Used by 700,000+ people
Free DotCode barcode generator.
DotCode is a 2D code of separate dots for inkjet and laser coders on fast lines. Type your text and download the symbol.
How to create a DotCode barcode
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01
Enter the packet's identifier unchanged
Enter the code your ID issuer generated plus your time stamp (or print the stamp separately), 50 characters at most. Plain text starting with two digits reads as GS1 data.
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02
Size modules in whole printer dots
Set Resolution (dpi) to your printer's (higher resolution with a plan), then Module width in Millimeter: at 300 dpi, 0.423 mm is 5 dots.
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03
Keep a 3-module quiet zone
By default the image ends at the outer dots. Leave 3 modules free all round and grade a test print.
What DotCode is and where it is permitted
DotCode is a rectangular 2D matrix barcode of single dots. Its publisher, the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM), describes it as suited to high-speed industrial inkjet and laser marking: it needs no continuous lines or touching dots. The EU accepts it for the unique identifier on tobacco unit packets.
Where DotCode is used: EU tobacco unit packets
Under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/574, each tobacco unit packet carries a unique identifier (UI) of up to 50 characters, verified right after marking. DotCode, Data Matrix or QR Code may carry it.
GS1 allows GS1 DotCode only there, at unit level. It comes in addition to the retail checkout barcode, with the same Global Trade Item Number (GTIN).
Why dots suit coders, and the grade the EU expects
In the generator's symbols every dot sits on a checkerboard grid, so neighbouring dots never share an edge. GS1 adopted DotCode because it carries GS1 keys when printed inline at production speed.
The EU presumes compliance at ISO/IEC 15415 grade 3.5 or better, far above the 1.5 typical of other GS1 applications, and requires readability for at least five years.
Download formats and DotCode software
The online generator downloads PNG, GIF and JPG, and SVG with a plan. Without an account it makes one code at a time; a data sheet makes many after a free sign-in.
TBarCode SDK lets developers set DotCode's GS1 or generic format, size, mask and print direction. Barcode Studio exports DotCode series from CSV files or by command line.
DotCode at a glance
- Type
- 2D matrix of separate dots
- Specification
- AIM DotCode Rev 4.0 (2019); EU law cites Rev 3.0
- Characters
- ASCII 0–255 and bytes; Latin-1 by default
- Capacity
- No fixed limit; up to 124 × 124 dots recommended
- Error correction
- Reed-Solomon, chosen by the generator
- Quiet zone
- 3X on all sides
Alternatives on EU tobacco packets
Permitted on EU tobacco packets and on cartons and cases, with a 1-module quiet zone.
Accepted on EU tobacco packets and cartons at about 30% recovery (level H), with a 4-module quiet zone.
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about DotCode.
Is DotCode mandatory on EU cigarette packs?
What is GS1 DotCode?
Can a phone or standard scanner read DotCode?
What size should a DotCode be on a tobacco packet?
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