WORTH DATA DOES NOT PROVIDE GTIN, GS1 or UPC NUMBERS - However we sell software so that you can print them and bar code readers so that you can read them!

A question we hear quite often at at Worth Data is "I need UPC bar codes for my products. Can I print them myself?" Of course you can and Worth Data can help!

We have a great solution for printing UPC codes:

LabelRIGHT Ultimate is a full-featured label design program that lets you design and print labels on any windows printer, whether it be a laser, inkjet, thermal transfer, or dot matrix. LabelRIGHT is especially good for creating custom shipping, compliance labels, GTIN labels, and product labels and printing high volumes of labels. It also includes our powerful BarFont™ tools for placing perfect UPC codes in other Font based programs like Microsoft Office® (Excel®, Word® etc...), Adobe Illustrator®, Quarkxpress®. The new Ultimate version of LabelRIGHT also offers the graphic output of individual barcodes, or entire label designs in PDF, EPS, TIFF, JPEG or BMP format.

If you sell products to a distributor or directly to a retail outlet for retail sale, you probably will need a GTIN UPC number. Most large retailers require one in order to sell your items.

Most retailers will also tell you if a UPC number is required and what your product labeling requirements are. If you are selling to a local store you may not need one, and if you are using it for your own inventory you certainly do not need a UPC number - just use another type of barcode like Code 39 or Code 128 to print your product numbers.

Many national chains may require a copy of your Uniform Code Council (UCC) (GS1) letter identifying your company’s bar code.

In order to get a registered GS1 UPC number, you must apply for membership to the GS1 US (formerly the Uniform Code Council) . There is a fee for membership and it is based upon the information you provide about your company and how many product numbers you will need on the on-line application. Two of the key factors that are considered are sales volume/revenue and numbering capacity needs. Their initial fee can be as low as $760 for up to 100 barcodes. You can apply online, by phone, or by fax. The contact information for the GS1 US is:

GS1 US
7887 Washington Village Drive,
Suite 300
Dayton, OH 45459
Telephone: (937) 435-3870 Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST
Fax: (937) 435-7317
Email: info@gs1us.org
website: http://www.gs1us.org

WORTH DATA DOES NOT PROVIDE GS1 or UPC NUMBERS - We can print them and read them for you!

If you buy products in a retail environment, then you are familiar with the bar codes you see on most products in any of your local retail stores. This is called a UPC-A code (GTIN-12), is 12 digits long and looks something like this:

The first character in the bar code is called the "Number System Character" or NSC. For GS1-12 - UPC-A, this number is usually 0, 6 or 7. The number in the example is "0".

The next 5-9 numbers typically are the "GS1 or UCC Company Prefix". In the bar code sample to the left, this is the number "12345". This is a unique 5-9 digit number assigned to a manufacturer by the GSl. This number will represent the manufacturer on all of their products as well as in any EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) applications.

The second set of numbers is the number used to reference that specific product. It is called an "Item Reference Number". This number is not assigned by the GS1l. This number is up to the manufacturer and is often assigned in a random manner. In the example bar code above, the Item Reference Number is "67890".

The last number is a check digit calculated from the previous 11 digits. It is not randomly assigned. Most bar code printing programs will calculate this check digit for you. The check digit for the example above is "5".

A strong case can be made to not use UPC or GTIN numbers, especially if you are a small business and can label the products in your store.

Why use a bar code that potential customers can now easily scan with a smart phone and try to find for a lower price online?  If you want to sell your products to the customers who walk in your door, then using UPC numbers, even if they already exist on the products, may be a losing proposition.

Instead label your products using a in house part number that relates only to your point of sale software and your inventory. Choose a bar code type like Code 39, or Code 128, that is variable length and can have alpha & numeric characters instead of a UPC bar code.

Here is an example:
:A local bicycle shop buys products from dozens of suppliers including large bike companies, parts suppliers, wholesalers, and other specialty distributors for all of their products offered.

Some of these products come from large national & international companies that are using registered GTIN bar codes for the part numbers. If this small brick and mortar business uses the existing UPC number as their part number, then it is easy for a customer to touch and feel the product in the store, then check the online price by simply scanning the bar code with their smart phone and potentially buying the product online for a discounted price.  Some online merchants are even offering coupons for $5 off for these types of searches, plus free shipping, heavily discounted prices, no local sales tax etc...

The alternative is to use a in house generated bar code, with a unique part number to that store, placing this new bar code label over the UPC number to remove the ability for someone to price shop in your store.