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EAN-8 Barcode Generator

Create EAN-8 labels for products with an assigned 8-digit GTIN

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COMPANIES OF ALL SIZES TRUST US

What is an EAN-8 barcode?

An EAN-8 barcode encodes an 8-digit GTIN, including a final check digit. It is used for small retail products when that identifier has been assigned. EAN-8 is a separate numbering format; it is not an EAN-13 barcode with part of the number removed. Confirm the required identifier before designing the label. See the GS1 barcode format guide for the underlying format.

For a small product package, enter its assigned GTIN-8 and check the preview against the product record. Keep space around the complete symbol even when the label is narrow. Export SVG, PDF or EPS for your packaging layout, and ask the printer to preserve proportions and the required print dimensions.

How to create an EAN-8 barcode

Enter the data, check the symbol and test the downloaded label in the workflow where it will be scanned.

  1. Step 1

    Enter the correct data

    Enter the complete 8-digit GTIN assigned to the product. Check all digits, including the final check digit; do not shorten a different product number.

  2. Step 2

    Review the symbol and contrast

    Choose a dark foreground on a lighter background. Keep the built-in quiet zones and add padding if needed. Review the preview and resolve validation or scannability errors.

  3. Step 3

    Download and test a label

    Choose PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG, PDF or EPS. Preserve proportions and clear margins in your layout, then scan a printed sample with the intended reader and compare the returned data.

Prepare your EAN-8 label for its destination

Check your data, preserve clear margins and choose the right file for your label.

Plan the barcode size with your printer

Agree on the physical barcode dimensions for your print process before finalizing the package layout. An export's pixel dimensions alone do not define its size on the finished product.

Keep clear margins

The generator preserves required quiet zones around the symbol. Keep these areas clear in your layout, and test a printed sample at its intended size with the scanner you will use.

Choose your export format

Download SVG, PDF or EPS vectors, or PNG, JPG or WebP images. Every export is checked against the saved data; test the final print on its intended material too. Compare the six barcode download formats in our guide.

Compare barcode formats

An EAN-8 label on the finished package

An EAN-8 barcode on a flat area of a small sealed wrapper, clear of folds and seams.

Keep the barcode clear of folds and seals

On a small wrapped product, the usable barcode area is the surface left after the package is filled and sealed. Position the symbol away from folds, seams and edges that interrupt that surface. A blank rectangle on the flat artwork may not remain usable on the finished pack.

A transparent wrapper with dark contents and an EAN-8 barcode printed on a solid light label.

Give a clear wrapper an opaque barcode area

On transparent packaging, the product behind the wrapper can become the background seen between the bars. Use a solid, light, opaque label or printed area so the contents do not interfere with the barcode's background. Assess the finished, filled package rather than the empty wrapper alone.

EAN-8 vs UPC-E for small packages

QR Code AI validates the complete EAN-8 input and keeps the quiet zone in the exported symbol, including when added padding is zero. Compare EAN-8 with UPC-E using the product’s assigned identifier. Select an icon or underlined label for details.

Format and input guidance · sources checked October 30, 2026
What to compare
EAN-8
UPC-E

Identifier

Assigned GTIN-8

Assigned GTIN-8

An assigned GTIN-8

Eligible GTIN-12

Eligible GTIN-12

An eligible GTIN-12 represented with zero suppression

Editor input

8 digits total

8 digits total

8 digits including the check digit

8 digits total

8 digits total

8 digits: number system, six data digits and check digit

Short form

Separate assignment

Separate assignment

Separate GTIN-8 assignment

UPC compression

UPC compression

Defined compression rules for eligible UPC numbers

Scanner output

GTIN-8

GTIN-8

The GTIN-8

May expand to UPC-A

May expand to UPC-A

May be expanded to the corresponding 12-digit UPC

Workflow fit

GTIN-8 assigned

GTIN-8 assigned

The product has an assigned GTIN-8

Eligible UPC + reader

Eligible UPC + reader

The assigned UPC qualifies and the receiving system supports UPC-E

QR Code AI offers native SVG, PDF and EPS files for compact packaging artwork. Its final-file decode check matches the downloaded data and format to the saved barcode; it does not approve the physical print size or replace testing on the package.

Do not remove digits from EAN-13 or UPC-A to force a smaller label. UPC-E’s six compressed data positions are not a complete six-digit editor input. See GS1 US barcode-type guidance. Confirm the actual print size and quiet zones for your packaging.

EAN-8 barcode questions

Input, printing and saved barcode behavior

Enter the product's assigned 8-digit GTIN, including its check digit. QR Code AI checks the number's structure and can offer check-digit guidance, but it does not allocate or register product numbers.

No. EAN-8 requires an appropriately assigned GTIN-8. Removing digits from an EAN-13 number does not produce an equivalent product identifier. Check the numbering requirements with GS1 before changing the packaging.

No. A barcode that looks sharp on screen can still be too small for the intended scanner or print process. Preserve the margins and proportions, follow applicable print-size requirements and test the final packaging sample.

Yes. QR Code AI offers SVG, PDF and EPS vector exports, plus PNG, JPG and WebP raster files. Keep the complete symbol and its blank margins in the layout. Verify a printed sample at its intended size with a compatible scanner.

A downloaded barcode contains fixed data and has no built-in expiration date. Changing a saved value requires downloading and printing a new symbol; existing copies keep their original data. These Barcodes do not provide scan analytics or editable redirects. A connected inventory or checkout system may update its own record for the same identifier. For customer-facing web links with scan analytics, consider a URL QR code and QR code tracking.

Yes. A personal account and each non-Premium Workspace can create three Barcodes. Archiving a Barcode does not free a creation slot; Premium allows additional creations. Creating, editing or downloading a Barcode does not start the seven-day trial. The trial begins with the first dynamic QR code or Smart Link in that scope. The barcode itself retains its directly encoded value when a trial ends; it has no managed redirect to keep active.

Create EAN-8 labels for products with an assigned 8-digit GTIN. Review the value, download your chosen format and check the label in its intended scanning workflow.