By prints.com.pk · Published October 5, 2026
You need a retail barcode when a shop, supermarket or marketplace that scans products at the till asks for one, and the number itself comes from GS1, the international body that manages retail barcode numbers, through its member organisation in Pakistan. If you only sell directly through Instagram, WhatsApp or your own website, a barcode is optional and you can add it later.
The part most small brands get wrong is not the registration but the printing: a barcode that is too small, the wrong colour or wrapped around a tight curve will not scan, and the retailer will send the stock back.
What a barcode actually is
A retail barcode is a number printed as bars so a scanner can read it quickly. The number identifies one specific product: one flavour, in one size, in one pack. It does not contain the price or the expiry date. The shop's own system looks the number up and finds the price it has stored for that item.
That is why every variant needs its own number. A 250 g jar and a 500 g jar of the same honey are two products to a till, and so are two different flavours in the same jar.
Where the number comes from
Retail barcode numbers are issued through GS1. You register your business with the GS1 organisation for Pakistan, receive a company prefix, and build each product's number from it. Fees and paperwork change, so check the current requirements with GS1 Pakistan directly instead of relying on an old blog post or a reseller's price list.
Before you register, ask the retailer or marketplace exactly what they accept. Some have their own listing rules, and it is easier to follow their checklist from the start than to relabel stock afterwards.
Barcodes you can make yourself
For your own stock room, you do not need a registered number. You can create internal codes for shelves, batches or order picking and print them as stickers. These work with your own scanner or phone app, but they mean nothing to a supermarket's system, so keep them off the customer-facing label if you also carry a retail barcode.
A QR code is a different tool again. It is for customers, not tills: it can open your website, a recipe or a reorder page when someone scans it with a phone camera. You can make one free at QR Code Generator and place it alongside the barcode.
How to print a barcode that scans
- Dark bars on a light background — black on white is the safest. Avoid red or orange bars and avoid printing over a pattern or photo.
- Leave clear space on both sides — the blank margin to the left and right of the bars is part of the barcode. Do not let text, borders or the label edge cut into it.
- Do not shrink it to fit — scale the whole barcode evenly and keep it large enough to scan comfortably. Never squash the height or stretch the width.
- Keep it on a flat area — on a small round jar or bottle, turn the barcode so the bars run around the container like the rungs of a ladder, and keep it away from seams and label overlaps.
- Supply it as vector artwork — a barcode placed as a low-resolution image prints with soft edges. Export it as a vector and send the print file as a PDF.
The simplest check is to scan it. When you receive your proof, open it at actual size and test it with a barcode scanner app, then confirm the number shown matches the number you registered. If you need help preparing files, see How to Prepare Print-Ready Artwork: A Complete Guide.
Front label, back label or a separate sticker?
Most brands put the barcode on the back label with the ingredients and dates. If your labels are already printed, a small separate barcode sticker is a practical fix: you can apply it to existing stock and print different numbers for each variant without redesigning the main label. For the other details a food label usually carries, see Pakistan Food Labeling Requirements: A Complete Guide for Home Brands.
Ordering barcode labels from us
Our stickers and labels are printed on waterproof vinyl with a UV laminate, and stickers start from Rs. 2 each. Send your barcode artwork or the numbers for each variant, and we will send a digital proof within 24–48 hours for you to test-scan before anything is printed. Production takes 7–10 working days after proof approval, with a 3–5 day rush option at an additional charge. Browse sizes and shapes at Stickers labels.