GS1 DataBar · server-powered
GS1 DataBar Stacked generator.
GS1 DataBar Stacked folds the family's GTIN payload into two short rows, cutting the width from 96 modules to 50. With just 13 modules of total height it has the smallest footprint of any DataBar symbol, made for packs where label space is measured in single millimeters. The trade is the checkout: fixed omnidirectional scanners are not its audience.
Two-row GTIN for small packs.
Standards-based quiet zones are always on. For production packaging, verify a printed sample with a barcode verifier.
Preview
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Valid GS1 DataBar Stacked input
Valid input is (01) followed by the 13 digit GTIN body or the full 14 digits. Give it 13 and the check digit is calculated for you; give it 14 and the final digit is tested against the GS1 algorithm before anything renders. GTIN-12 or GTIN-13 codes need leading zeros to reach the required length.
The digits must stop there. Appending a second AI like (3103), inserting a pipe for composite data, or slipping in a letter each returns a validation error, since the stacked symbol is defined to carry one GTIN and no more.
Working sample: (01)09521234543213 the sample is a 14 digit GS1 test GTIN that the tool splits across the two rows
Where GS1 DataBar Stacked is used
- Unit dose pharmaceuticals and other healthcare items read with handheld imagers
- Very small cosmetic and trial size packs that never cross a slot scanner
- Labels too narrow even for the regular 96 module DataBar symbol
Common errors and how to fix them
- GS1 DataBar Stacked must be 13 or 14 digits
- The character count after (01) is not 13 or 14, which happens with truncated pastes, AIs such as (3103) added after the GTIN, and pipe separated composite data. Trim the input back to the bare GTIN.
- Incorrect GS1 DataBar Stacked check digit provided
- Your 14th digit does not match what the GS1 mod 10 formula produces from the first 13. Fix the typo, or enter only 13 digits and let the tool supply the correct one.
Size and printing
Because this type lays itself out, the bar height and text options are hidden: the spec pins the drawing at 50 modules across and 13 high, split into a 5 module upper row, a 1 module separator, and a 7 module lower row. Your controls are the module width, settable from 0.25 mm to 1.0 mm, and the output resolution up to 600 DPI. The truncated rows already rule out omnidirectional lasers, and for symbols not scanned at retail POS the GS1 tables permit modules down to 0.170 mm, about 8.5 mm by 2.2 mm of bars; at this tool's smallest 0.25 mm step the symbol prints roughly 12.5 mm wide and 3.3 mm tall.
GS1 DataBar Stacked questions
Can GS1 DataBar Stacked be scanned at a retail checkout?
It is not designed for omnidirectional slot scanners at the register, because the truncated rows give a fixed laser too little to catch. Items sold over a checkout should carry GS1 DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional instead.
What is the difference between GS1 DataBar Stacked and GS1 DataBar?
Same GTIN payload, different shape. The standard symbol is one row, 96 modules wide. Stacked breaks that payload into two rows just 50 modules wide and far shorter overall, at the cost of POS scanning.
How small can a GS1 DataBar Stacked barcode be printed?
The GS1 floor for symbols read away from retail POS is a 0.170 mm module, which works out to bars about 8.5 mm wide. This generator's finest module step is 0.25 mm, giving a symbol roughly 12.5 mm wide and 3.3 mm tall, and the 600 DPI export keeps those fine bars crisp.
What products use GS1 DataBar Stacked?
Small healthcare packs, single dose medication, and tiny trade items, generally anywhere a handheld or camera scanner does the reading rather than a checkout slot scanner.