Barcodes are vital for making sure your products are ready for the retail world, ensuring smooth transactions and effective inventory control. This guide will lead you through the easy steps to get and use UPC or EAN-13 barcodes for your products in Canada. 

Getting barcodes for your products is essential for smooth operations, better inventory control, and making sure your items are retail-ready. In Canada and the USA, the UPC barcode is most frequently used. The EAN-13 barcode is preferred in the rest of the world. The UPC barcode is a 12-digit number that uniquely identifies your product, crucial for tracking, sales, and distribution. This guide will help you get UPC (or EAN-13) barcodes for your products, ensuring you meet industry standards.

Step 1: Obtain Your Barcodes

First, figure out how many UPC or EAN-13 barcodes you need. Every different product and its variations need a unique barcode number. Each colour and size of the same product requires a separate barcode. Once you know how many barcodes are needed, you can purchase them online from reliable barcode suppliers like Canada Barcodes. You'll receive an email containing your unique Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and the related barcode images.

Step 2: Assign Barcodes to Your Products

After obtaining your barcodes, the next step is to allocate them to your products. Each GTIN matches a specific product variant, such as different sizes or colours. Keep an accurate record of which GTIN corresponds to each product, as this affects your product’s identification and tracking in the supply chain.

Step 3: Print Your Barcodes on Your Packaging

Once the barcodes are assigned, the next crucial step is to print them on your product packaging. This can be done either in-house or through a professional printing service. Ensure the barcodes are printed clearly and correctly sized for easy scanning at the point of sale. The minimum recommended size for a UPC or EAN-13 barcode is around 30mm wide x 20mm high. Leave a 3mm blank space to the left and right of the barcode bars and position it in a flat, visible area on the packaging.

Step 4: Provide Your Products to Retailers

Finally, distribute your barcoded products to your retailers. When you deliver your products, the retailers will enter the barcode number and product details into their system. This step is crucial as it ensures that when the barcode is next scanned, the correct product information will appear on the retailer's screen. This integration enables efficient product management and seamless checkout processes, enhancing the customer experience and boosting your product's visibility in the retail space.

By following these steps, your products will be retail-ready and smoothly integrated into your retailers' systems. With your barcodes in place, you'll be well-prepared for success in the competitive Canadian marketplace. To order barcodes or to learn more, please visit Canada Barcodes.