Dimensions and Positioning for EAN-13, ITF-14 & QR

EAN-13 Barcode Dimensions
– Magnification Requirements
– Table of Magnification Values

ITF-14 Barcode Dimensions
– Magnification
– Height of Bars
– Bar Width Ratio
– Human Readable Interpretation
– Table of Magnification Values

QR Code Dimensions
– QR Code Size
– Quality and Image Format
– Printing Surface
– URL
– Encouraging Scanning

Barcode Positioning
– Horizontal or Vertical
– Image Placement (Edges)
– Bottles, Tubes and Other Rounded Products
– Bags and Sacks
– Books, Magazines, Newspapers

EAN-13 Barcode Dimensions

When we send you your barcode images, we will (normally) send them in standard size. You can resize the images if necessary to fit your product packaging or label, however please pay attention to the allowable barcode dimensions table below (especially if some of your retailers require barcode verification). The smallest recommended barcode size for an EAN-13 barcode is 80% of standard size (approx. 30mm wide x 20mm high).

Note that the white space on either side of the barcode (called the quiet zone) is an important part of the barcode. You must allow for this space when calculating the dimensions of your barcode- don’t crop it right to the bars!

EAN-13 Barcode Magnification Requirements:

An EAN-13 barcode can have a magnification range of 80% – 200% (X-dimension 0.26mm-0.66mm), if scanned at retail. If an item is being scanned in a General Distribution situation (automatic scanning), the magnification range is 150% to 200% (X-dimension 0.50mm – 0.66mm).

• Magnification- the percentage of standard size (100%)
• X-dimensions- the width of the smallest bar in mm
• Bar width- the distance in mm from the start of the first bar to the end of the last one
• Bar height- how long the bars are in mm
• Left quiet zone- the width of white space on the left side of the barcode (mm)
• Right quiet zone- the width of white space on the right side of the barcode (mm)

Table of Magnification Values

NOTE: A minimum magnification of 75% (X-dimension 0.25mm) is allowable only with certain on demand print processes (eg. thermal), however this applies only to the width of the barcode (the height of the barcode must remain at the 80% magnification size or larger).

ITF-14 Dimensions

ITF-14 barcodes, also known as carton barcodes or TUN codes, are larger than EAN-13 retail barcodes. You will notice on the image below that there are thick black bars surrounding the barcode. These are known as bearer bars, and the horizontal ones are mandatory on ITF-14 codes whereas the vertical bars are optional.

ITF-14 Height, Width and Bearer Bars

ITF-14 barcode specifications are quite different to EAN-13 and UPC-A retail barcodes. This is because there are different ITF-14 printing methods and use cases, and the sizing specifications change depending on these factors. We’ll go over them below, but first let’s establish a few key points:

• For ITF barcodes, the magnification value only corresponds to the width of the barcode, and the width and height can be changed independently of each other.
• ITF barcodes feature a black rectangular outline around the barcode. The bars constituting this are called bearer bars, and they are an essential part of the barcode. They should not be cropped out.
• Like EAN and UPC barcodes, ITFs have a quiet zone which is important for scannability. The quiet zone is the white area inside the bearer bars
• Height and width values are typically given without counting the bearer bars or quiet zones, but those elements are still essential and must be kept proportional if any resizing takes place

ITF-14 Specifications for Labels

As mentioned previously, ITF sizing specifications vary depending on the printing method and use case. If you are printing ITF-14 barcodes as regular labels, such as with thermal printing or on label paper, only the upper and lower bearer bars are necessary. The side ones can be removed, although it’s vital not to accidentally crop the quiet zone and leaving the side bearer bars in will not cause scanning issues. In terms of height and width requirements, these depend on how the ITF barcodes are going to be used. If they are only going to be scanned by humans with handheld scanners, the minimum magnification is 25% (30.62mm bar width) and the minimum height is 13mm (note that 13mm is the minimum, but it is preferable to keep the height as close to 32mm as possible for ease of scanning). If they might be scanned in a General Distribution Scanning Environment (GDSE), which is an automated or machine operated system, the minimum height is 32mm and the minimum magnification is 50% (61.21mm bar width). 

ITF-14 Specifications for Direct Plate Printing

It is common for ITF-14 barcodes to be printed directly onto cardboard boxes, using a method known as plate printing. This involves printing the ITF directly onto a cardboard box, rather than on a paper label. The advantage of this is that plate printed ITF barcodes are sturdier and less likely to be damaged during shipping. However, this is a less precise printing method and therefore larger sizes are required. The minimum magnification for plate printed ITF barcodes is 62.5% (76.52mm), regardless of whether it will be scanned manually or in a GDSE. The minimum height is the same as for labels, 13mm if humans will be scanning it and 32mm if it will be processed by a GDSE. Leaving it at 32mm tall is safest, so we recommend doing this when possible. Another important factor which is unique to plate printing is how bearer bars are handled. First of all, both the vertical and horizontal bars are required (forming a rectangle around the barcode). Secondly, there is a minimum bearer bar width of 4.8mm. Most barcode companies or generators will supply ITF-14 barcodes with 4.8mm bearer bars at 100% magnification, so if you will be using plate printing and want to reduce the height or width of your ITF barcode you need to ensure that you don’t scale down your bearer bars below 4.8mm by mistake. Properly scaling down the ITF barcode without messing up the bearer bars can be quite tricky, especially without paid barcoding software, so we recommend avoiding this if possible.

Table of ITF-14 Measurements by Magnification

• Magnification- the percentage of standard size (100%)
• X-dimensions- the width of the smallest bar in mm
• Bar width- the distance in mm from the start of the first bar to the end of the last one
• Bar height- how long the bars are in mm
• Quiet zone- the width of white space on either side of the barcode (mm)

Note that while official guidelines stop at 100% magnification, there are some situations where over 100% magnification is acceptable. These are very rare and don’t have official guidelines.

Where to position your barcode image?

Barcodes are the most efficient way of getting products through a checkout. Hence printing your barcode as standard as possible ensures minimal handling by the checkout operator and keeps the queues down. That is why you will find most barcodes (with the exception of magazines and newspapers) mainly at the bottom right rear of a product. The checkout operator can pass them through the scanner without having to look for the barcode.

Spend some time looking at some similar products already in stores and see how their barcodes are placed. Talk to your printer about it too.

Horizontal or Vertical

The common standard is horizontal with the numbers at the bottom (like a fence).

Depending on the curvature of the product they may need to be rotated so they are vertical (like a ladder).

Edges

Avoid printing too close to the edge of a product. This is where the checkout operator may hold the item and so block the barcode. 8mm from the edge is the official recommendation, and no closer than 5mm from the edge.

Bottles, tubes, cylinders and tubs

Depending on the curvature of the container you may need to rotate the barcode so it is vertical, as shown on the image to the left. Items with a small radius, for example, a beer bottle or a lipstick are likely to need this. Some scanners struggle to read both ends of the barcode if the curvature is large.

GS1’s official advice is that the angle between the tangent to the centre of the curved symbol and the tangent to the extremity of the curved symbol (outer edge of the guard bars for symbol in the EAN/UPC Symbology) must be less than 30 degrees. If this angle is more than 30 degrees, the symbol must be oriented such that the bars are perpendicular to the generating lines of surface of the item.

Bags and sacks

When the contents in a bag or sack can move around it can make the packaging lumpy. Bear this in mind as barcodes scan best on flat surfaces.

Books, Magazines and Newspapers

Book ISBN number barcodes are placed on the book’s reverse cover on the lower right area.

Magazines and newspapers ISSN number barcodes are printed on the front cover at the bottom.

General tips on barcode placement

Don’t print too close to the edges.

Don’t print on perforations, seams, folds, absorbent paper.

QR Code Dimensions

QR Code Size

QR codes continue functioning at surprisingly small sizes. 2×2 cm is the generally accepted safe minimum size, although it may be possible to get smaller. In terms of maximum size, the main thing to consider is whether the user will be able to fit the whole QR code into the QR code scanner they use. The most important advice when dealing with QR codes is to always test the code first at the desired size with multiple scanning apps and phones before committing to mass printing.

QR Code Quality & Image Format

We supply our QR codes in five formats: tif, bmp, jpg, pdf and eps. Which of these formats you use will depend on the scale and technical details of your project- a JPG will be fine if you want a QR code in the corner of A4 posters for a local event. However, if you want to greatly alter the size of the QR code (eg for a business card or large poster) you will probably be asked for a vector format image by your printer such as EPS.

Important: When you receive your QR code, it will have a white border around it- do not remove this! Without this border, your code will likely have serious scanning problems.

Qr Code Printing Surface

It is important to ensure your QR code is not put on a surface that will make it difficult or impossible to scan. Some things to watch out for are:

• Avoid extremely reflective surfaces eg bare glass- print on a paper label instead if possible, or give the code a solid coloured background
• Try to print on flat surfaces, not rounded. If printing on a curved surface, make the code smaller to reduce the impact of the curvature
• Don’t put your QR code somewhere that may be bent- for example, a QR code near the inner margin of a book or magazine can be difficult or impossible to scan
• Rough or uneven surfaces like corrugated cardboard are likely to interfere with scanning

QR Code URL

When a QR code is generated, it creates a pixel pattern that encodes the URL it links to. The longer the URL is, the more pixels will be required to create the QR code. Denser codes can have problems scanning especially when reduced to a small size (eg on a business card). This is usually not an issue, but if you intend to use your QR code at a very small size we recommend either using a short URL or ordering a dynamic QR code, as these link to a short URL hosted by us that then redirects to a URL of your choice that can be any length.

Encourage Scanning

Having a QR code that scans perfectly is good, but that is of no use if nobody actually scans it. Encouraging people to scan your code by telling them why they should, or even just putting “Scan Me!” next to the code, can significantly increase scan rate.

Another way to encourage scanning is to make your code look visually appealing, with colours, unqiue pixel shapes and your logo in the middle. If you are interested in our team of QR code artists beautifying your code, order a customised QR code!