would have to worry about bar width reduction when creating the barcode. As an example for flexo printing bar width reduction is quite a serious thing that has to be taken into account, though for offset litho you would not really have any bar width reduction.

Oh, and never ever make the barcode red in colour...
Click to expand...

Thanks dude. Very useful info, but I'm a bit confused. Just a few questions:
- What do you mean by magnification of 80% or 100%? 80% or 100% in comparison to what? I'm not sure I understand, please explain.
- What do you mean by bar width reduction?

There are 2 sets of packaging designs:
- 1st set will be printed as stickers, which will then be applied by a machine to the buckets. I think these stickers will be printed using offset litho?? Right?
- 2nd set will be printed onto clear flexible plastic, in huge roles. I think this is called flexo printing?? Right?

If I interpret bar width reduction to mean resizing the barcode horizontally (reducing the length (not height) to fit the product packaging), then are you saying that I have to make the barcode smaller in this way, I have to be careful when doing flexo printing? I assume, each pixel or bar in the barcode needs to be a minimum width, so that the ratios between pixels will make sense, in order for the barcode to be readable?

Sorry if I'm confusing things, or being dumb. I just want to understand EVERYTHING, so that I can get the designs perfect, and thus I have a 100 questions.
 
Last edited:
Well it wont be in comparison to anything... What I should have said is that the barcode needs to be either 80% or 100% in size. This is a setting that you put in when creating the barcode within a barcode package - though looking at the "http://www.terryburton.co.uk/barcodewriter/generator/" site I could not really see a place to do this easily. You could probably do this with the scale settings they have there but not sure how that works.

Bar width reduction is another setting that you need to enter when generating the barcode - it is not resizing the barcode horizontally so dont try that! Bar width reduction is basically a way of taking into account the stretch that would happen when printing onto certain types of stock.

I cant go into much detail now - but will post some examples tommorrow with a better explanation.
 
ToxicWazte said:
I'm using the following digits: 6009 6629 6174 6

Using the URL provided by Texo (thanks), if I put in only the first 12 digits, it automatically adds the last (checksum) digit, which is 6 in this case. If I do put in the last digit (can be 6, or any other number), the generated result is the same as in the first case. So it looks like it only looks at the first 12 digits, ignores the 13th digit, but calculates it and adds it to the barcode. This is when using EAN-13 encoding.
Click to expand...


Exactly right, i was under the impression that wasnt working for you

Btw i recently completed a project where i resized barcodes in all sorts of percentages :confused:
They were all tested though , guesss i got lucky
Another mistake i did once was on a two colour job i had the barcodes in a spot red, mistake ,as barcode readers dont pick up red/purple etc. So just keep them black :P
 
Murdoc said:
Exactly right, i was under the impression that wasnt working for you

Btw i recently completed a project where i resized barcodes in all sorts of percentages :confused:
They were all tested though , guesss i got lucky
Another mistake i did once was on a two colour job i had the barcodes in a spot red, mistake ,as barcode readers dont pick up red/purple etc. So just keep them black :P
Click to expand...

Thanks. Will keep that in mind. All the barcodes will be black on a white background. Glad to know that you didn't have a problem resizing it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X