QR codes & barcodes
Adding a barcode
Barcodes carry the numbers that make products scan at a till and cartons scan in a warehouse — GTINs, case codes and internal SKUs. Popcorn Editor generates them as vector paths, so they print razor-sharp and export as real vectors, not a pasted image.
Insert a barcode
There are two ways to drop one onto the active Canvas:
- Click the barcode / QR button in the toolbar (its tooltip reads Add barcode).
- Use the menu Object → Add barcode.
A sample Code 128 barcode appears on the Canvas. Select it and open the Properties panel to configure everything below.
The toolbar button and Object → Add barcode both insert a 1D barcode. For a QR or Data Matrix code, use Object → Add QR code instead — see Adding a QR code.
Choose a symbology
With the barcode selected, the Type dropdown in Properties lists every supported symbology. Pick the one your supply chain expects:
| Type | Use it for | Accepts |
|---|---|---|
| Code 128 | General SKUs and internal codes (default) | Letters, digits, symbols |
| Code 39 | Older industrial and asset tags | A–Z, 0–9, - . $ / + % |
| EAN-13 | Retail products worldwide | 12–13 digits |
| EAN-8 | Small retail packs | 7–8 digits |
| UPC-A | North American retail | 11–12 digits |
| ITF-14 | Shipping cartons and cases | 13–14 digits |
The same Type dropdown also holds QR Code and Data Matrix, the two 2D codes covered in the QR article.
Not sure which one? Retail product → EAN-13 (or UPC-A in North America); small pack → EAN-8; shipping carton → ITF-14; internal SKU → Code 128; asset tag → Code 39.
Enter the value
Type your number or text into the Value field. Each symbology enforces its own rules and shows a matching hint under the box:
| Type | Value hint |
|---|---|
| Code 128 | Letters, digits, symbols |
| Code 39 | A–Z, 0–9, - . $ / + % |
| EAN-13 | 12–13 digits |
| EAN-8 | 7–8 digits |
| UPC-A | 11–12 digits |
| ITF-14 | 13–14 digits |
Press Enter or click away to apply — the code re-encodes once, not on every keystroke. If the value breaks the rules (wrong characters or the wrong length), a red error message appears under the field and the code keeps its last valid state.
Check digits are computed for you. EAN, UPC and ITF codes end in a calculated check digit, so you only need to enter the base digits — 12 for EAN-13, 7 for EAN-8, 11 for UPC-A, 13 for ITF-14 — and Popcorn Editor adds the final one. That's why the hint shows a range (for example "12–13 digits"): enter 12 and it completes the 13th, or paste all 13 if you already have it.
Human-readable text
The Human-readable text toggle shows or hides the digits printed beneath the bars. It's on by default, and for retail you should keep it on — if a scan ever fails, a cashier can key the number in by hand. It applies to 1D barcodes only.
Bar height
The Height field sets how tall the bars are, in millimeters (default 10 mm). Taller bars are more forgiving when a code is swiped quickly or at an angle, so resist the urge to squash the height to fit a tight layout — it directly hurts scan rate. This control is 1D only; QR and Data Matrix codes are square.
Module and quiet zone
Two more number fields control the physical scale of the symbol, exactly as they do for QR codes:
- Module is the narrow-bar width in pixels — the thinnest element the scanner has to resolve. Larger modules mean chunkier, easier-to-read bars. You can also just scale the whole object up on the Canvas.
- Quiet is the quiet zone: the clear margin around the code, measured in modules (default 4). Popcorn Editor bakes this margin into the object's bounds, so leave it at 4 or more and never let other elements crowd into it.
Undersized modules and a clipped quiet zone are the two most common reasons a barcode won't scan off the press. Barcodes that scan reliably walks through the safe minimums.
Recolor it
The Color field sets the bars themselves; the background stays transparent. Keep strong contrast — dark bars on a light ground. If the code sits on a colored or photographic area, put a solid light rectangle behind it so the bars read cleanly.
For print, Color is spot-linkable: link the bars to a named ink and the barcode exports on its own separation at 100% solid, which avoids the CMYK mis-registration that can blur fine bars. See Spot colors & print separations.
Before you print
Scan the on-screen code with a phone before you export, and scan the exported PDF at 100% again. Because the barcode is native vector, it stays sharp all the way to a print-ready file — just don't rasterize or screenshot it.
Next, make sure it holds up on paper with Barcodes that scan reliably, or put a code on real artwork in Design your own product labels.