EAN-13/8 with check digit — Barcode Format Guide & Generator
EAN-13/8 with check digit is a one-dimensional linear symbology in the Retail family. Same as EAN but input must include the check digit, which is verified. You will find these codes on virtually every physical product sold through retail: groceries, books, cosmetics, electronics and their shipping cartons.
- Category
- Retail
- Symbol
- Linear (1D) bars
- Data
- Plain text within the symbology’s character set and length limits
- Example
- 9520123456788
Data format
Enter the payload as plain text. The encoder enforces each symbology’s character set and length rules, and rejects out-of-spec input with a clear message instead of silently producing a bad symbol.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Read by virtually every retail point-of-sale scanner worldwide.
- The standard check digit catches mis-keyed numbers before a bad label ships.
Limitations
- Numeric-only, fixed-length payload — no free text.
- No error correction — a scratched or badly printed symbol fails outright.
Generate one in QrDeco
- Open QrDeco and choose EAN-13/8 with check digit from the format list.
- Type or paste your data — for example 9520123456788.
- Adjust size, colours, quiet zone or human-readable text in the style panel if you need them.
- Export an SVG or PDF for print, or a PNG for screens — generated locally in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Scanning and printing tips
- Never invent a company prefix or reuse a GTIN across products — license numbers from GS1 and give every variant its own.
- Keep the left and right quiet zones clear; on retail symbols they are checked as strictly as the bars.
- Leave the quiet zones clear — blank space on both sides of the bars is part of the symbol.
- Print dark bars on a light background; red-only bars can vanish under red laser light.
- Keep the bars vertical to the scan direction and print at the symbol’s standard magnification.
Related formats
More from the Retail family, plus the family overview: