This tutorial is about generating barcodes with PDF.co. PDF.co is our freeware online barcode generator. This freeware tool available online for free can be used as a 1d barcode generator and 2d barcode generator.
Introduction
Before jumping into the tutorial, we will learn what are barcodes how they are used and what are the benefits of using the barcodes. Barcodes are used in every industry nowadays from shopping malls to retail stores, in fact, every product nowadays has a barcode so if you are a buyer or a seller you have to go through the barcodes every day in your life.
There are different types of barcodes, there are 1D barcodes and 2D barcodes.
1D Barcodes
One-dimensional or (1D) barcodes represent the data by vertical lines. These lines systematically represent the data with different widths and spacing between these parallel lines. The most common barcodes that are most commonly used are the UPC and EAN.
2D Barcodes
Two-dimensional, (or 2D) barcodes represent the data by using shapes and symbols. 2D Barcodes are very similar to 1D barcodes instead of the lines there are symbols and shapes used to represent the data and it can store more data than the 1D barcodes can. The two most common types are the QR code and PDF417.
Barcode Generator Tutorial
Barcode generators are the tools that are used to generate barcodes and encode the information in them. These tools are very efficient to generate barcodes and PDF.co is one of them among another barcode generator online, PDF.co free online barcode creator offers a variety of features including barcode generators. This tool can generate all types of 1D and 2D barcodes. There are many code generators online from which our tool is the best which gives accuracy and integrity to your data.
So, in the tutorial below, you will see how a barcode can be automatically generated once a New Card is added to your Trello dashboard. It might seem difficult but it is easier than you think. Go through the following steps to learn a new algorithm that speeds up your work process.
Step 1
First of all, you will need a free account with PDF.co and Zapier (if you don’t have them). Once you got the two accounts ready, start with making a Zap (top-right corner button in Zapier dashboard).
If you are not familiar with the Zapier interface, we will walk you through the whole process here.
The first thing is to choose Trello as the App and the New Card as the Trigger Event.
That is exactly shown on the screenshot below:
Step 2
Secondly, you will set up the Trigger which appears when you press Continue.
The data to introduce here would be the Board (the New Cards will be added here), the List name (this list will include the New Card), and the Filter field.
If you have trouble introducing these data, just copy them as it is shown on the screenshot:
Once done, it is time to test your new configuration by pressing Test. If the test runs successfully, you will get the following message:
Step 3
But that’s not the end. Now you need to set up another Zap to generate a barcode for every New Card.
Choose PDF.co and BarCode Generator on the first step of making a Zap. See below:
Step 4
Set a proper configuration to let the BarCode Generator engine get Trello data accordingly.
In the Barcode Value field, select the New Card name. The Barcode Type To Generate is QR Code, in this case. However, our Barcode Generator supports most 1D and 2D barcodes!
For more information on how to complete the fields properly, check the screenshot below:
Step 5
Test & Review the new Zap you have just created. If the test runs successfully, you will get the temporary URL. Copy and paste it – and you will see your QR code ready to be downloaded.
The final screenshot of the program is as follows:
If you need a more detailed explanation on how to automate barcode generation in this case, please refer to our tutorial.
Frequently Asked Questions – Online Barcode Generator
What Do the Numbers Mean on a Barcode?
The numbers on a barcode identify a product at a point of sale. For instance, on UPC-A barcodes with 12 digits, the first six numbers identify the manufacturer. The next five numbers identify the product, while the barcode scanner uses the last digit for checking if there are any scan errors.
However, the barcode does not contain the item’s price. That is important because the price of the same item can vary from one store to another.
Can I Create My Own Barcodes?
You can create your own barcodes for use in your own use only. However, to create globally recognized barcodes, you must register with barcode service providers such as GS1 to get a GS1 assigned Company Prefix.
Alternatively, you can use a reseller service such as our barcode online generator, to get one at a budget price. Our barcode app will register your business and product with barcode service providers such as UPS, and then make globally recognized barcodes for you.
The barcodes will have your manufacturer prefix, which third parties can scan at their Point of Sale. They will then be able to identify both your business and the product information on the barcode.
What are the Types of Barcodes?
There are tens of barcodes used to represent strings of characters in a coded format, on product labels. The first barcodes were all in One Dimension (1D), but now there are also Two Dimensional barcodes (2D), which take less space on a label.
Moreover, the 2D barcodes are popular because smartphones can scan them, with Quick Response (QR) Code being the most common 2D code.
Some of the most commonly used barcodes include Code 39, Code 128, Interleaved 2 of 5 (Code I 2 of 5), Universal Product Codes (UPC), International Article Number (EAN), PDF417, Data Matrix, Quick Response (QR) Codes, among others.
If you need to generate any of those barcodes, our online barcode generator can generate them for you, and at a budget price.
Are Barcodes Unique To Each Item?
Barcodes are visual patterns used to identify a product and its manufacturer, using a Point of Sale scanner. In that regard, the same type of product, from the same manufacturer will have the same barcode. For instance, two cans of coke containing 12 ounces, or 355ml of beverage, will have the same barcode.
However, if one can of coke contains 355ml of beverage, and the other contains 440ml of the same beverage, then they would have different barcodes. That would then help retailers to differentiate between the two at their Point of Sale.
That’s all from this tutorial. I hope you liked it and it was easy to understand. We write tutorials on our product features to help our users understand our product features.
Our tools are easy to use, and you can download them with one click and can install it or you can use our PDF.co Web API. PDF.co can be used to create barcodes online.
PDF.co includes BarCode Generator API easy to use and helps you create barcodes free. There are more than 50 types of barcodes that you can generate using our online tool.
