Barcode, labelling and utility software

Barcodes Online service

dLSoft's Barcodes Online Service provides a subscription service which enables you to create barcode images using your web browser for most common 1D or 2D barcodes. Subscribers may create the image using the online barcode generator, save it immediately to their computer by right-clicking on the image and choosing "Save Picture as" - you can try this on the image on this page - or have it instantly e-mailed to them in any of the following formats:

BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, or TIF bitmap formats or EPS or WMF vector formats.   The best quality for Windows users is the vector WMF, but if in doubt, we recommend PNG or TIF images. Images may be created at up to 1200 dpi.

If you need advice on the recommended size for a particular barcode type please see our recommended Barcode Sizes page. If you need advice on obtaining numbers for barcodes or graphics information  please see below or visit our "Where can I get a barcode" page.

If you would prefer us to make the images for you click here

If you are not a subscriber the service will generate defaced barcodes.

Enter Barcodes Online

To use our services as a subscriber you need a password from dLSoft, which is sent to you via e-mail. The password enables you to use any of our online services during the period of your subscription. Before subscribing you should check that you can access the trial service, which creates images with a background (the subscription service creates images with no background). You should also be sure that you read the details about the images produced.

EAN-13 sample at 300 dpi
(Right-click on image and choose "Save Picture As" to save to your computer)

Subscription information

dLSoft's Barcodes Online Generator provides a simple cost-effective way of obtaining barcode images on demand. The images may be saved from your browser in BMP, GIF, JPEG or PNG formats or a file containing the image in one of these formats, or images in these formats or EPS, TIFF or WMF formats can be auto e-mailed to you within seconds clicking on the E-mail button. There is no limit to the number of times you may use the service during your subscription period.

Subscriptions are available for a month (31 days) or for a year. In either case you will receive a password by e-mail. Your subscription is automatically closed at the end of the subscription period, so if you wish to renew you need to request renewal by e-mail.

BEFORE subscribing you should read the Service details and be sure that the images produced are suitable for your needs.

If you need to use the e-mail service, you should ensure that your e-mail system is able to receive attachments and that you are able to handle them. If in doubt you can e-mail us with a request for a test file.

Subscriptions are NOT refundable for any reason.

How to subscribe

To subscribe you can use our secure server order form [for your protection ensure that the secure connection padlock appears in your browser]
Alternatively you can download this order form and just Fax or e-mail the completed form to:

DL Technology Ltd. 
Fax: 0845 519 0048  International: (+44) 208 559 0178
e-mail: dLSoft@dLSoft .com

Be sure to include the following information:

•  Your name
•   Your e-mail address
•   The length of subscription required (1 month or 12 months)
•   Your credit card type, number, security code*, start date and expiry date (& Issue no. for Switch cards)
•   The address and postcode/zipcode of the registered card holder (required for authorisation purposes)
•   Incomplete information will prevent us from processing your subscription

*For most card issuers your security code is a three digit code on the signature strip; for American Express cards its a four digit code on the front of the card.

Prices

•    Subscription for 1 month: 20.00 UK pounds (including VAT/TVA at current UK rate)
•   Subscription for 12 months: 100.00 UK pounds (including VAT/TVA at current UK rate)

[At the time of writing a 20.00 UK pounds is approximately US$ 30.00]

Subscriptions expire at the end of the subscription period; to renew a subscription please e-mail dLSoft@dLSoft.com

Subscribers to Barcodes Online also have access to the Labels Online service

[VAT/TVA is charged on all subscriptions. A VAT receipt will be sent if requested]

Service Details

dLSoft's Barcodes Online Server provides a simple cost-effective way of obtaining barcode images on demand. The images may be saved to your PC or auto e-mailed to you within seconds of you providing the details. There is no limit to the number of times you may use the service during your subscription period.

dLSoft's Barcodes Online Server presents the user with a form for specifying barcode details. You can see the form by accessing the server even without a password - but it will create a coloured barcode if you do not have a valid subscription.

The service allows you to create barcode images at a specified resolution and to download the barcode image directly from within your browser for BMP, GIF, JPG, or PNG images; alternatively you can e-mail these formats or EPS, TIF or WMF images to yourself. These are the same images as those produced by our Really Simple Barcodes and AnyLabels products and our dBarcode.NET developer components.

Potential subscribers may request a trial image to by e-mail.  We DO NOT refund subscriptions for any reason.

For users receiving their images by e-mail the e-mail address used is the one you provide when you login to the service. While placing the e-mail message in the mail queue takes only a second or two, receipt of the message by the user's e-mail system may take longer - depending on where it is located, the mail system used by your ISP and the state of the internet.

To use the service a password is required. Subscribers who subscribe for one month receive a password valid for at least 31 days, and may use the service an unlimited number of times while the password remains valid. Annual Subscribers receive a new password valid for at least a year.

Note that at the end of a subscription period the subscription is closed. If you wish to renew please contact us by e-mail; subscriptions are NOT automatically renewed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Retail Barcode numbers

For use on retail products you cannot just invent the numbers. You must register with your national article numbering body (GS1UK in the UK, the GS1US in the USA) to obtain a company code number and a range of product code numbers. Together these numbers form Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN) which form the data for the barcodes. Without these numbers your barcodes will not be recognised when you products are scanned at a retail outlet. Furthermore you will probably need to use either EAN (in Europe), JAN (in Japan) or UPC (in the USA) barcode types for retail products, and, if appropriate, you may need to use Code 128 or EAN 128 barcodes on boxes containing multiple items.
For contact points in the UK see GS1UK or for most other countries see GS1

Note: If you are an AIM, BPI or MMF member and are only going to release a single track or album, you may be eligible to licence a single bar code (GTIN-13) from GS1 UK.  Click here for further information

Graphics information

Generally TIFF images are fine for most computer systems (including Macs), although we can provide BMP, EPS, GIF, JPEG, PNG or WMF if you prefer. A resolution of 600 dpi is suitable for retail and "normal" size barcodes, although we can provide 300, 400, 600, 1200 or 2400 if required. EPS is a vector format suitable for use on most computer systems. The WMF format is a vector format, but only suitable for use on Windows PCs. If you have a graphics designer who will use the images the designer will be able to tell you which format and resolution is preferred.

If you are creating barcodes for use in a retail environment (eg. GS1/EAN-13 or UPC-A) then you should also consider the size of the barcode. The recommended barcode sizes page provide the sizes you would use for creating the barcode at 100% of the nominal size recommended by GS1. GS1 typically permits the size the range between 80 - 200% of this nominal size, and that means when both the height and the width of the image vary by the same proportion. If you need to truncate the barcode to fit on small packaging you are advised to check that the resellers of your products find this acceptable (in our experience many will, but some won't!)

The following extract from the GS1 specifications explains the reason for this:

“Truncation of a barcode symbol is the reduction of the barcode symbol height relative to the width. Truncation is not recommended because it destroys the ability of a symbol to be scanned omni-directionally at the point of sale. A truncated symbol can only be scanned when the trade item is oriented in particular directions across the scanning beam. Truncation therefore reduces checkout efficiency. The more the height is reduce the more critical becomes the alignment of the symbol across the scanning beam. Truncation should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, for example, when printing on a highly curved surface, and then the maximum height should be printed.”

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02/07/2009

dLSoft is a registered trade mark of DL Technology Ltd, a company registered in England number 3615271

dLSoft - Award-winning publisher 2006, 2007 & 2008