EAN-8 Barcode Format

EAN-8 coding is a shorter variant of EAN-13 (Also known as International Article Number) code. EAN-8 is used for smaller retail products with less room for a full sized barcode. It uses coding similar to that of EAN-13 codes, and also includes a check digit.

In EAN-8 codes:

• The first two numbers denote the EAN’s number system;
• The following five numbers, which are the manufacturing code;
• Five more numbers which serve as the product code; and
• A single number at the end of the sequence serves as the check digit.

The EAN number system details a product’s country of origin. Barcodes are unique and can be assigned by manufacturers. The length of manufacturing and product codes may vary.

The check digit is used to ensure that the barcode has been read correctly.

The bars in EAN and UPC codes often appear similar and follow similar patterns. The only difference is where the readable digits are located. EAN-8 code cannot be translated into EAN-13 code or into UPC code. The same item must be registered twice if it uses both EAN-8 and EAN-13 codes.

Standard EAN-8 features that are supported by the Barcode Software include:

• Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) verification and correction;
• Barcode scale;
• Optional light margin indicators;
• Configurable add-on distance;
• Adjustable bars width for printing errors compensation;
• Manual and automatic bar height modes;
• Text font customization; and
• Customizable front and back colors with sport colors support for EPS file export.

With the Barcode Generator, sharp, high-quality PNG and TIFF EAN-8 renderings can be exported right to your desktop computer or mobile device. Images of these new codes can also be dragged and dropped directly into editing programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.