Barcodes: GTIN (EAN) and GS1-128 with lot and expiry date
All plans
Which barcode to use, how Recipok checks the GTIN and how to print a GS1-128 with the best-before date and the lot.
What it is for
If you sell to shops, supermarkets or distributors, they will ask for your products to carry a barcode. And if they ask for traceability, they will want the code to carry the lot and the best-before date too, so they can read them with the scanner gun without typing anything.
Recipok prints both types on your labels: the classic EAN/GTIN and the GS1-128 with lot and expiry date. It also generates the internal codes for ingredients and lots that you use inside the bakery.
Before you start
- If you are going to sell with a commercial code, you need your GTINs. They are assigned to your company by GS1 (through the GS1 organisation in your country).
- Have the recipe's consumer label set up.
- If you sell a product in several sizes, each sales format can carry its own code.
The three codes Recipok handles
| Code | What it is for | Where you enter it |
|---|---|---|
| GTIN (EAN) | Identifies the product at the till and in your customer's warehouse. It has 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits. | In Recipe data (Barcode field) or in each sales format. For ingredients, in their sheet. |
| GS1-128 | The GTIN plus the best-before date and the lot, in a single code. | The Barcode tab of the Label configuration. |
| Internal code | Identifies each ingredient and each lot inside the bakery. Recipok generates it. | You do not enter it: it appears on the internal label and the goods-in labels. |
The GTIN and its check digit
When you type a recipe's barcode, Recipok checks it straight away:
- If it is correct: Valid GTIN, the check digit is correct.
- If the last digit is missing: The check digit is missing. It will be saved as… and it shows you the full number.
- If it does not have a GTIN length: A GTIN has 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits. It is saved as typed, but some scanners may reject it.
Setting up the GS1-128 with lot and expiry date
Open the Barcode tab
In the recipe, Label configuration › Barcode.
Choose the product code (01)
Under Code type: SKU (01) uses the SKU from the recipe's advanced data; Barcode (01) uses the GTIN. If you choose an SKU that is not a GTIN, you will see a warning.
Add date and lot
Under Additional elements, tick Best before date (15) and Lot number (10). Side padding (%) leaves white space on either side so scanners read it properly.
Generate and check
Click Generate code to see the Generated code. Then print a test label and read it with a scanner.
(15)261005
(10)TQ-260930-14
- 1(01) Product: the GTIN, padded to 14 digits.
- 2(15) Best before in year-month-day format, and (10) lot, which always goes last.
- 3The data is printed in human-readable text under the code, as GS1 requires.
From the recipe, the date and lot in the code are draft values. The real code is printed on the label from the production order, with the actual lot and best-before date of that batch.
Where it is printed
- On the consumer label, the internal label and the labels from the Label designer. If the code is a valid GTIN, they all encode it as GS1-128; if it is an internal reference, it prints as usual.
- In the ingredients list, Print barcodes produces the internal code labels for several ingredients at once.
- Recipok's scanners (in goods-in and in the production order) read the internal code, EANs and your suppliers' GS1-128 codes with lot and expiry date. See QR codes and scanner.
Tips
- Print the code large enough and with white space on either side. A small code, or one right against the edge of the label, is the most common reason it cannot be read.
- On a direct thermal printer everything comes out in black: ideal for barcodes.
- Do not reuse one product's GTIN for a different product, or for another size: each sales format needs its own.