100,000+ happy customers worldwide | 3m+ Barcodes sold globally | 10,000+ scans each day

 

Barcode Artwork Test

A reprint costs many times as much as a barcode. This test is the cheap way to find out whether your artwork is right, while changing it is still free.

You email us a PDF of your barcode artwork. We print it on a laser printer in black and white, test it on calibrated verification equipment, and email you the report — the same measurements and the same grade an official verification report gives you.

  • Thousands of happy customers Worldwide | 3m+ Barcodes sold globally | 10,000+ scans each day

    Artwork Test

    We have a new service where we can test your barcode artwork, to give you an idea of whether it will scan well.

    This is not an official Barcode Verification Report (which costs $59) as required by some Supermarket and Hardware chains. But is a test using the same equipment and giving the same information.

    This test will be done on your artwork so you can have more confidence about the quality of the barcode before you go to print or it will tell you what problems there are with the barcode artwork.

    To do this test, please purchase the quantity you require ($25 each), and then email a pdf of the barcode artwork to us. The pdf must be A4 or smaller in size, and 100%. We will print it on a laser printer in B&W (so it won’t test any other print colours) and test it, then email the report to you.

    Please note that our verification machine can only verify EAN-13 and UPC-A barcode images that are between 80% and 135% magnification (please see the Standard Barcode Dimensions).

    You can view some sample reports below. Grades vary from A (excellent) to C (OK) to D & below which are fails.

    Test Pass A grade
    Test Pass B grade
    Test Pass C grade
    Test Fail Decodability
    Test Fail Right Margin
    Test Fail modulation and magnification

    Add to cart

Is this the right test for you?

You’re about to send packaging to print — yes. This is what the test is for.

A retailer has asked you for a verification report — no. You need the official barcode verification report, printed on the packaging, for $59 AUD. This test won’t satisfy them.

Your packaging is already printed — the artwork test tells you nothing useful at that point. Go to verification instead.

You just want to know your barcode image is the right size — check it against our EAN-13 specifications first. That’s free, and it catches the most common problem on its own.

What to send

  • A PDF of the barcode artwork
  • A4 or smaller
  • At 100% — not scaled to fit the page

Order the quantity you need, then email us the PDF. Scaling is the thing to watch: a barcode that has been shrunk to fit an A4 sheet will test as the wrong size, and the report will tell you about a problem you don’t have.

What you get back

A report giving an overall grade and the individual measurements behind it. Grades run from A down through F, where A to C are passes and D and below are fails. Where it fails, the report names the parameter that caused it — decodability, modulation, magnification, quiet zone — so you know what to change.

Sample reports:

What this test will not tell you

Worth being clear about, because it’s the difference between the two products.

We print your artwork in black and white on a laser printer. That means the test covers the barcode itself — its dimensions, quiet zones, bar edge definition and decodability — but not how your actual print run will behave.

It won’t catch problems caused by your print colours, your substrate, ink spread on absorbent stock, a curved or reflective surface, or a symbol printed across a seam or fold. Those only show up on the finished packaging, which is what the $59 AUD verification report is for.

A clean pass here makes a later verification much more likely to pass. It doesn’t replace it.

Common questions

Which one do I need, this or the $59 report? If a retailer asked for a report, you need the $59 verification. If you’re checking your own work before print, this one.

Can I test several barcodes at once? Yes. Buy one test per barcode.

What if it fails? Correct the artwork and re-test. Each test is a separate purchase, but most failures are due to a size or quiet-zone issue that costs nothing to fix in the file.

Will a pass here guarantee a retailer accepts my barcode? No. Retailers who require verification want a report on the printed pack. This is a check on your artwork, not a document to hand over.