The most important thing about a barcode is the uniqueness of the number.
The UPC-A barcode is a 12-digit number comprised of three different groups of numbers.

The first 6 digits were assigned to us by GS1.
We own this subscription for the barcode prefix.

The next 5 digits are generated by us
We maintain a database of every barcode that we have ever generated. We do this in order to make sure that we never, ever duplicate barcodes. This is very important and we GUARANTEE that your barcode is a unique one-a-kind number. This is serious business to us.

The Last Number...
the one at the far right, is a check digit. There is a fairly complex mathematical formula that weaves throughout the first 11 numbers to create a checksum, or check digit. This minimizes the risk of someone making up a barcode or, the barcode being printed incorrectly.

UPC Stands for UNIVERSAL PRODUCT CODE. These numbers work throughout the United States and the rest of the world.
The UPC barcode was invented by Mr. George Laurer and now is managed by GS1.

The GS1 used to be called the Uniform Code Council (UCC) -- a couple of years ago, they changed their name. The GS1 is NOT a government agency and is a not-for-profit corporation. (This is different than a non-profit)

There are a few companies similar to ours doing what we do, which is to subdivide our barcode number and be an inexpensive alternative resource to the GS1. We received our subscription in the late 1990's prior to the GS1 (UCC) charging renewal fees. Since we do not pay renewal fees, neither do you. We are one of the few companies selling barcodes that DO NOT charge set-up or registration fees.

As we mentioned, George Laurer is the inventor of the UPC barcode. Over the years, he has had a lot of interactions with the GS1 and has deemed Nationwide Barcode as one of the sites that he deems legitimate if you want a fair and reasonable alternative to getting a UPC barcode.

This is an honor and we appreciate his due diligence in making this determination.

Mr. Laurer's website is http://www.laurerupc.com/

How does a barcode work?

In order for you to sell your product, many stores and web-retailers like Amazon or CD Baby require that you get a UPC-A barcode on your product.

You need a barcode so, you do some research and find that you have a few choices...

Go to the GS1 and spend a ton of money plus yearly renewal fees.

Come to Nationwide Barcode (us) or a company like ours and save money and time. Nationwide Barcode is the least expensive provider (plus fastest and has the best customer service in the industry) which makes us your logical choice.

Our barcodes will work for you at every retailer except for Walmart and Krogers. Walmart and Krogers have members on the GS1 Board of Directors -- they both require that you provide them your GS1 certificate with your UPC  Company Prefix.

We have heard that Macy's asks for the Barcode Prefix, but will also, upon request, will accept the 12 digit numbers. If you are doing business with Macy's, you may want to ask your buyer.

If you decide that you need to do business with these companies, you cannot use us or any other company that subdivides their barcode license and you will need to go directly to the GS1.

So...you buy your barcode and you affix it to your product.

You locate your stores or distributors who want your products and sell and ship your merchandise to them and provide them with a product specification sheet.

The product sheet (also called a spec sheet or sales sheet) is VERY IMPORTANT. This is how you communicate how the barcode number is associated with your product. If you are working with Amazon, they have an automated process where you can do this on-line
At a minimum, you will need to have the following information on this sheet:
    Supplier or Manufacturer Name (your company)
    Product Name
    Part Number
    Weights and Measures (if applicable)
    Ingredients and Nutritional Value (if applicable)
    Other pertinent information
    Suggested Retail Selling Price/Wholesale Price
    UPC Barcode Number

The Retailer enters all of this information into their database.

EVERY RETAILER or DISTRIBUTOR has to do this since there is NO formal nationwide or worldwide database of products of UPC codes.

There are a couple of informal databases but these are hobby sites and are very incomplete

If you are on this site and you are looking for barcodes, there are two scenarios.

You planned ahead and you are contacting us before you have printed your product packaging.
--or--

You didn't think about barcodes. This happens with a lot of our clients. Don't worry...this is a simple thing to fix.

How can Nationwide Barcode help you?

We are experts in product design and marketing. We know what it takes to get product to market and we know packaging design.

We want to make it easy and we are here to help.
After you purchase your barcodes from us, we will provide you with the following:
    Barcode number(s)
    2  different Graphic Files for each barcode
    Certificate of Authenticity
    Excel Product Tracking Sheet with orders of 10 barcodes or more
    List of Resources for printing and packaging

What are the Graphic Files?

The three file types are EPS which stands for Encapsulated Postscript -- these are scalable vector images and you use them with high-end graphic programs like Corel Draw, Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop.

The other file type is a TIF file (this stands for Tagged Image File Format). This is a high resolution file that can be used with every graphic arts program
Getting the barcode on your packaging  The last is a JPG file.

There are a few different ways of getting your newly purchased barcode on your product.

Simple labels can be printed on a laser printer using Avery brand labels or equivalent (you can get these on-line, at Staples or Office Depot). You can either do the set-up using our graphics or you can buy a program like Q-barcode which will automatically set up your sheets of barcode labels quickly and efficiently http://www.qbarcode.com 

You can go to our friends at Pacific Barcode http://www.pacificbarcode.com  and order sheets of labels -- they are very inexpensive and fast.

Designer labels can be purchased through us. There is a minimum of 500 labels and are for products like bottles, packages, bags, etc.
 How big?

The original size of the UPC barcode graphic is 1-1/2" x 3/4"
We suggest that you do not shrink them below 1-1/8" x 1/2", however, the most important thing is to check the scanability of your barcode.

It's always a good idea to print out a proof and check the barcode. Your local computer store or Pacific Barcode sells portable scanners or, if you are in a hurry, print out a proof and run it over to Target where they have the barcode scanners throughout the store.

To recap:
We are here to help
We provide 2-graphic files and a certificate of authenticity.
We have been deemed legitimate by the inventor of the UPC barcode.
We are the most knowledgeable
We are the least expensive in the industry

What are we so inexpensive?
We do more than just UPC barcodes.
680 Digital (our parent company) is a print and optical media brokerage house. We hope that you will consider us for your printing, labels, and if you produce CDs and DVDs, use us for that.

Our passion is helping to get product to market and we encourage customers to call us.

Please call us at 1-888-356-7770.

If you need more information, please check out our frequently asked questions, terms and conditions and other areas on our site
or call us at 1-888-356-7770