How to Create a Barcode

Barcodes are geometric patterns, usually vertically lines, which are used to scan and track property or goods. Although they were first used to track railroad cars, they became even more popular when they were adopted by commodity products for supermarket use. 2 common kinds of barcodes are the Universal Product Code (UPC) and International Standard Book Number (ISBN), which must be applied for through official agencies to validate a product before it can be sold. Barcodes can be used to keep track of retail inventory, or they can be used privately to code and track collections or goods. Read more to find out how to create a barcode.

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Steps

Create Barcodes Online

1. 1
   Request a UPC or ISBN identification number for your product and/or company. This will allow all of your products to begin with the same numbers. Each additional product will differ in the last few UPC or ISBN number.
   • The UPC is available through a website called Barcode.gs1us.org. After supplying business and product details, you will be sent a generated UPC number. You can receive a barcode from them, or make a barcode using a barcode font in Microsoft Excel or using an online program.
     
     
     
   • The ISBN number can be requested at ISBN.org. You can request a single ISBN, a publisher block of ISBN numbers or extra publisher ISBN numbers at this site. You will request the ISBN from an organization called Bowker by verifying your business. They will send you the file and you can place the barcode on the back of the book or DVD's packaging.
     
     
     
2. 2
   Go online to BarcodesInc.com to generate a barcode online. Type in your ISBN or UPC number and click the "Generate Barcode" button. Right click your mouse and select "Save Image As," to save your barcode image to the desktop.
   
   
   
   • If you are creating barcodes for private use, such as collection cataloging, then decide on a letter or number plan to list your collection. Assign a name or number series to each product and type each series into the BarcodesInc website to generate private barcodes.
     
     
     
3. 3
   Use the barcode by placing the image on a cover design for your product. You can also print it and tape or glue it onto your inventory items for personal use.

Create Barcodes in Excel

1. 1
   Open a browser window and go to IDautomation.com. Choose the link on the homepage that says "Font Tools."
   
   
   
2. 2
   Scroll down the list of the products. Find "Microsoft Office Macros & VBA for Excel, Access & Word." Click the red "Download" button.
   
   
   
3. 3
   Save the file to your desktop. The file should be called "Barcodefunctions.zip." Open the zip file after it has downloaded onto your desktop, and save the extracted files to your desktop.
   
   
   
4. 4
   Open Microsoft Excel. Click on the "Tools" menu in the upper horizontal toolbar. Scroll down to "Macro," and select "Visual Basic Editor."
   
   
   
5. 5
   Click on the "File" menu in the upper horizontal toolbar. Scroll down and select "Import File."
   
   
   
6. 6
   Use the browser window to navigate to your ID Automation downloaded files. Find the macro file called "IDautomationvba.bas" and open it in the browser. Microsoft Excel will add the file to a "Modules" folder.
   
   
   
7. 7
   Close out the Visual Basic Editor. Return to a blank workbook. To test out your barcode, type a number into a cell A1, to serve as your first barcode. In the cell next to it, you will type the function that gives you the barcode.
   
   
   
8. 8
   Type "=Code128(A1)" into the cell B2. Click "Enter" after you have completed the typing to generate your encoded data.
   
   
   
9. 9
   Select cell B2. Go to your font list and scroll down until you find the list of ID automation fonts. Click on 1 of these fonts to generate your barcode. The barcode should appear in B2.
   
   
   
10. 10
    Repeat with the same process for all the barcodes you require. Either copy and paste them into product cover design or print them out and tape them to your products.
    
    
    

 Tips

• There are applications and websites available to help you catalog your collections using barcodes. With a web cam you can scan your barcodes into an online database.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Excel
• Company information
• Product information
• Printer