EAN-13 Barcode Introduction

EAN-13 barcode, implemented by the International Article Numbering Association (EAN), is a continuous, self-checking, numeric-only, and omni-directionally decodable barcode symbology with one mandatory check digit. EAN-13 barcode is defined by the GS1 organization and is a superset of the UPC system. EAN-13 is widely used to mark products sold at point
of sale.

Encodable Chars	EAN-13 can encode 13 characters from the numeric digits 0 to 9 including a checksum digit.
Checksum Digit	EAN-13 is character self-checking but a mandatory modulo 10 check digit is also required. The EAN-13 barcode checksum is automatically calculated by Avapose products.
Components	First two digits for Number System, the following four-Manufacturer Code, followed by the four digits of Product Code, and the Check Digit.
Add-on Symbols	A two-digit or five-digit add-on symbol can be added to encode supplementary information.
Guard Bar Pattern	The EAN-13 data is separated by two Normal Guard Bar Pattern (encoded as 101) and a Center Guard Bar Pattern (encoded as 01010).

 

Quiet Zone	Guard Bar Pattern	Data Chars	Center Guard Bar Pattern	Data Chars	Guard Bar Pattern	Quiet Zone
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

To set the size of EAN-13, two things are of importance, i.e. the X Dimension and the barcode width.
Click here for more information on EAN-13 size setting.