How to use it
- Enter the GTIN-14: a packaging-level digit (1–8) + the first 12 digits of the item's GTIN, without its check digit.
- Keep bars wide (20 mil or more) for printing straight onto cardboard.
- Download PDF, or print on 4×6 thermal labels from the Label sheet tab.
What ITF-14 is for
Retail barcodes like UPC-A identify a single item. When you ship a case of 12 or a carton of 48, the case needs its own number, a GTIN-14, and the warehouse needs a barcode that can be printed straight onto brown cardboard. ITF-14 (Interleaved 2 of 5) is designed for that: big, tolerant bars and a heavy frame called bearer bars that stop scanners from reading only part of the code.
How to build a GTIN-14
- Pick a packaging indicator digit from 1 to 8 for each case size (e.g. 1 = case of 12, 2 = carton of 48).
- Add the first 12 digits of the item's GTIN-13. For a UPC-A, put a 0 in front first.
- We calculate the new check digit at the end.
Example: a UPC of 036000291452 becomes 0036000291452. A case of 12 could be 1 + 003600029145 + check digit = 10036000291459.
Printing on cartons
- Use wider bars (20–40 mil) when printing directly on corrugated boxes, because ink spreads into the cardboard.
- Keep the bearer bars. They're part of the spec, not decoration.
- Place the barcode on at least two adjacent sides of the case, about 1.25 in from the bottom edge.
Shipping pallets or need lot and expiry dates? Use GS1-128 with Application Identifiers.