“The barcode is too small to scan.”
Retail barcodes (EAN-13 and UPC-A) have a standard size of about 37.3 × 25.9 mm (1.47 × 1.02 in) including the numbers, and shouldn’t be printed below 80% of that, about 30 mm wide. They also need a blank quiet zone either side, dark bars (ideally 100% black) on a light background, and their full height: squashing the height to fit a small panel is a common reason they fail. Fix it by placing a vector barcode at 80–200% of standard size and clearing everything out of its margins.
Updated November 3, 2026 · by Azaan Ali, print designerWhy printers ask for this
A scanner reads the width of every bar and space. Shrink the code too far and the narrowest bars get thinner than the printing process can hold: ink spreads, bars merge and the checkout can’t read it. GS1, the organisation that issues retail barcode numbers, sets a standard size (100%) and allows 80% to 200% of it for codes scanned at a till.
Size isn’t the only cause. Printers and retailers also reject barcodes that have been cut down in height (truncated) to fit a narrow panel, that have text or a panel edge inside the quiet zone, that are printed in four-colour black or a light colour, or that were pasted in as a low-resolution image. Any of these can end in stickers over your packaging, or a retailer charging you to relabel.
How to fix a barcode so it prints and scans
- Start from a vector barcode (EPS, SVG or PDF) made by a proper barcode generator from your GS1-issued number. Never use a screenshot or a JPG.
- Place it at 100% if you can, and never below 80%: at 80% an EAN-13 or UPC-A is about 29.8 × 20.7 mm (1.17 × 0.81 in). Scale it proportionally; never stretch it in one direction.
- Keep the full height. If the panel is too small, move the barcode to a bigger panel rather than cutting it down.
- Clear the quiet zones: nothing printed within 11 bar-widths to the left and 7 to the right of an EAN-13 (about 3.6 mm and 2.3 mm at 100%), or 9 either side of a UPC-A (about 3 mm).
- Make the bars 100% K (or one dark solid ink) on white or a light background. Red, orange and yellow bars won’t scan, because scanners use red light. On clear or kraft labels, put a solid white ink patch behind the code.
- Keep it off folds, seams and tight curves, and ask your printer whether they apply bar width reduction for their press.
- A phone app reading it isn’t a real test. For retail, have a printed sample checked with a barcode verifier: GS1 asks for grade C (1.5) or better.
Or send it to us
- Rebuild the barcode as a clean vector from your number, at the right size
- Find it a panel where it fits at full height, with its quiet zones clear
- Set it in a single dark ink on a light ground, with a white ink patch on clear or kraft materials
- Check the number and check digit match the product before it goes to print
Questions
- What is the smallest a barcode can be?
- For EAN-13 and UPC-A scanned at a retail checkout, 80% of standard size: about 29.8 × 20.7 mm (1.17 × 0.81 in). Some retailers ask for 100%. Very small packs can use a shorter EAN-8 code, which GS1 issues on request.
- Can I make the barcode shorter to fit?
- GS1 advises against it. A truncated barcode can only be read when the scanner crosses it almost straight on, so it fails more often at the till, and some retailers reject it. Find a panel with enough height instead.
- Can I get a barcode number from a free generator?
- A generator only draws the bars; it doesn’t give you a valid number. Retail barcodes need a GTIN licensed to your company by GS1, and big retailers and Amazon check numbers against the GS1 database.
Terms on this page: Quiet zone, Vector, Dieline.
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