Creating real barcodes for Adobe InDesign
Creating barcodes in InDesign is best done with a powerful, industry-compliant app such as Barcode Producer. For an Adobe InDesign Barcode Generator, plug-ins aren’t the best solution (you can read why here.) You can’t rely on free online Adobe barcode generators as they aren’t necessarily compliant with industry standards, nor do they generate the barcodes in the resolution that you need.
Barcode Producer is a compatible barcode generator for InDesign. You can generate barcodes for InDesign in two ways: either by clicking the InDesign button or by exporting to PDF, EPS, or TIFF format. On a Windows PC, the InDesign button won’t be available. The only option for using the barcode generator with Adobe InDesign is to save your barcode as a vector EPS file and place it yourself in InDesign.
Step 1: To create your InDesign barcode, you first need to select the type of barcode you would like to create, such as the UPC code, and then input the barcode value. You can edit all of the visual details of your barcode to meet your needs. Once your barcode meets your needs, it’s ready for InDesign.
Step 2: To import your barcode to InDesign, click the InDesign button. You can also import your barcode into InDesign by exporting the file and importing it into InDesign yourself. The barcode will be inserted in the top left corner of the layout you’re currently working on as a vector image. In InDesign, drag the barcode where you want it to appear. Do not resize. You can, however, rotate it.
Step 3: Print the layout or export it to a PDF file.
Other ways to insert a barcode into your layout
You can also export the barcode to an EPS, PDF, or TIFF file and drag it to the InDesign page. There are a few caveats, though. If you drag any of these files to the page, InDesign seems to insist on placing it on the Background layer. It’s better to create an image frame, select it and drag the barcode into the frame. You can then move it around inside that frame.
If you drag the file, make sure InDesign’s Selection tool is active. Otherwise, your barcode may be treated as text, and you won’t be able to move it.
You can also copy-paste an EPS, PDF, or TIFF into a frame (or on the page, see above).
However, it will render as a huge image inside the frame. You shouldn’t resize the barcode after generation, so this is not the right way to insert a barcode into an InDesign layout. Other copy-paste options that are available in InDesign don’t seem to result in the correct and desired result, either.
Placing an EPS results in the Type tool being selected and the barcode inserted in whatever frame you were hovering over in mirror view. Placing a TIFF or PDF results in a correct rendering.
Warnings
Never resize the barcode in InDesign. Instead, if you need to resize, do it within Barcode Producer using the Factor and Bar Height options. This will ensure the barcode can still be printed and scanned in compliance with the standard for that particular symbology.
While you can change the color or background of your barcode, it’s not recommended. Most barcodes must be printed with as high a contrast as possible — which is black on white — to ensure proper readability for all types of scanners.
Barcode Producer for Mac/PC creates perfect barcodes for retail packages, labels, books, packages, and everything else. Download Barcode Producer to get started!