Barcodes

barcodes / EAN codes

What are barcodes?

Barcodes, or EAN codes, are used everywhere in retail. EAN 13 barcodes are the standard in retail and are used to identify products. The codes are each assigned to a unique article. The data stored as a barcode can be read via the readers of checkout or handheld scanners and the items can thus be identified.

EAN 13 barcodes are not only suitable for official retail, but can also be used for internal purposes - e.g. for warehouse management or cash register systems.

👉 These instructions refer to internal barcodes that are not used in official retail.

Creating barcodes for internal purposes

Internal EAN 13 code consists of 13 digits:

The first 12 digits → Freely selectable (e.g. 987654321012) For example, you can select the zip code of your location as the first 4 digits and further assign 8 fantasy numbers, an ascending sequence or numbers according to your own product categories.

The 13th digit is a check digit → Must be calculated (987654321012?) This digit is calculated from the 12 digits before it. The formula for this can be googled and calculated individually. This is prone to errors, therefore:
💡 Tip: If you want to save yourself the calculation, you can have the check digit calculated on the following website (example: GTIN-13):
You can now enter this code in the "Barcode" field for your product in scango.ch.
👉 Note: Please note that the barcode is entered differently for weight-dependent products.

This is described under Products.

Generate barcode as graphic

To convert the barcodes in numeric form into a scannable barcode, we recommend the following free website:

Select EAN-13
Enter number (incl. calculated check digit)
Generate & download (PNG or PDF)

Print barcode

Depending on your existing printer solution, you can now print the resulting graphic codes on label or DIN sheets and use them to label your products.

👉 Print the codes black/dark on a white/light background so that the code can be read by the scanner.