GitHub - milon/barcode: Barcode Generator for PHP and Laravel

Barcode generation for Laravel and plain PHP. This package wraps the TCPDF barcode engines (1D + QR / Data Matrix / PDF417) behind a small API that returns SVG, HTML, PNG, and JPEG.

Requires the PHP GD extension (ext-gd).

Examples below are real outputs from this library. Regenerate them with:

php docs/generate-examples.php

Installation

composer require milon/barcode

Laravel compatibility

Laravel	Package
13.*	^13.0
12.*	^12.0
11.*	^11.0
10.*	^10.0
9.*	^9.0
8.*	^8.0
7.*	^7.0
6.*	^6.0
5.0–5.1	^5.1
4.x	^4.2

Laravel 6+ auto-discovers the service provider and facades (DNS1D, DNS2D).

Publish config (optional)

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Milon\Barcode\BarcodeServiceProvider"

Default store path is the Laravel storage directory (used by *Path helpers). Ensure the directory is writable.

Quick start

use DNS1D;
use DNS2D;

// SVG / HTML (ready to echo)
echo DNS1D::getBarcodeSVG('CODE39DEMO', 'C39');
echo DNS2D::getBarcodeHTML('https://example.com', 'QRCODE');

// PNG / JPEG as base64 (use the data URI form)
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE39DEMO', 'C39') . '" alt="barcode">';
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('https://example.com', 'QRCODE') . '" alt="qr">';

Blade

Always use {!! !!} (unescaped). PNG helpers return raw base64, not a full data: URL:

{!! DNS1D::getBarcodeHTML('5901234123457', 'EAN13') !!}

<img
  src="data:image/png;base64,{{ DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0,0,0], [255,255,255]) }}"
  alt="QR code"
>

Units: `$w` and `$h`

API	`$w`	`$h`
DNS1D (1D)	Width of a single bar in pixels	Total barcode height in pixels
DNS2D (QR / DM / PDF417)	Width of a module in pixels	Height of a module in pixels

Larger $w / $h = larger image. Typical starting points:

1D labels: $w = 2–3, $h = 50–80
QR for screen: $w = $h = 4–8
QR for print: $w = $h = 8–12

Output methods

Method	Returns
`getBarcodeSVG(...)`	SVG markup string
`getBarcodeHTML(...)`	HTML (div/span) markup
`getBarcodePNG(...)`	Base64-encoded PNG
`getBarcodeJPG(...)`	Base64-encoded JPEG (1D)
`getBarcodePNGPath(...)`	Relative path to a PNG written under the store path
`getBarcodeJPGPath(...)`	Relative path to a JPEG written under the store path (1D)

Common options

1D (DNS1D)

getBarcodePNG($code, $type, $w = 2, $h = 30, $color = [0,0,0], $showCode = false, $bgcolor = null)
getBarcodePNGPath($code, $type, $w = 2, $h = 30, $color = [0,0,0], $showCode = false, $bgcolor = null, $filename = null)

2D (DNS2D)

getBarcodePNG($code, $type, $w = 3, $h = 3, $color = [0,0,0], $bgcolor = null)
getBarcodePNGPath($code, $type, $w = 3, $h = 3, $color = [0,0,0], $bgcolor = null, $filename = null)

$color — RGB foreground [r, g, b] (SVG/HTML use CSS color strings)
$showCode — print human-readable text under 1D bars
$bgcolor — RGB background, or null for transparent (default)
$filename — optional custom file name for *Path helpers (extension optional; path segments are stripped)

// Custom file name → storage/.../product-42.png
DNS2D::getBarcodePNGPath($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255], 'product-42');

Quiet zone (padding) for print / scanners

Printed barcodes often fail to scan when bars sit flush against the page edge or other graphics. Add a quiet zone with setPadding() (pixels on every side):

// ~10× bar width is a common 1D rule of thumb ($w = 2 → padding 20)
DNS1D::setPadding(20);
echo DNS1D::getBarcodeSVG($code, 'C128', 2, 80);

DNS2D::setPadding(4 * 6); // ~4 modules around a QR with $w = 6
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]) . '">';

DNS1D::setPadding(0); // reset (instances/facades keep the value until changed)

SVG output also sets shape-rendering="crispEdges" to reduce print-time anti-alias blur.

QR logo (centered)

Overlay a logo on QR / Datamatrix PNG output (GD). Use high error correction (QRCODE,H) and keep the logo modest (~15–25% of width) so scanners still read the code.

DNS2D::setLogo(storage_path('app/logo.png'), 0.2);
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' .
    DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE,H', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]) .
    '">';
DNS2D::setLogo(null); // clear

Retail UPC-A / EAN layout

EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A, and UPC-E now use taller guard bars and, when $showCode is enabled, split human-readable digits (number system / left / right / check) instead of one centered string.

echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' .
    DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('042100005264', 'UPCA', 3, 90, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]) .
    '">';

Background color (dark UI / email)

Transparent PNGs disappear on dark backgrounds. Pass a white (or light) $bgcolor:

Transparent (default)	White background

// Recommended for dark themes and email clients
DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('WHITEBG', 'C128', 3, 70, [0, 0, 0], false, [255, 255, 255]);

Examples (with screenshots)

CODE 39

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE39DEMO', 'C39', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

CODE 39+

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE39', 'C39+', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

CODE 128

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('Code128Demo', 'C128', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

CODE 128A / 128B / 128C

C128A	C128B	C128C

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE128A', 'C128A', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('Code128B', 'C128B', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('12345678', 'C128C', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]); // digits, even length

EAN-13 / EAN-8 / UPC-A

EAN-13	EAN-8	UPC-A

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('5901234123457', 'EAN13', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('96385074', 'EAN8', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('042100005264', 'UPCA', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

Interleaved 2 of 5 / Codabar / Pharmacode

I25	Codabar	Pharmacode

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('12345670', 'I25', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('A123456A', 'CODABAR', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('123456', 'PHARMA', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

Custom bar color

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('GREENDEMO', 'C39', 3, 80, [0, 128, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

QR Code / Data Matrix / PDF417

QR Code	Data Matrix	PDF417

DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('https://milon.im', 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);
DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('DM-DEMO-12345', 'DATAMATRIX', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);
DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('PDF417 Demo Payload', 'PDF417', 3, 3, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);

Browse all generated samples: docs/examples/gallery.html

Regenerate images + gallery:

php docs/generate-examples.php

Symbology character sets

Invalid input throws Milon\Barcode\InvalidBarcodeException with a hint for the chosen type.

Type	Allowed data (practical)
C39	`0-9 A-Z` space and `-.$/+%`
C39E / C39E+	Full ASCII (extended CODE 39)
C128	Full ASCII; auto code-set
C128A	Uppercase / control; no lowercase — use C128B or C128
C128B	Full ASCII
C128C	Digits only, encoded in pairs (even length)
EAN13	12–13 digits (check digit calculated/validated)
EAN8	7–8 digits
UPCA	11–12 digits
UPCE	Compressed UPC-E digit form
I25 / S25	Digits (I25 prefers even length)
CODABAR	Digits plus `-$:/.+` with A–D start/stop
PHARMA	Numeric pharmacode
QRCODE	Text/URL; capacity depends on version/ECC
DATAMATRIX	Text; capacity depends on symbol size
PDF417	Longer text payloads

Prefer C128 (auto) unless you specifically need A/B/C.

Also supported (1D)

C39+, C93, S25, S25+, I25+, GS1-128, EAN2, EAN5, MSI, MSI+, POSTNET, PLANET, RMS4CC, KIX, IMB, CODE11, PHARMA2T

Standalone PHP (no Laravel)

Laravel is optional. Without a container, the store path defaults to the system temp directory (or whatever you set):

use Milon\Barcode\DNS1D;
use Milon\Barcode\DNS2D;

$d1 = new DNS1D();
$d1->setStorPath(__DIR__ . '/cache/');

echo $d1->getBarcodeHTML('9780691147727', 'EAN13');
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . $d1->getBarcodePNG('9780691147727', 'EAN13') . '">';

$d2 = new DNS2D();
$d2->setStorPath(__DIR__ . '/cache/');
file_put_contents(
    __DIR__ . '/cache/qr.png',
    base64_decode($d2->getBarcodePNG('https://example.com', 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]))
);

Use the instance API (or the Laravel facade). Calling DNS2D::getBarcodePNG() as a static method on the class itself will not work.

FAQ

Why is my Blade barcode empty / escaped HTML?
Use {!! DNS1D::getBarcodeHTML(...) !!}, not {{ }}.

Why is the <img> broken?
PNG helpers return base64 only. Prefix with data:image/png;base64,.

Barcode works in light mode but not dark mode / email?
Pass a solid $bgcolor, e.g. [255, 255, 255].

Printed barcode won’t scan reliably?
Add a quiet zone (setPadding(...)), use a larger $w (avoid $w = 1 for print), and prefer SVG/PNG over scaled-down screen captures. See Quiet zone.

InvalidBarcodeException?
The payload does not match the symbology (see table above). Switch type or sanitize input.

Can this package scan barcodes from a camera?
No. It only generates barcodes. Scanning needs a separate library or device SDK.

Can it authenticate users / replace login?
No. Generating a QR of a URL or token is not authentication by itself.

License

GNU LGPLv3. Copyright Nuruzzaman Milon. Original barcode classes by Nicola Asuni / Tecnick.com LTD (TCPDF).

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github		.github
docs		docs
src		src
tests		tests
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE.TXT		LICENSE.TXT
banner.png		banner.png
composer.json		composer.json
phpunit.xml		phpunit.xml
readme.md		readme.md

Navigation Menu

Uh oh!

Repository files navigation

Installation

Laravel compatibility

Publish config (optional)

Quick start

Blade

Units: `$w` and `$h`

Output methods

Common options

Quiet zone (padding) for print / scanners

QR logo (centered)

Retail UPC-A / EAN layout

Background color (dark UI / email)

Examples (with screenshots)

CODE 39

CODE 39+

CODE 128

CODE 128A / 128B / 128C

EAN-13 / EAN-8 / UPC-A

Interleaved 2 of 5 / Codabar / Pharmacode

Custom bar color

QR Code / Data Matrix / PDF417

Symbology character sets

Also supported (1D)

Standalone PHP (no Laravel)

FAQ

License

Buy me a coffee

About

Releases

Sponsor this project

Packages

Used by

Contributors

Languages

Uh oh!

Latest commit

History

Folders and files

Repository files navigation

Installation

Laravel compatibility

Publish config (optional)

Quick start

Blade

Units: $w and $h

Output methods

Common options

Quiet zone (padding) for print / scanners

QR logo (centered)

Retail UPC-A / EAN layout

Background color (dark UI / email)

Examples (with screenshots)

CODE 39

CODE 39+

CODE 128

CODE 128A / 128B / 128C

EAN-13 / EAN-8 / UPC-A

Interleaved 2 of 5 / Codabar / Pharmacode

Custom bar color

QR Code / Data Matrix / PDF417

Symbology character sets

Also supported (1D)

Standalone PHP (no Laravel)

FAQ

License

Buy me a coffee

About

Topics

Resources

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases

Sponsor this project

Packages

Used by

Contributors

Languages

Units: `$w` and `$h`