Magnification
Magnification is the percentage by which a barcode is scaled relative to its standard-defined nominal size, expressed as 100% being the reference dimension.
What You Need to Know
Symbologies with fixed nominal dimensions — EAN-13, UPC-A, ITF-14, and the GS1 DataBar family — define a 100% size from which printers may scale within a sanctioned range. GS1 permits EAN/UPC magnification between 80% and 200%, with 80% sitting at the edge of what retail scanners reliably read. Below 80%, expect failed point-of-sale scans regardless of print quality.
Magnification scales every feature proportionally: X-dimension, bar heights, quiet zones, and human-readable text. A common mistake is scaling the symbol but not recalculating quiet zones, or scaling a raster image so that modules land between pixel boundaries. Always scale vector artwork, and when in doubt print larger — the cost of a slightly wider label is trivial compared to a barcode that fails at the checkout.
Where Magnification Applies
The 13-digit retail point-of-sale barcode used on consumer products worldwide outside North America.
Generate EAN-13 →The original 12-digit retail barcode of the United States and Canada, and direct ancestor of EAN-13.
Generate UPC-A →The GTIN-14 carton-level barcode: ITF with thick bearer bars, printed directly on corrugated shipping cases.
Generate ITF-14 →The 8-digit short-form retail barcode for very small packages where EAN-13 will not fit.
Generate EAN-8 →The full-height 14-digit GS1 DataBar that scans from any angle at retail POS — successor to EAN/UPC for tiny items.
Generate GS1 DataBar Omnidirectional →