How to Print Barcode Labels

Barcode labels let you scan products at checkout, track inventory, and manage shipments. With Labeliy, you can create barcode labels for hundreds of products at once — upload your product list and print.

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Which Barcode Type Do You Need?#

Barcode type	Digits	Use it when...
UPC-A	12	Selling in US retail stores (standard retail barcode)
EAN-13	13	Selling internationally (standard outside the US)
Code 128	Any length	Internal SKUs, warehouse bins, shipping labels
Code 39	Any length	Older systems, works with almost every scanner
QR Code	Any text or URL	Linking to a product page, instructions, or any website

If you're not sure, Code 128 is a safe choice for internal use. For retail products sold in US stores, you need UPC-A (you'll need to obtain a GS1 UPC).

Step 1 — Choose Your Sheet#

1. Open labeliy.com/label-maker
2. Keep Label Sheet selected and search for your sheet — Avery 5160 or Avery 5167 work well for small barcode stickers
3. Click Start Designing

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Step 2 — Add a Barcode Element#

1. Click Barcode in the toolbar, then click the canvas to place it
2. With it selected, use the Format field in the properties panel to choose UPC-A, EAN-13, Code 128, or another format
3. Click Text to add a product name label next to it

Or start from a barcode design — see Browsing Label Design Templates.

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Step 3 — Make It Dynamic#

Select the barcode, turn on Dynamic Data, and set Column Name to barcode. Do the same for the product name text (product_name). See Making an Element Dynamic.

Step 4 — Add Your Product Data#

Click Add Data and fill in your product list. Each row prints one barcode label.

product_name	barcode
Blue Pen	001-PEN-BLU
Red Pen	001-PEN-RED
Black Marker	002-MKR-BLK

You can also upload a spreadsheet — see Adding Your Label Data. Click Done.

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Step 5 — Print#

Click Print. Set Scale to 100% and Margins to None, then print.

Tips for Barcode Labels#

Test your barcodes before printing in bulk. Print one sheet and scan a few barcodes with your scanner or phone before printing hundreds.

Make sure barcode values are valid. UPC-A requires exactly 12 digits, EAN-13 requires exactly 13. Code 128 accepts any length.

Don't make barcodes too small. Barcodes smaller than about 1 cm tall can be hard for scanners to read. Keep the barcode as large as your label allows.

QR codes fit smaller labels. If you need to encode a URL or longer text, a QR code takes up less space than a traditional barcode.

Next steps#

• Price tag labels
• Adding elements to your label
• Printing your labels