CheckThis › How-to guides › Barcodes that matter
How to choose and print barcodes for your stock
Barcodes are a quick way of typing an item's number. Keep the barcode an item already carries, give your own codes to items without one, and print labels on ordinary A4 sheets.
- Your items in CheckThis Stock management
- A4 label sheets and a printer (for items without a barcode)
Steps
Know the barcodes you will meet
EAN-13 (13 digits) is on most packaged goods; products registered in Kenya start with 616, the GS1 Kenya prefix. UPC-A (12 digits) is common on imported US goods, EAN-8 on very small packs, Code 128 and Code 39 on shelf labels, cartons and serial numbers, and QR codes for links and documents. CheckThis reads all of them.
Save the barcode an item already has
Open the item in Stock management > Items and scan its barcode into the Barcode field, or scan it in 📷 Scan and add it to the item. Every later scan finds the item.
Give a code to items without one
In Stock management > Items, press Barcodes & labels, then Generate missing barcodes. Each item without a code gets an internal EAN-13 starting with 20, a range GS1 keeps for in-house use, so it never clashes with a manufacturer's code.
Print the labels
Choose the items and how many labels of each, then print on A4 label sheets. Each label shows the item name, the barcode and the price.
Register official barcodes if you supply supermarkets
If you make your own products and sell them through supermarkets, they will ask for GS1 barcodes. Register with GS1 Kenya; your codes will then start with 616. Save them on your items the same way.
Tips
- Never print your own label over a manufacturer's barcode: keep theirs and save it on the item.
- Serial-numbered goods (phones, electronics) can be scanned by serial number at the till and in stock.
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