milon/barcode

Barcode generation for Laravel and plain PHP. This package wraps the TCPDF barcode engines (1D + QR / Data Matrix / PDF417) behind a small API that returns SVG, HTML, PNG, and JPEG.

Requires the PHP GD extension (ext-gd).

Full docs: oss.milon.im/barcode

Examples below are real outputs from this library. Regenerate them with:

php docs/generate-examples.php

---

Installation

composer require milon/barcode

Laravel compatibility

Laravel	Package
13.*	^13.0
12.*	^12.0
11.*	^11.0
10.*	^10.0
9.*	^9.0
8.*	^8.0
7.*	^7.0
6.*	^6.0
5.0–5.1	^5.1
4.x	^4.2

Laravel 6+ auto-discovers the service provider and facades (DNS1D, DNS2D).

Publish config (optional)

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Milon\Barcode\BarcodeServiceProvider"

Default store path is the Laravel storage directory (used by *Path helpers). Ensure the directory is writable.

---

Quick start

use DNS1D;
use DNS2D;

// SVG / HTML (ready to echo)
echo DNS1D::getBarcodeSVG('CODE39DEMO', 'C39');
echo DNS2D::getBarcodeHTML('https://example.com', 'QRCODE');

// PNG / JPEG as base64 (use the data URI form)
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE39DEMO', 'C39') . '" alt="barcode">';
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('https://example.com', 'QRCODE') . '" alt="qr">';

Blade

Always use {!! !!} (unescaped). PNG helpers return raw base64, not a full data: URL:

{!! DNS1D::getBarcodeHTML('5901234123457', 'EAN13') !!}

<img
  src="data:image/png;base64,{{ DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0,0,0], [255,255,255]) }}"
  alt="QR code"
>

---

Units: $w and $h

API	$w	$h
DNS1D (1D)	Width of a single bar in pixels	Total barcode height in pixels
DNS2D (QR / DM / PDF417)	Width of a module in pixels	Height of a module in pixels

Larger $w / $h = larger image. Typical starting points:

• 1D labels: $w = 2–3, $h = 50–80
• QR for screen: $w = $h = 4–8
• QR for print: $w = $h = 8–12

---

Output methods

Method	Returns
getBarcodeSVG(...)	SVG markup string
getBarcodeHTML(...)	HTML (div/span) markup
getBarcodePNG(...)	Base64-encoded PNG
getBarcodeJPG(...)	Base64-encoded JPEG (1D)
getBarcodePNGPath(...)	Relative path to a PNG written under the store path
getBarcodeJPGPath(...)	Relative path to a JPEG written under the store path (1D)

Common options

1D (DNS1D)

getBarcodePNG($code, $type, $w = 2, $h = 30, $color = [0,0,0], $showCode = false, $bgcolor = null)
getBarcodePNGPath($code, $type, $w = 2, $h = 30, $color = [0,0,0], $showCode = false, $bgcolor = null, $filename = null)

2D (DNS2D)

getBarcodePNG($code, $type, $w = 3, $h = 3, $color = [0,0,0], $bgcolor = null)
getBarcodePNGPath($code, $type, $w = 3, $h = 3, $color = [0,0,0], $bgcolor = null, $filename = null)

• $color — RGB foreground [r, g, b] (SVG/HTML use CSS color strings)
• $showCode — print human-readable text under 1D bars
• $bgcolor — RGB background, or null for transparent (default)
• $filename — optional custom file name for *Path helpers (extension optional; path segments are stripped)

// Custom file name → storage/.../product-42.png
DNS2D::getBarcodePNGPath($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255], 'product-42');

Quiet zone (padding) for print / scanners

Printed barcodes often fail to scan when bars sit flush against the page edge or other graphics. Add a quiet zone with setPadding() (pixels on every side):

// ~10× bar width is a common 1D rule of thumb ($w = 2 → padding 20)
DNS1D::setPadding(20);
echo DNS1D::getBarcodeSVG($code, 'C128', 2, 80);

DNS2D::setPadding(4 * 6); // ~4 modules around a QR with $w = 6
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]) . '">';

DNS1D::setPadding(0); // reset (instances/facades keep the value until changed)

SVG output also sets shape-rendering="crispEdges" to reduce print-time anti-alias blur.

QR logo (centered)

Overlay a logo on QR / Datamatrix PNG output (GD). Use high error correction (QRCODE,H) and keep the logo modest (~15–25% of width) so scanners still read the code.

DNS2D::setLogo(storage_path('app/logo.png'), 0.2);
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' .
    DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE,H', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]) .
    '">';
DNS2D::setLogo(null); // clear

Retail UPC-A / EAN layout

EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A, and UPC-E now use taller guard bars and, when $showCode is enabled, split human-readable digits (number system / left / right / check) instead of one centered string.

echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' .
    DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('042100005264', 'UPCA', 3, 90, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]) .
    '">';

---

Background color (dark UI / email)

Transparent PNGs disappear on dark backgrounds. Pass a white (or light) $bgcolor:

Transparent (default)	White background

// Recommended for dark themes and email clients
DNS2D::getBarcodePNG($url, 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('WHITEBG', 'C128', 3, 70, [0, 0, 0], false, [255, 255, 255]);

---

Examples (with screenshots)

CODE 39

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE39DEMO', 'C39', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

CODE 39+

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE39', 'C39+', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

CODE 128

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('Code128Demo', 'C128', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

CODE 128A / 128B / 128C

C128A	C128B	C128C

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('CODE128A', 'C128A', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('Code128B', 'C128B', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('12345678', 'C128C', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]); // digits, even length

EAN-13 / EAN-8 / UPC-A

EAN-13	EAN-8	UPC-A

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('5901234123457', 'EAN13', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('96385074', 'EAN8', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('042100005264', 'UPCA', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

Interleaved 2 of 5 / Codabar / Pharmacode

I25	Codabar	Pharmacode

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('12345670', 'I25', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('A123456A', 'CODABAR', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);
DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('123456', 'PHARMA', 3, 80, [0, 0, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

Custom bar color

DNS1D::getBarcodePNG('GREENDEMO', 'C39', 3, 80, [0, 128, 0], true, [255, 255, 255]);

QR Code / Data Matrix / PDF417

QR Code	Data Matrix	PDF417

DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('https://milon.im', 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);
DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('DM-DEMO-12345', 'DATAMATRIX', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);
DNS2D::getBarcodePNG('PDF417 Demo Payload', 'PDF417', 3, 3, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]);

Browse all generated samples: docs/examples/gallery.html

Regenerate images + gallery:

php docs/generate-examples.php

---

Symbology character sets

Invalid input throws Milon\Barcode\InvalidBarcodeException with a hint for the chosen type.

Type	Allowed data (practical)
C39	0-9 A-Z space and -.$/+%
C39E / C39E+	Full ASCII (extended CODE 39)
C128	Full ASCII; auto code-set
C128A	Uppercase / control; no lowercase — use C128B or C128
C128B	Full ASCII
C128C	Digits only, encoded in pairs (even length)
EAN13	12–13 digits (check digit calculated/validated)
EAN8	7–8 digits
UPCA	11–12 digits
UPCE	Compressed UPC-E digit form
I25 / S25	Digits (I25 prefers even length)
CODABAR	Digits plus -$:/.+ with A–D start/stop
PHARMA	Numeric pharmacode
QRCODE	Text/URL; capacity depends on version/ECC
DATAMATRIX	Text; capacity depends on symbol size
PDF417	Longer text payloads

Prefer C128 (auto) unless you specifically need A/B/C.

Also supported (1D)

C39+, C93, S25, S25+, I25+, GS1-128, EAN2, EAN5, MSI, MSI+, POSTNET, PLANET, RMS4CC, KIX, IMB, CODE11, PHARMA2T

---

Standalone PHP (no Laravel)

Laravel is optional. Without a container, the store path defaults to the system temp directory (or whatever you set):

use Milon\Barcode\DNS1D;
use Milon\Barcode\DNS2D;

$d1 = new DNS1D();
$d1->setStorPath(__DIR__ . '/cache/');

echo $d1->getBarcodeHTML('9780691147727', 'EAN13');
echo '<img src="data:image/png;base64,' . $d1->getBarcodePNG('9780691147727', 'EAN13') . '">';

$d2 = new DNS2D();
$d2->setStorPath(__DIR__ . '/cache/');
file_put_contents(
    __DIR__ . '/cache/qr.png',
    base64_decode($d2->getBarcodePNG('https://example.com', 'QRCODE', 6, 6, [0, 0, 0], [255, 255, 255]))
);

Use the instance API (or the Laravel facade). Calling DNS2D::getBarcodePNG() as a static method on the class itself will not work.

---

FAQ

Why is my Blade barcode empty / escaped HTML?
Use {!! DNS1D::getBarcodeHTML(...) !!}, not {{ }}.

Why is the <img> broken?
PNG helpers return base64 only. Prefix with data:image/png;base64,.

Barcode works in light mode but not dark mode / email?
Pass a solid $bgcolor, e.g. [255, 255, 255].

Printed barcode won’t scan reliably?
Add a quiet zone (setPadding(...)), use a larger $w (avoid $w = 1 for print), and prefer SVG/PNG over scaled-down screen captures. See Quiet zone.

InvalidBarcodeException?
The payload does not match the symbology (see table above). Switch type or sanitize input.

Can this package scan barcodes from a camera?
No. It only generates barcodes. Scanning needs a separate library or device SDK.

Can it authenticate users / replace login?
No. Generating a QR of a URL or token is not authentication by itself.

---

License

GNU LGPLv3. Copyright Nuruzzaman Milon. Original barcode classes by Nicola Asuni / Tecnick.com LTD (TCPDF).

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