EAN13, EAN and GTIN: use and procurement
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What is an EAN?
The term EAN is an abbreviation for European Article Number. The goal is the unique identification of articles in retail.What is GTIN?
The EAN was renamed to GTIN in 2009 and is an abbreviation for Global Trade Item Number. EAN and GTIN are identical in their handling and use.Why do I need an EAN or GTIN?
For a product to be uniquely identifiable in retail, it must be marked with an EAN13 barcode. When scanning the item at the checkout, this ensures which item it is and determines the stored price.Where do I get my EAN or GTIN?
You must purchase the EAN. Since EANs may not be assigned twice, there is a central registration authority - GS1. At this registration authority, you can purchase number ranges after registering your company, which are then assigned to your company.An example: You sell three different types of coffee that you want to sell in your local supermarket. To avoid confusion at the checkout, the EAN13 barcode on your coffee packaging must be unique, i.e. no other product may have the same barcode printed on it.
For this reason, you cannot simply "make up" a number, as the cheese seller in the neighboring village might have the same idea. So you need to purchase a number range of three EANs.Can I also buy the number range at barcode-generator.de?
No, we only come into play once you have purchased this number range.GS1 is quite expensive, isn't there a cheaper option?
Yes, no, and maybe.Let's start with "Yes":
- Once you have purchased your number range, you can generate your barcode for free on our website - with high print quality and fully compatible with retail. This means you don't need to pay anywhere for the digital generation of your barcode.
- If you need stickers for your products, you can purchase them very affordably from us. Simply send us a request with your desired quantity and we will send you a non-binding offer.
- In the past, "clever" businesspeople acquired large number ranges from GS1 and then resold them in small packages at low prices. GS1 prohibits this according to their terms and conditions.
- Furthermore, there are websites on the internet where you can buy EANs. For example, search for "buy ean" and you will find alternatives to GS1. Whether this is 100% legal, we cannot judge.
As a small tip: we work a lot with large food manufacturers and know from experience how restrictive GS1 can be (a look at the GS1 supervisory board shows where the wind blows from). So you should at least stay flexible regarding a possibly necessary exchange of the EAN later on.
What is EAN13 as opposed to EAN?
EAN13 is the name of the barcode used to represent the EAN data. This means your EAN is printed on your products in the form of an EAN13 barcode.Can I generate or print my EAN13 barcode at barcode-generator.de?
You can generate your barcode for free on our website and use it commercially. You don't need to ask again, yes, the use is always and permanently free of charge.We also print your barcodes in our own printing facility on rolls. We are happy to offer you print runs from 1,000 to 500,000 labels at affordable prices.