The short answer

Digital Label Services supplies GS1 barcode labels for Australian retail, warehousing and despatch, printed to the magnification, quiet zones and print contrast a symbol needs to hold an acceptable ISO/IEC 15416 grade. We supply GTIN, GS1-128 and SSCC pallet formats, plus the thermal printers, ribbons and label stock behind them.

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A barcode either scans first time or it becomes someone else’s problem at a distribution centre door. Retailers and grocery wholesalers do not assess barcodes by eye. They assess them against GS1 specifications for symbol size, quiet zones and print quality, and a delivery can be rejected on the measured grade alone.

Digital Label Services supplies GS1 barcode labels along with the thermal printers, ribbons, label stock and technical support behind them. This page covers which GTIN applies at which pack level, how large a symbol has to be, how print quality is actually graded, and why the substrate and print method usually decide whether a label passes.

Which GTIN do you need for your product?

A Global Trade Item Number identifies the item, not the label. GTIN-13 is the standard retail number in Australia, GTIN-8 covers small items where a full-size retail symbol will not fit the pack, GTIN-12 is the United States and Canadian format, and GTIN-14 identifies non-retail outer cartons.

The numbers come from GS1 Australia, not from a printer. GS1 Australia allocates a Company Prefix of six to nine digits, and the member adds the item reference and calculates the check digit. Digital Label Services prints the symbol you have been allocated. The allocation itself is a matter between your business and GS1 Australia.

How large does an EAN-13 barcode have to be?

At nominal 100 per cent magnification an EAN-13 has an X-dimension of 0.330 mm and a symbol height of 22.85 mm. From there magnification is scaled to the application. Retail point of sale allows 80 to 200 per cent, giving an X-dimension between 0.264 mm and 0.660 mm, while General Distribution is tighter at 150 to 200 per cent, or 0.495 mm to 0.660 mm.

The quiet zones matter as much as the bars, and they are the element designers delete most often. At 100 per cent magnification an EAN-13 needs 3.63 mm of clear space to the left, equal to 11 X, and 2.31 mm to the right, equal to 7 X. Put a border, a fold, a seam or a splash of artwork inside that space and you will lose scans no matter how well the symbol is printed.

How is barcode print quality actually graded?

To ISO/IEC 15416. The current edition is ISO/IEC 15416:2025, published on 8 January 2025, which supersedes the 2016 edition. The 2016 edition has been withdrawn, so it should not be quoted as current in a trading-partner specification or a supplier agreement.

Grades run from 4.0, expressed as A, down to 0.0, expressed as F, and a grade is only meaningful when quoted with the aperture and wavelength used to measure it. The minimum for retail point-of-sale symbols is 1.5/06/670, a C grade measured with a 6 mil aperture at 670 nm. For GS1-128 the minimum is 1.5/10/670, a C grade with a 10 mil aperture.

Verification is cheaper than rejection. A verifier report before the first delivery tells you whether a symbol passes. A rejected pallet at a distribution centre tells you the same thing after the freight, the labour and the reprint have all been paid for.

What goes on a pallet or carton logistic label?

The Serial Shipping Container Code identifies the logistic unit. An SSCC is Application Identifier (00) followed by 18 digits, and GS1 Australia states it must not be reassigned within one year of the shipment date, which is worth checking if your warehouse system recycles numbers on a shorter cycle.

GS1’s Logistic Label Guideline sets two standard formats, A6 at 105 x 148 mm and A5 at 148 x 210 mm. The GS1-128 symbol carried on them uses an X-dimension between 0.495 mm and 0.94 mm with a minimum bar height of 31.75 mm. On a pallet the barcodes shall sit between 400 mm and 800 mm from the pallet base, a placement rule routinely missed when an applicator is first set up.

Why do the substrate and the printer decide the grade?

A verifier measures reflectance. It reads the contrast between bars and spaces, the definition of the edges and the modulation across the symbol, and every one of those is a property of the material and the image as much as of the artwork file. A bright, top-coated white facestock with a dense image grades well. A low-contrast, tinted or textured stock can fail the identical file.

Direct thermal is the common trap in warehousing. The image is created by heat in a coating that remains heat-sensitive, so labels fade with warmth, sunlight and friction, and a symbol that graded acceptably at despatch may not grade at all months later in an archive or a returns bin. thermal transfer labels place a wax or resin image on the surface and hold contrast far longer, which is why they dominate asset, carton and archive applications.

We supply barcode label printing as finished labels, and the printers, ribbons and label material for businesses that would rather print on demand.

Who is responsible for the numbers and retailer compliance?

GS1 Australia allocates the numbers and the retailer sets the acceptance criteria. Digital Label Services prints to the specification supplied and advises on magnification, quiet zones, material and print method, but does not certify, approve or guarantee that your numbering, artwork or trading-partner requirements comply. Confirm those with GS1 Australia and with the retailer before a range goes live.

Label materials, adhesives, inks and finishes should be selected according to the intended application and relevant Australian requirements. Discuss specific technical or regulatory requirements with Digital Label Services before production. For businesses inside the Smithfield-Wetherill Park estate and the streets around The Horsley Drive, our label printing wetherill park page sets out how deliveries and technician visits are run from the Central Coast.

Which barcode goes where, and how large?

The symbology, size guidance and minimum print quality grade that generally apply at each level of packaging.

Pack level Typical carrier Size guidance Minimum print quality
Retail consumer unit EAN-13 encoding a GTIN-13 100 per cent equals X-dimension 0.330 mm and symbol height 22.85 mm; retail POS range 80 to 200 per cent 1.5/06/670
Very small retail item A GTIN-8 symbol Used where a full-size retail symbol will not fit the pack face 1.5/06/670
Non-retail outer carton GS1-128 encoding a GTIN-14 General Distribution magnification 150 to 200 per cent, X-dimension 0.495 to 0.660 mm 1.5/10/670
Logistic unit or pallet GS1-128 carrying an SSCC under AI (00) X-dimension 0.495 to 0.94 mm, minimum bar height 31.75 mm 1.5/10/670
Pallet label format and placement A6 at 105 x 148 mm or A5 at 148 x 210 mm Barcodes shall sit between 400 mm and 800 mm from the pallet base 1.5/10/670

Quiet zones on an EAN-13 at 100 per cent are 3.63 mm to the left and 2.31 mm to the right. Confirm the exact specification your retailer requires before print, because acceptance criteria vary by trading partner.

“Digital Label Services have delivered quality labels and consumables, cost savings and support for the last 7 months for our colour label printers ensuring that a key component of our business runs efficiently.”

Kim Jardine, General Manager, James Bennett P/L

Frequently asked questions

Where do our barcode numbers come from?

From GS1 Australia, not from a label printer. GS1 Australia allocates a Company Prefix of six to nine digits, and your business adds the item reference and calculates the check digit to form the GTIN. We print the symbol from the number you hold. Membership, allocation and number management stay between you and GS1 Australia.

What print quality grade does a retail barcode have to reach?

Print quality is assessed to ISO/IEC 15416, currently the 2025 edition. The minimum for retail point-of-sale symbols is 1.5/06/670, meaning a C grade measured with a 6 mil aperture at 670 nm. For GS1-128 symbols the minimum is 1.5/10/670. Individual retailers may set stricter acceptance criteria, so check the trading terms.

How small can we print an EAN-13?

The nominal size is 100 per cent magnification, an X-dimension of 0.330 mm and a symbol height of 22.85 mm. For retail point of sale the permitted range is 80 to 200 per cent, so the smallest X-dimension is 0.264 mm. Shrinking a symbol also shrinks the quiet zones, which is where most small-pack scanning problems begin.

What is an SSCC and can we reuse the numbers?

An SSCC identifies a logistic unit such as a pallet or a shipping carton. It is Application Identifier (00) followed by 18 digits. GS1 Australia states an SSCC must not be reassigned within one year of the shipment date, so a warehouse system that recycles serial numbers on a shorter cycle needs adjusting.

Where should the barcode sit on a pallet?

GS1’s Logistic Label Guideline states pallet barcodes shall sit between 400 mm and 800 mm from the pallet base. The standard label formats are A6 at 105 x 148 mm and A5 at 148 x 210 mm. Applicator height is worth checking whenever a new pallet pattern or a new product height is introduced.

Will direct thermal labels stay scannable in a warehouse?

Not indefinitely. Direct thermal images are formed in a heat-sensitive coating that stays sensitive, so warmth, sunlight and abrasion degrade contrast over time and the measured grade falls with it. Where a label has to scan months later, thermal transfer with a wax or resin ribbon on a suitable facestock is the safer construction.

Further reading

Want the symbols verified before the first delivery?

Send us the symbology, the magnification, the pack level and the surface, and we will quote GS1 barcode labels on a material and print method that can hold the grade. Call 0431 942 464.

Get a Personalised QuoteSpeak With Our Printer SpecialistsCall 0431 942 464

References and further reading

Written by the Digital Label Services Technical & Packaging Team — more than 30 years of packaging industry experience across digital label printing, label stock, printing equipment, commercial label presses and packaging solutions.

Reviewed by: Digital Label Services Technical Team, Packaging & Digital Label Printing Specialists. Last reviewed: 26 August 2026.

Label materials, adhesives, inks and finishes should be selected according to the intended application and relevant Australian requirements. Discuss specific technical or regulatory requirements with Digital Label Services before production.