Instantly-recognisable, EAN/UPC barcodes are printed on virtually every consumer product in the world. They are the longest-established and most widely-used of all GS1 barcodes. The EAN/UPC barcode family has transformed the world of retail. The following steps needs to be followed for implementation of barcoding on retail products (Stock Keeping Units)
Companies need to get registered with EAN-India to get a unique company prefix. This unique company prefix identifies the company. The number of digits in company prefix depends on the number of product types (or SKU’s) you have indicated in the EAN/UPC application form submitted to EAN India
It is suggested that you read the implementation guide provided to you by EAN India at the time of registration (which may be in the form of CD/Book). Implementation guide provides introduction about bar coding, EAN.UCC standards, its uses and how to proceed for the implementation of the same.
Use the company prefix allotted to you on registration, allot product code to all your product types. The product code that you will give to your product types will comprise of three parts: a. Company prefix: This is the company prefix allotted to you on registration by EAN India. b. Item Id: The next few digits should be used by a company to allocate Item Id’s to each of its products for identification. For example for the products Gulab Jamun Mix 100gms - Item Id may be 00001 Gulab Jamun Mix 200gms carton - Item Id may be 00002 Idli Mix 200gms - Item Id may be 00003 Different Item Id’s should be allocated to products for different packaging sizes, different colors, different variants, and different constituents. Please note the length of the Item Id depends on length of company prefix allocated. c. Check Digit: The last digit is the check digit, which is a number calculated according to the algorithm called modulo 10. Check digit calculators are available on the following page on EAN India. An example has been given below: 8 9 0 4 0 0 0 X X X X X C has been allotted to you. 8 9 0 4 0 0 0 is your prefix which will be common for all the product codes. The Item Id’s given for products and check digits have been given below:
Gulab Jamun Mix 100 gms
Gulab Jamun Mix 200 gms
Idli Mix 200gms
8904000 00001
8904000 00002
8904000 00003
0 8904000000010
7 8904000000027
4 8904000000034
The product codes allocated in Step 3 need to be entered into the website . This will give you two benefits: 1) Approval of the allocated product codes can be done online by EAN India 2) Your company and product data will become a part of a worldwide buyer-seller database, which will give a lot of visibility to your products in the national and international markets.
Now that the complete numbers for all the products have been allotted to all your products. The next step would be to get these numbers generated into bar-codes for incorporation as a part of the product packaging design or the barcodes be printed as stickers to be pasted on the package. Option 1: Modifying artwork to incorporate barcode: A one-time modification to the artwork will be required. The cost involved in this step will be low and organizations involved in generating your packaging (advertising agency or printer) are aware of how to incorporate barcode on product packaging. In case of any clarifications required they may contact the EAN India office. Option 2: Barcodes printed as stickers to be pasted on products: You can get stickers made by a bar-code solution provider or you may procure a barcode printer from solution providers and generate stickers on your own. This decision will depend on the number of stickers you generate on an annual basis. An indicative list of bar-code solution providers is provided on website
The next step after generation of bar codes is verification of bar code by EAN India. Barcode verification of products helps a company to access the scannability and quality of barcode on its product packaging. In the verification exercise “Verifier” equipment is used which checks the following barcode size, barcode printing quality, barwidth gain, structure of barcode, correct margins, correct color combinations and various other features and gives a detailed report.