What is the difference between a UPC, EAN, GTIN and a Bar code?
A UPC (GTIN 12)/EAN is the number assigned to a product sold in a retail store as explained above. A bar code is simply a graphical translation of a UPC (GTIN 12)/EAN number into bars and spaces of varying widths. A bar code is designed to be scanned by an optical reader that interprets the bar and space widths and translates that into the number represented by the bars because reading straight lines is easier than numerical digits. You can have a UPC (GTIN 12)/EAN but not have a bar code. You cannot have a bar code that is not based on a UPC (GTIN 12)/EAN. You need a bar code in order to have your UPC (GTIN 12)/EAN be scannable by bar code readers in retail stores. You do not need a scannable bar code for online sales—your UPC (GTIN 12)/EAN is sufficient. The bar codes generated by a GTIN-13 (EAN) is exactly the same as its GTIN-12 (UPC) counterpart. The only difference is in the numbers along the bottom of the bars and spaces. There is NO difference in the actual bar code of a UPC an