Barcode Medic
Barcode preflight for print · offline · pay once
Will your barcode actually scan?
Find out before the plates are cut. A barcode that fails at the retailer's scanner means chargebacks and a reprint, long after the job left your desk. Barcode Medic measures the real X-dimension, magnification and quiet zones of the barcode inside your supplied PDF, checks them against the GS1 General Specifications, and tells you pass or fail with the exact millimetre fix. Entirely in your browser: your file never leaves your machine.
The on-screen check is free and complete: drop a file, read the full verdict. No signup, no time limit.
Prices plus VAT or sales tax depending on your country, the checkout shows the final amount.
Why a barcode fails at the scanner.
A barcode that looks fine on screen can still be rejected at the till or the distribution centre. It is almost always one of a few measurable problems in the artwork, and every one of them is visible before you print. Barcode Medic checks all of them:
Quiet zone too small
Text, a logo or the label edge crowds the light margin beside the bars. This is one of the most cited causes of scan failures and retailer chargebacks. Barcode Medic measures the left and right quiet zone in modules and tells you how much clear space to add.
Magnification too low
The EAN or UPC symbol was scaled below 80 percent, so the bars are finer than a retail scanner is guaranteed to read. Barcode Medic reports the magnification and the exact size to grow it to.
X-dimension out of range
The narrowest bar is too thin (or too wide) for the symbology and use. Barcode Medic measures the real X-dimension in millimetres from the vector artwork and compares it to the GS1 range for that symbol.
Low-resolution raster
The barcode was placed as a low-resolution image, so its true size is pixel-limited. Barcode Medic detects a raster barcode, measures what it can, and warns you clearly to supply vector artwork for an exact check.
Every result is a plain pass, check or fail with the measured number and the fix. A file with no barcode, or one it cannot read, gets a clear message, never a crash or a spinner.
Drop. Read the verdict. Fix before print.
No install, no signup, no manual. Three steps, and the on-screen verdict alone tells you whether the file is safe to send.
-
Drop your print-ready PDF.
Drag and drop or file dialog. Parsing and decoding happen in your browser: there is no upload endpoint, your artwork stays on your machine.
-
Read the GS1 verdict.
Barcode Medic locates each barcode, identifies the symbology, and shows the measured X-dimension in millimetres, magnification in percent for EAN and UPC, and the left and right quiet zones, each checked against the GS1 General Specifications with a pass, check or fail and the exact fix. This on-screen verdict is free and complete.
-
Fix it, or ship it.
Adjust the artwork in your design tool and re-check, as many times as you like. When you want a record, the one-time purchase unlocks a downloadable GS1 report and batch mode for checking many files at once.
What Barcode Medic is not.
One job, done properly: measure the barcode in your artwork and tell you the truth about whether it will scan. Three things it deliberately does not do:
Not a barcode generator
It does not create barcodes. It reads and measures the one already in your file. Generate your codes in your usual tool, then check them here before print.
Not an artwork editor
It does not change or repair your file. It measures and names the problem with the exact fix, so you correct it in the design tool where the artwork lives.
Not a full ISO 15416 verifier
A formal print-quality grade needs a calibrated hardware scanner on the printed piece. Barcode Medic checks the artwork geometry that causes most scan failures: X-dimension, magnification and quiet zones, before you ever print.
How it measures, and why the number is trustworthy.
Barcode Medic does not eyeball a rendered picture. It reads the vector geometry inside the PDF and measures the actual bar widths, so the X-dimension is exact to a hundredth of a millimetre, even when the barcode is rotated, scaled, outlined, or sitting in a busy label. It then checks the numbers against the GS1 General Specifications.
It handles EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, ITF-14 and GS1-128, and detects DataMatrix and QR. Vector artwork is measured exactly. A raster barcode is still analysed, with a clear warning that the measurement is pixel-limited. The check is deterministic: the same file gives the same verdict, every time. Barcode Medic is part of a small family of offline, pay-once tools, next to NestForge, DXF Medic and PatternNest.
One price. Pay once.
The on-screen check is free and complete. You pay only when you want a downloadable report or batch mode. A single unscannable barcode at a retailer can cost far more than this tool, many times over.
Free tier
0 EUR
No time limit. No signup.
- Full on-screen GS1 verdict for one file at a time
- Measured X-dimension, magnification and quiet zones
- Pass, check or fail with the exact fix
- Runs offline, the file stays local
Barcode Medic Full
19 EUR 29 EUR
One-time purchase · offline license key · all v1 updates included · plus VAT or sales tax depending on your country (final amount at checkout)
- Downloadable and printable GS1 report
- Batch mode: check many files or pages at once
- Same measurements as the free tier
- License key works offline, on all your machines
- 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked
Plus VAT or sales tax depending on your country, the checkout shows the final amount.
Questions, answered honestly.
The same answers we give in support mail, no marketing dialect.
Does it really work offline?
Yes. After the first load you can install it as an app (your browser will offer this) and use it with no internet connection at all. Decoding, measuring and license verification run locally. There is no server component, not for computing, not for licensing, not for anything.
Where does my file go? Do you see my artwork?
Nowhere, and no. The PDF is opened in your browser's memory and never transmitted: there is no upload endpoint in the product. We run no analytics and no telemetry.
Which barcodes and files does it check?
Symbologies: EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, ITF-14 and GS1-128 are measured and graded; DataMatrix and QR are detected. Files: PDF is the primary input (that is what goes to print). Vector artwork is measured exactly; a raster barcode is analysed with a pixel-limit warning.
Is this a full barcode verifier that gives an ISO grade?
No, and it does not pretend to be. A formal ISO 15416 grade needs a calibrated hardware scanner reading the printed piece under controlled light. Barcode Medic checks the artwork geometry that causes most real-world scan failures (X-dimension, magnification and quiet zones) so you catch them before the print run, not after.
How exact is the measurement?
For vector artwork, the X-dimension is read from the actual bar geometry in the PDF and is exact to about a hundredth of a millimetre, including when the barcode is rotated, scaled or outlined. For a barcode placed as a raster image there is no vector geometry to read, so the measurement is pixel-limited and clearly marked as such. The honest fix is to export the barcode as vector.
Will it fix or change my file?
No. It measures and reports, it never edits your artwork. It names the exact problem and the exact fix (for example, grow the symbol to 80 percent, or add 1.3 mm of clear space on the left), and you make that change in your design tool.
What exactly is free, what is paid?
The full on-screen verdict is free: drop a file, see every measured number and every pass, check or fail with the fix, for one file at a time, no signup, no time limit. The one-time purchase (19 EUR launch price, 29 EUR regular later) unlocks a downloadable and printable GS1 report and batch mode for many files or pages at once. Prices are plus VAT or sales tax depending on your country, the checkout shows the final amount.
Those chargeback numbers, are they real?
They are widely cited industry figures, not our guarantee: retailer barcode and quiet-zone failures are commonly reported to trigger chargebacks, with figures cited for programmes such as Walmart SQEP (around 200 USD per defect type per purchase order plus per-case fees), Amazon SIPP (around 1.80 to 4.40 USD per unit) and Target's Perfect Order (around 0.75 USD per carton, 100 USD minimum). Verify the exact terms against your own supplier agreement. The point stands: one unscannable barcode usually costs more than this tool.
What is the refund policy?
14 days, no questions asked, whether you are an EU consumer or not. See the refund and withdrawal policy.
On how many machines can I use my license?
On all machines you personally use. The key is bound to your email address, not to hardware, and is verified offline. Studio desktop, laptop, home machine: one license. Re-entering it is a single paste.