If you’ve ever designed a layout for a package, you might have had a client who needed a UPC created for the product. 

It is a simple process, but unfortunately, you will need to purchase a UPC generating program, which is a small price actually, and it can be purchased here. The program is called “Barres” and costs $40.

Besides the UPC program, you will need a UPC number. This is the 12 digit number that is input into the UPC program in which the UPC code is generated. Your client should have this or should get this for you. Without that number, you can’t generate a UPC code. After you input the UPC number, you can determine how tall you want the UPC code bars to be.

When the UPC code is created, you save it as an eps that can be either placed in a file or it can be opened in Illustrator. After opening it in Illustrator you can edit the height of the bars. Just make sure the height of the bars is tall enough to be read by a UPC scanner. I make mine between ½” to ¾”. Place the code on the correct area on your package layout, and you’re done!