Obtaining your barcodes- Detailed procedure
In the previous article, we covered the two main options for purchasing barcodes. In this article, we will present how you can obtain a barcode from either GS1 or a respectable barcode reseller, India Barcodes, in this case.
Obtaining a barcode from GS1
GS1 issues barcodes to their customers on an annual basis and need ongoing payment to continue holding the license, which is why it is essential to think over whether it is the right decision for your business to license codes from GS1. If your business requires GS1 licensed codes, you should go to GS1 India and click on the 'Register for Barcodes' tab from the 'Get a Barcode' dropdown menu. The following information will be required to progress:
– PAN card of individual/business
– Audited balance sheet
– A request letter for barcode allotment on company letterhead
– Proof/evidence of the status of the applicant company, i.e. GST/VAT statement, ROS, MOA or ROC
- Now, click the 'Online Application' button and fill in your business email and PAN number.
- You need to fill a series of tabs, first 'Business Details', where you need to submit all the relevant details & documents along with the business address and contact details.
- After submitting, the next tab is your contact details.
- After you have submitted your details, you have to select the number of barcodes required. GS1 issues the license with company prefixes of between 6 and 12 digits; a six-digit prefix can be used to generate up to 100,000 unique GTINs, while the 12 digits can generate only 1 barcode. Remember to select enough barcodes to cover your current product lines, as well as any other product lines you may introduce shortly – so that you have enough barcodes in reserve to use when needed.
- The next tab is payment details. You will need to pay the initial sign-up fee and the added fees based on the years you have chosen to license the codes.
- After this, you will see a confirmation page to go over your submitted details, edit, if required and then submit the application form.
- GS1 advises that you will receive a welcome email along with your company prefix within one business day.
- After that, you can log into GS1's 'datakart' service and generate your barcodes from the company prefix issued.
Purchasing your barcodes directly from a barcode reseller
Many businesses do not need GS1 issued barcodes and hence opt for it as it is vastly more economical and needs a lot less effort to sign up. It is always recommended that you analyze your businesses unique barcode requirements before going with any purchase.
Barcode resellers can sell genuine EAN 13 & UPC A barcodes at a one-off cost. They generally will be able to supply you with the barcode numbers and high-quality images within few minutes of the purchase. They also need less information from your company. For this example, have a look at the checkout process for India Barcodes.
Step 2: Choose the number of barcodes required by clicking on the 'add to cart tab. The cost will be lower per barcode if you purchase in bulk, and you can keep the 'spare' barcodes in reserve until you use them. Remember, it is always good to consider any product lines you may introduce soon when purchasing barcodes.
Step 3: Hit 'Checkout', and it will open the purchase page. Here you will be directed to fill out your details: Your Name (or company name) and email address. Always double check your email as your package will be sent to this address. Below this, there is a secure payment section. You can make payment via any major Credit or Debit card through India Barcodes' 256bit encrypted payment gateway. Below this, you will be directed to fill in the billing address.
Step 4: Read carefully and agree to the terms & conditions and click on the 'purchase' button to finalize your payment.
Step 5: Please wait for 5 minutes for your package to be delivered to the email address entered in the previous section. Also, check your spam & junk folders as sometimes automated emails can end up there, especially while using a Gmail account.
Barcode Assignment and Online Registration
The following important part is to assign your barcode numbers to your products after you've received your barcode numbers & images. If you licensed the barcodes from GS1, you can use the 'data kart service to associate your barcode numbers with your product. On the other hand, if you purchased the barcodes from a barcode reseller, you can use any free online barcode database like GTIN lookup to associate your barcode numbers with your products.
Wherever you have sourced your codes, you are responsible for keeping track of your assignments. Always keep a record of your barcodes and related product assignments – even if you've submitted the details of your barcode in an online database such as 'datakart' or GTIN lookup.
To register your products on GTIN lookup, please follow the instructions below.
Step 1: Go to https://gtinlookup.org
Step 2: Click on the 'Submit a GTIN' button
Step 3: Fill the form with the relevant details and make sure everything is correct before submitting it. Listings can't be updated or edited after submitting; however, if an error is made, request the webmaster to correct it by submitting a request to submissions@gtinlookup.org.
Please note to submit an image correctly, find the image online, i.e. on your website, right-click the image, and then choose 'open image in new tab'. You will see a black background with the image, copy the URL and paste it into the image URL field on GTIN lookup.
Barcode Size & Colour Guidelines
The next step in successfully barcoding your products is to conform to international barcode size requirements and select appropriate colours for your barcode numbers so that they will scan correctly. Barcode images are generally supplied at SC2 or 100% magnification: 25.93mm x 37.29mm. You can increase the size of the image up to 200% magnification: 51.86mm x 74.58mm or decrease the size down to SC0 or 80% magnification: 21.25mm x 30.51mm without affecting its scannability. It is essential when altering the barcode image size that you adjust the height and width proportionally. Also, take care never to cut the white/blank space around the barcode. This white space is called the 'quiet zone' and is vital as it signals the scanner where the barcode 'starts' and 'ends'.
The best and widely used colour combination for a barcode is black over white which we see almost everywhere. Colourisation of a barcode is possible, but as a barcode scanner uses the reflection of infrared light to decode the bars, some colour combinations can't be used. That means, if you've dark bars over a light background, the code should scan fine except for colouring the bars yellow or red as a scanner will read these colours as 'white' colour. Some examples of scannable and non-scannable colours are given below.
Scannable Colour Combinations
Non-Scannable Colour Combinations
Some retailers will need you to obtain a verification report for your barcodes. A verification report tests a printed barcode by scanning it from a range of distances and different angles and rates the scannability of the barcode with an ISO (International Standards Organization) score of 1 to 4, and 4 is the highest possible score. If you need a verification report for your products, you must confirm the colour & size guidelines.
Barcode Printing
After adjusting your barcode image digitally, you now have several options to consider for printing. The most efficient option is to affix your barcode to your product so as to include the digital image on your artwork before you send the packaging to be printed. This method gives you complete control over the placement of the barcode on the packaging as well as colour & size options that'll help the branding of the product.
There can be some reasons why you can't include the barcode image on the packaging of your product. In case your product packaging has already been printed, or if your product comes in clear plastic wrap, then you'll require to affix your barcode in some other way. The second most used option is to print stickers of the barcode number. There are two following ways for doing this:
- Contact a professional printing company to print off rolls of sticky labels. This method would be most beneficial for businesses having a small product range, and a large number of units sold as most rolls of barcode stickers will come with a min. of 1500 to 1000 stickers.
- You can use a barcode label printer like a Zebra GC420D, Brother TD-4000 or DYMO LABELWRITER 4XL MACHINE LW4XL to print sticky labels. This is most suitable for businesses with an extensive product range and low turnover of units sold, as you can print off stickers as needed.
Introducing Your Product to Retailers
Barcodes do not hold any information themselves; they're simply a visual representation of a unique number (globally) representing your product. Once you establish your barcode into your product's artwork, labels the barcode number that has already started representing your product.
At the time of supplying your products to a retailer merchant, you may be needed to fill a product information form linking your product and company details to the barcode number. The retailer will then transfer this information into their sales & inventory system, allowing your product to be scanned at POS. This process is required every time you introduce your product to a new retailer.
Some companies falsely advertise that their databases allow your product information to be globally available in retail stores. Still, the simple fact is that almost every retailer has its internal database of products linked to its POS system. Nine times out of ten, you'll be required to complete this process of supplying your product information to your retailers no matter where you purchase your barcodes.
Introducing Your Product to Online Retail Spaces
Many people use online retail outlets like Amazon, Flipkart & eBay to sell products. If you have any questions about online retail barcoding, please feel free to get in touch.
Complete!!
Your products and barcodes are now ready for the retail space! We hope that this article was helpful.
Posted by Pooja
Team Taxaj
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