Stock rooms, school libraries and IT asset lists often live in a Google Sheet already. Peelstack Label Maker, our add-on for Google Sheets, turns a column of item codes into Code 128 barcodes that handheld barcode scanners read, printed on ordinary label sheets such as Avery 5160 or L7160.
Set up the sheet
One item per row, column names in row 1, for example Item (the name printed on the label) and SKU, Code or Asset tag (what the barcode holds). Keep codes to letters without accents, digits, spaces and common symbols such as - and /: that is what Code 128 holds. Rows with other characters are listed in the add-on and get no barcode.
Make the labels
- In your sheet, go to Extensions, Peelstack Label Maker, Create labels.
- Type the number on your label box, for example 5160, 5163 or L7163.
- Check the lines, for example
{Item}. If you want the code printed in words too, add{SKU}as a line. - Open Picture, QR code or barcode and choose Barcode from a column and the type: Code 128 for item codes, EAN-13 or UPC-A for product numbers. The add-on suggests a column named like SKU, Code, Barcode, Item code or Asset tag; change it if needed. You can mix fixed text and columns, for example
INV-{SKU}. - Look at the preview, then download the PDF and print at Actual size (100%).
The barcode goes under the text, across the whole label. Long runs of digits are packed two per bar pattern, so a 12 digit number takes about half the width of 12 letters.
Will it scan?
A barcode is made of narrow and wide bars. The longer the code and the narrower the label, the thinner the narrowest bar gets, and home printers blur very thin bars. The add-on checks every barcode against your label:
- narrowest bar under 0.25 mm: printed, with a warning that lists the rows, so you can test one with your scanner first;
- under 0.19 mm, the usual Code 128 minimum, or bars shorter than 4 mm: left out, and the rows are listed.
If a code is too long for your label, choose a wider label or shorten the codes. Without a warning, a 2 5/8 in label such as 5160 holds about 18 letters or 36 digits, and a 4 in (101.6 mm) label such as 5163 about 29 letters or 58 digits; L7163 (99.1 mm) holds a little less. Numbers for asset tags can come from the add-on itself: {#001} gives 001, 002, 003, and the same token works in the barcode text, for example ASSET-{#0001}.
Product barcodes (EAN-13 and UPC-A)
For products, choose EAN-13 (13 digits) or UPC-A (12 digits) as the type. If your numbers leave out the last digit (the check digit), the add-on adds it; if a number has one that is wrong, that barcode is not printed and the row is listed, because a wrong check digit fails at the till. Spaces and hyphens in the number are ignored. The narrowest bar is kept between 0.264 mm and 0.66 mm (80 % to 200 % of the standard size); under 0.33 mm the rows are listed so you can test a scan first. The add-on prints the number you give it: products sold in shops need numbers registered with GS1.
What it is not
Other symbols such as UPC-E, ITF-14 or GS1-128 are not supported. Barcodes and QR codes are in the PDF only, not in the editable Google Doc.
Price
Peelstack Label Maker is free with every feature for up to 30 labels per run, one full sheet of Avery 5160 address labels, and you can run it as often as you like. A longer list prints its first 30 labels on the free plan, and the preview shows exactly those. Test pages are always free. Every plan reads up to 10,000 rows of a sheet at a time and makes up to 50,000 labels per run. A paid plan removes the 30 label limit: $29 for one year or $59 once. No subscription, nothing renews.