GS1 Digital Link QR code generator

What a GS1 Digital Link QR code is

A GS1 Digital Link is an ordinary web address with your product number built into it. It looks like this: https://example.com/01/09506000134369. The 01 tells software that a GTIN follows. A GTIN is the Global Trade Item Number, the number under your barcode.

Put that address in a QR code and one symbol can do two jobs. A phone camera opens it as a web page. A till with suitable software can read the GTIN from the same code.

GS1 is the organisation that issues barcode numbers and writes these standards. This page does not issue GTINs. You need a GTIN licensed to your business, usually from your national GS1 office.

How to make your code

1. Choose the web address. Enter your own domain, or id.gs1.org if your GS1 office has set up your links there.
2. Enter your GTIN. Type it as printed. We add the zeros at the front that the link needs.
3. Add details if you need them. Batch, serial number and expiry date are optional, and each one makes the code denser.
4. Read the result. Open "What your code contains" to see the exact address inside the code.
5. Download it. Use SVG for print artwork and PNG for everything else.
6. Test it. Print a proof at real size and scan it with two phones, then with the scanner your retailer uses if you can.

What each part of the link means

The numbers in the link are GS1 Application Identifiers: short codes that say what the next value is.

• 01, the GTIN. This is the product number and the one part you always need. It is always 14 digits in the link.
• 10, the batch or lot. This helps with recalls and stock rotation. It goes in the path, before any serial number.
• 21, the serial number. This identifies one single item. It comes after the batch. Reversing them makes the link invalid.
• 17, the expiry date. This goes after a question mark as six digits: year, month, day. So 31 March 2027 becomes ?17=270331.

A batch or date means a new code for every production run. If you print one label design for years, keep to the GTIN alone.

Check digit and the 14-digit GTIN

The last digit of every GTIN is calculated from the digits before it, which catches most typing errors. This page checks it as you type. If it is wrong, it tells you which digit it expected, so check your number against your barcode instead of just changing the digit.

A shorter GTIN keeps its value when zeros are added at the front. A 12-digit UPC such as 614141123452 becomes 00614141123452 in the link. Since version 1.4.0 of the standard, the link always uses the 14-digit form.

Which web address to use

You can use any domain. GS1 says so directly, and it expects brand owners and retailers to use their own. The identifiers sit in the path of the address, so the domain does not change what the code means.

• Your own domain. This suits most small brands. Ask whoever runs your website to forward addresses starting with /01/ to your product pages. You stay in control, and customers see a name they recognise.
• id.gs1.org. This is the free address GS1 runs. It only forwards to links set by the business licensed to use that GTIN, through its GS1 office. Check that your office offers this before you print.

Whichever you pick, the page behind the address must exist before you print. The code can be correct and still open an error page.

Print size and clear margin

GS1 New Zealand's quick start guide gives these sizes for a QR code powered by GS1. The smallest square in the code, called the X-dimension, should be 0.495 mm. The minimum is 0.396 mm and the maximum is 0.990 mm. The code also needs a clear margin 4 squares wide on all four sides.

By our arithmetic, a code 33 squares across at 0.495 mm is about 16 mm wide, or about 20 mm with its margin. Your code may have more squares, so measure yours. Longer addresses and extra details add squares and make the code larger.

Print it dark on a light background, on a flat surface, and avoid shiny finishes. Your national GS1 office or printer may give different sizes for your use, and their guidance should come first.

Keep your barcode for now

Do not remove your linear barcode. GS1 Australia says such barcodes "are not going away anytime soon". It recommends placing the 2D code, including its margin, within 50 mm of the centre of the linear barcode. Both must carry the same GTIN.

A till reading this code depends on the retailer's software, so ask your retailer before you rely on it. Read GS1 Sunrise 2027 explained for what is asked of small brands.

Why this code keeps working if we close

The code holds your address and nothing of ours. It does not pass through a QR Lasts server, so there is no plan to lapse, no trial to end and no scan limit. If this site closed tomorrow, your printed code would still open your address.

That also means we cannot repair it for you. It works for as long as your domain and page work, so keep paying for the domain and forward old addresses if your site moves. What you type stays in your browser and is not sent to us.

If you want a code you can point elsewhere later without a GS1 path, a dynamic QR code does that, but it opens through a short link and is not a GS1 Digital Link.