How to make barcodes in bulk from a list, a spreadsheet or a number sequence
Making barcodes one at a time is fine for five products. For a whole catalogue, a shelf of asset tags or a run of serial numbers, you want them in one go. Here's how to do it without the mistakes that usually creep in.
Two ways to make many barcodes
- From a list or CSV. Best when you already have the numbers, such as GTINs from your product sheet or SKUs from your stock system. Add a second column to name each file.
- From a number sequence. Best for asset tags, serial numbers and tickets. Choose a prefix (ASSET-), a start number, how many, how many digits to pad to and an optional suffix. ASSET-00001 to ASSET-00500 takes ten seconds.
In ScanMosaic, open Bulk barcodes under any barcode generator. It makes up to 500 barcodes at a time in the type and style you've set, test-scans each one, and gives you a ZIP of PNG images (and SVG files if you want them) with an index.csv listing every value and whether it scanned. Bulk is part of Pro.
Step by step
- Prepare the values. One value per line, or two columns: the value, then the file name. Format number columns as text so leading zeros survive.
- Choose the barcode type and style. Set the type, module width, bar height and colours once on a single barcode. Bulk uses the same settings.
- Paste the list or upload the CSV. Or switch to Number sequence and set the prefix, start number, count and padding.
- Build the ZIP. Each barcode is drawn and test-scanned; anything that fails is listed in index.csv.
- Check index.csv, then print. Open the index, confirm every line passed, and place the images in your label template.
Watch out for spreadsheets
Most bulk barcode problems come from the spreadsheet, not the barcode generator:
- Leading zeros disappear. Excel turns 036000291452 into 36000291452, a different number. Format the column as Text before pasting, or open the CSV with an import step that keeps it as text.
- Long numbers turn into 5.01235E+12. Again, format as Text. Once a number has been shown in scientific notation and saved, the lost digits are gone.
- Spaces and hidden characters. Copying from a PDF or a website can bring in non-breaking spaces. Our check flags values with characters the barcode type can't hold.
- Duplicates. Sort the column and look for repeats before printing; two products with one GTIN cause stock errors.
Check digits in bulk
For EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8 and ITF-14 you can give the numbers without their check digit, and one is added to each. With a number sequence, that means you can set your GS1 company prefix as the prefix and count through item references: 12 digits each for EAN-13, and the 13th is calculated. Only use numbers from the block GS1 licensed to you.
Which barcode type for which job
| Job | Type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Retail products | EAN-13 or UPC-A | Shops and marketplaces expect GS1 numbers |
| Asset tags, SKUs, bin labels | Code 128 | Compact and holds letters and digits |
| Shipping cartons | ITF-14 | Prints well on corrugated board |
| Serial numbers on small parts | Data Matrix | Tiny and robust |
Printing the results
For sheets of labels, place the PNGs in your label template's mail merge (Word, Avery Design & Print or similar) at 100% scale. For a thermal label printer, use its own label software and import the images or the index.csv. Set the barcode's module width to suit the printer before you build the ZIP; see barcode print size and quiet zone.