Free Barcode Generator

We occasionally get asked about free barcode generators. There are two aspects to this.

1. The barcode number

If you require a barcode purely for ‘internal’ use – i.e. only for use within your own store, or for use on your record collection or for asset tracking, then you can make up your own numbers. You won’t need to purchase the barcode numbers. However, if you require a barcode for use on a retail product being sold in other stores, or on Amazon or elsewhere on the internet, then you will need a legal and legitimate barcode number, which can be purchased from us for a one-off cost.

If you use a made up number or a randomly generated number from a free online tool, you risk having your products removed from stores if the store finds out that you have done so. This is very expensive. So it is worth spending a bit of money now to save lots of time and money in the future. The bottom line is, you must not use a free barcode generator to create EAN or UPC codes.

An asset tracking barcode like this is fine to make with a free barcode generator

2. The barcode images

If you already have a barcode number (either purchased or made-up) and need barcode images for it, there are four main options –

• You can find a free barcode image generator on the internet. These programs allow you to enter your barcode number, and they will create an image for you. If your barcodes are for home use, and you can print them in a large size, then this might be OK. However, you usually only get the images in one format and have limited or no control over the image size, resolution, or other important parameters. If you are spending money on printing barcodes on your packaging, then it is false economy to try to save a small amount of money on a free barcode image, with a large risk that it will not print well and hence not be able to scan.
• You can get barcode font to use on your computer within Word or another program. However, these are terrible for most barcodes and definitely don’t work well for retail barcode numbers. Stay clear of these.
• You can purchase professional barcode image creating software. We use various programs, depending on the application, as they each have their strengths and weaknesses. The programs that work best cost many hundreds of dollars (US) in fees. If you require hundreds or thousands of images, these programs might be worthwhile for you. However, it takes a long time to work out how best to use the software.
• You can purchase the barcode images for very reasonable prices. We create the barcode images for you and then email the barcode images. We can also adjust many other parameters for you, including font style & size, spacing, optimisation for printing at a specific resolution. We can also add extra text above or below the barcode if you wish, invert the image etc.