What one code does
A GS1 Digital Link carries the product's GTIN inside the web address. That one detail is what lets three very different things read the same square.
| Who scans it | What they want | What they get |
|---|---|---|
| A checkout lane | The product number | Reads it out of the address itself, with no internet connection |
| A shopper's phone | The product page | Opens whatever page you point it at today |
| A retailer's app | Every link you hold | Instructions, allergens, recall status, by name |
The till never calls us, which surprises people. The number is inside the address, so a scanner reads it offline exactly as it reads a UPC today.
How it works
1. Bring a GTIN
The number under the barcode on a retail pack. You license it from GS1 for $30, once. We do not sell them and we will tell you not to buy a resold one.
2. Connect your own subdomain
id.yourbrand.com. One DNS record, live in about a minute, and there is nobody to email. GS1's own best practice is to build codes on a domain you own, and this address has its own slot: it does not use the link domain you print on signs.
3. Add the product
Type the GTIN and we check its check digit as you type. Point it at a page you have, or let us build one.
4. Download it at the right size
The download screen carries the actual GS1 figures, with the quiet zone drawn rather than described.
5. Change it whenever you like
A product page moves, a promotion ends, a batch is recalled. The pack never changes.
Printed right, the first time
A code printed too small is refused by a checkout scanner, and a code with its clear space cropped stops reading at all. The figures below come from GS1's retail point-of-sale guideline, and they are on the download screen for every product, not buried in a PDF.
| Smallest square allowed | 0.02 in (0.4 mm) |
| What GS1 aims for | 0.02 in (0.5 mm) |
| Largest square allowed | 0.04 in (1.0 mm) |
| Clear space on all four sides | 4 squares |
| Distance from your UPC's centre | within 50 mm (2.0 in) |
Not sure about a code you already have? Check it free, from any provider, with no account.
What it costs
The generator above is free and needs no account. A managed product code, the kind you print, starts free: ten products on a free account.
- Free: ten products, each with its own GTIN, page and links, answering on a QRFLOW address.
- Premium, $4 a month: 25 products on your own packaging address, id.yourbrand.com, which does not use your link domain.
- Business, $29 a month: up to 1,000 products across 5 of your own addresses, one per brand.
- Every plan: a product page for every product, scan analytics by country, device, link type and batch, and print sizes that pass retail checkout.
- Business adds an API, webhooks, up to 5 people on the account, and running your catalog from Claude or ChatGPT.
GTINs are licensed separately from GS1 and are not part of any subscription, ours or anyone else's.
Questions people ask
What is a GS1 Digital Link?
A QR code whose web address carries the product's GTIN inside it, in the structure the GS1 standard defines. One code does two jobs: a checkout scanner reads the product number straight out of the address with no internet connection, and a phone opens whatever page you point it at.
Do I have to do this by 2027?
No. Sunrise 2027 is a date retailers set for themselves, to be able to read 2D barcodes at checkout by the end of that year, and GS1 is explicit that using its standards is voluntary. What is true is that the major retailers all verify against the same register, so in practice it becomes the price of shelf space.
Do I still need my UPC?
Yes, for now. Keep both on the pack: the UPC for tills that cannot read 2D yet, and the GS1 code beside it. GS1 asks brands to drop the UPC only once retailers are ready, not before.
Where do I get a GTIN?
From GS1. A single GS1 US GTIN is $30, paid once, with no renewal. We do not sell GTINs and we never will: numbers resold by third-party sites were licensed to somebody else, and a retailer that checks can refuse your product.
Can I change where the code goes after it is printed?
Yes, as often as you like, and that is the whole point. The GTIN inside the code never changes; the page it opens is yours to re-point whenever a product page moves, a promotion ends or a batch is recalled.
What if I do not have a website?
You get a product page. Fill in a form with what is on the pack and anything that would not fit, and it is served on your own subdomain, mobile first, with the product data marked up for search engines.
Does it work with a batch or a serial number?
Yes. A code can carry a batch or lot, or a serial, alongside the GTIN, and a link can be set for one batch only. That is how a recall works in practice: point the affected batch somewhere different and leave every other batch alone.
Get the packaging ready
Add your first product, point it at your own address, and download a code that is the right size the first time.