How to create a barcode for products that don't have one

Why it goes wrong

Goods from the market, from small producers or brought in from abroad often have no barcode, or carry a supplier code that clashes with your other goods. Then the cashier searches for the product in a list or rings up a "similar" one: the queue grows and the stock goes wrong. A made-up code easily repeats or won't scan, and label printers are often bought without knowing what software will print a code on them.

How to do it in Termino

1. 1

   Create an internal barcode

   In the system, open “Products” and click “Add product”, or choose “Edit” on an existing product. Next to the “Barcode/SKU” field, click “Generate”: Termino creates a 13-digit barcode starting with 2, like a shop's in-house codes. Save the product.

2. 2

   The supplier's code stays unchanged

   “Generate” is disabled while the field contains a code, so you can't accidentally replace a supplier's barcode or a code you've already printed. If you want a new code, clear the field first. On a product with sizes, such as clothing, “Generate” is on each size row, because each size has its own barcode.

3. 3

   Many products from Excel

   If you upload your range from Excel, leave the barcode cell empty for goods that have no code: Termino assigns an internal barcode to that product or size itself.

4. 4

   Print the labels

   On the “Products” page, choose “Print label” from the product row's menu (⋮). For several products, select them and click “Print labels”. In the window, choose the “Label size” (30 × 20, 40 × 30, 50 × 30 or 58 × 40 mm, or “Custom size”), set the “Copies” on each row and click “Print”. “Preview” shows the label exactly as it will print.

5. 5

   What goes on the label

   The label shows the product name, the barcode and its digits, and on a product with sizes, the size too: every active size gets its own label. The price isn't printed on the label, so you don't need to reprint when the price changes. A product with no barcode has an “Add one” link in the window, and a code that's too long shows “Too long for this label size”: then choose a wider label.

6. 6

   Printer and browser

   Labels print through the browser's normal print dialog on a 203 dpi thermal label printer with its driver installed on a Windows or macOS computer, on labels 30–80 mm wide: the barcode is drawn for this resolution so the scanner reads it without errors. For the exact size, print from Chrome or Edge: the first time, choose the label printer, remove the margins and leave the scale at 100%. The browser remembers these settings, and Termino saves the chosen label size on each computer.

7. 7

   Scan it at the till

   Stick the label on the item and scan it at the till as usual: the scanner works anywhere on the screen. A new product appears on the till in about 15 seconds when the till is online. You print labels from the system; the till app only reads them.