EAN-13 Specifications

Barcode Printing Guidelines

EAN-13 Specifications. Follow these guidelines to print your barcode correctly. Proper sizing ensures reliable scanning and helps you pass verification.

Why Size Matters

Keep your barcode size within the recommended standards whenever possible.
If you go outside these limits, some retailers may accept your barcode, but others will reject it.
Staying within the range gives you the best chance of universal acceptance.

Magnification Standards

Retail Point-of-Sale (POS) Scanning

For EAN-13 barcodes scanned at retail checkouts, use a magnification between 80% and 200%.
This corresponds to an X‑dimension (narrow bar width) of 0.26 mm to 0.66 mm.

Exceptions for On-Demand Printing

You can use a minimum magnification of 75% (X‑dimension 0.25 mm) only for on‑demand print processes, such as thermal printing.
However, do not truncate the bar height below the minimum required for an 80% magnification symbol.

Automated / General Distribution Scanning

If your product may also pass through automated scanning environments (e.g., warehouses or distribution centres), use a magnification between 150% and 200%.
This means an X‑dimension of 0.50 mm to 0.66 mm.

Human-Readable Interpretation (HRI)

Placement

Print the human‑readable numbers directly below the barcode symbol.

Typeface Recommendations

We recommend using OCR‑B typeface at a height of 2.75 mm for nominal size (100% magnification, X‑dimension 0.33 mm).

This typeface is optional – you may use alternative fonts and sizes, as long as the digits remain clearly legible.

Dimensions (All measurements in millimetres)

Magnification	X-dimension	Width	Bar height	Left Quiet Zone	Right Quiet Zone
0.80	0.26	25.08	18.28	2.90	1.85
0.85	0.28	26.65	19.42	3.09	1.96
0.90	0.30	28.22	20.57	3.27	2.08
0.95	0.31	29.78	21.71	3.45	2.19
1.00	0.33	31.35	22.85	3.63	2.31
1.05	0.35	32.92	23.99	3.81	2.43
1.10	0.36	34.49	25.14	3.99	2.54
1.15	0.38	36.05	26.28	4.17	2.66
1.20	0.40	37.62	27.42	4.36	2.77
1.25	0.41	39.19	28.56	4.54	2.89
1.30	0.43	40.76	29.71	4.72	3.00
1.35	0.45	42.32	30.85	4.90	3.12
1.40	0.46	43.89	31.99	5.08	3.23
1.45	0.48	45.46	33.13	5.26	3.35
1.50	0.50	47.03	34.28	5.45	3.47
1.55	0.51	48.59	35.42	5.63	3.58
1.60	0.53	50.16	36.56	5.81	3.70
1.65	0.54	51.73	37.70	5.99	3.81
1.70	0.56	53.30	38.85	6.17	3.93
1.75	0.58	54.86	39.99	6.35	4.04
1.80	0.59	56.43	41.13	6.53	4.16
1.85	0.61	58.00	42.27	6.72	4.27
1.90	0.63	59.57	43.42	6.90	4.39
1.95	0.64	61.13	44.56	7.08	4.50
2.00	0.66	62.70	45.70	7.26	4.62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terms:

– Bar Width = width of barcode symbol excluding Quiet Zones

– Bar Height = height of bar excluding guard bar patterns

– Quiet Zone = Area of white space on either side of the bars

It is a good idea to allow for more quiet zone space than is strictly required in case of ink spread or printing inaccuracies

 

If you are unclear on any of our terms used here and they are not in our glossary, please contact us.

If you need to arrange barcode verification, this can be purchased here.

 

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