tc-lib-barcode
September 2, 2026 · View on GitHub
PHP library for generating linear, 2D and postal barcodes.
💖 Part of the tc-lib-pdf / TCPDF ecosystem (100M+ installs). Sponsor its maintenance →
Overview
tc-lib-barcode is a pure-PHP library that encodes data in 73 linear, 2D and postal barcode formats and outputs them as SVG, PNG, HTML, text grids, GD images or arrays of bar coordinates.
| Namespace | \Com\Tecnick\Barcode |
| Author | Nicola Asuni info@tecnick.com |
| License | GNU LGPL v3 - see LICENSE |
| API docs | https://tcpdf.org/docs/srcdoc/tc-lib-barcode |
| Packagist | https://packagist.org/packages/tecnickcom/tc-lib-barcode |
Why this library
- One API for every format.
getBarcodeObj()returns the same object for a UPC-A and a Han Xin Code; the samegetInlineSvgCode(),getPngData(),getGrid()andgetArray()methods work across all 73 types. - Pure PHP, one runtime dependency. Only
tecnickcom/tc-lib-color, plus thegd,ctypeandpcreextensions.bcmathandimagickare optional accelerators, never required. - Written to the published standards. Each symbology follows its own published specification, named alongside the format where one applies.
- Covered by tests. Per-format encoding, ECC, size and input-validation suites, run under strict static analysis on every commit.
- LGPL-3.0. Usable in closed-source applications.
- Maintained. Part of the tc-lib-pdf / TCPDF ecosystem, in continuous development since 2015.
Supported Formats
Linear
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| C39 | CODE 39 - ANSI MH10.8M-1983 - USD-3 - 3 of 9 |
| C39+ | CODE 39 + CHECKSUM |
| C39E | CODE 39 EXTENDED |
| C39E+ | CODE 39 EXTENDED + CHECKSUM |
| C32 | CODE 32 (Italian Pharmacode - IMH - Radix 32) |
| C49 | CODE 49 (ANSI/AIM BC6) |
| PZN | PZN (Pharmazentralnummer - IFA coding system) |
| LOGMARS | LOGMARS (CODE 39 profile of MIL-STD-1189B) |
| C93 | CODE 93 - USS-93 |
| S25 | Standard 2 of 5 |
| S25+ | Standard 2 of 5 + CHECKSUM |
| S25IATA | 2 of 5 IATA (Computer Identics 2 of 5) |
| S25MATRIX | 2 of 5 Matrix |
| S25DATALOGIC | 2 of 5 Datalogic (China Post Code) |
| I25 | Interleaved 2 of 5 |
| I25+ | Interleaved 2 of 5 + CHECKSUM |
| ITF14 | ITF-14 (GTIN-14 - GS1 General Specifications) |
| C128 | CODE 128 |
| C128A | CODE 128 A |
| C128B | CODE 128 B |
| C128C | CODE 128 C |
| C16K | CODE 16K (stacked CODE 128) |
| GS1128 | GS1-128 (CODE 128 with GS1 Application Identifiers) |
| SSCC18 | SSCC-18 (GS1-128 with the Application Identifier 00) |
| GS114 | GS1-14 - EAN-14 - SCC-14 (GS1-128 with the Application Identifier 01) |
| DATABAR | GS1 DataBar Omnidirectional (ISO/IEC 24724) |
| DATABARTRUNC | GS1 DataBar Truncated (ISO/IEC 24724) |
| DATABARSTACK | GS1 DataBar Stacked (ISO/IEC 24724) |
| DATABARSTACKOMNI | GS1 DataBar Stacked Omnidirectional (ISO/IEC 24724) |
| DATABARLIMITED | GS1 DataBar Limited (ISO/IEC 24724) |
| DATABAREXP | GS1 DataBar Expanded (ISO/IEC 24724) |
| DATABAREXPSTACK | GS1 DataBar Expanded Stacked (ISO/IEC 24724) |
| EAN2 | EAN 2-Digits UPC-Based Extension |
| EAN5 | EAN 5-Digits UPC-Based Extension |
| EAN8 | EAN 8 |
| EAN13 | EAN 13 |
| UPCA | UPC-A |
| UPCE | UPC-E |
| PLESSEY | Plessey Code |
| MSI | MSI (Variation of Plessey code) |
| MSI+ | MSI + CHECKSUM (modulo 11) |
| TELEPEN | Telepen (full ASCII) |
| CODABAR | CODABAR |
| CODE11 | CODE 11 |
| PHARMA | PHARMACODE |
| PHARMA2T | PHARMACODE TWO-TRACKS |
| HIBC39 | HIBC in CODE 39 (ANSI/HIBC 2.6 and ANSI/HIBC 1.3) |
| HIBC128 | HIBC in CODE 128 (ANSI/HIBC 2.6 and ANSI/HIBC 1.3) |
| LRAW | 1D RAW MODE (comma-separated rows of 01 strings) |
2D
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| AZTEC | AZTEC Code (ISO/IEC 24778:2008) |
| AZTECRUNE | AZTEC Rune (ISO/IEC 24778:2008 Annex A) |
| DATAMATRIX | DATAMATRIX (ISO/IEC 16022) |
| DMRE | Data Matrix Rectangular Extension (ISO/IEC 21471) |
| PDF417 | PDF417 (ISO/IEC 15438:2006) |
| PDF417C | Compact PDF417 - truncated (ISO/IEC 15438:2006) |
| QRCODE | QR-CODE |
| MICROQR | Micro QR Code (ISO/IEC 18004) |
| HANXIN | Han Xin Code (GB/T 21049, ISO/IEC 20830) |
| HIBCDM | HIBC in DATAMATRIX (ANSI/HIBC 2.6 and ANSI/HIBC 1.3) |
| HIBCQR | HIBC in QR-CODE (ANSI/HIBC 2.6 and ANSI/HIBC 1.3) |
| HIBCAZ | HIBC in AZTEC Code (ANSI/HIBC 2.6 and ANSI/HIBC 1.3) |
| SRAW | 2D RAW MODE (comma-separated rows of 01 strings) |
Postal
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| POSTNET | POSTNET |
| PLANET | PLANET |
| RMS4CC | RMS4CC (Royal Mail 4-state Customer Bar Code) |
| KIX | KIX (Klant index - Customer index) |
| JPPOST | Japan Post Customer Barcode |
| MAILMARK | Royal Mail Mailmark 4-state barcode (types C and L) |
| IDENTCODE | Deutsche Post Identcode |
| LEITCODE | Deutsche Post Leitcode |
| AUSPOST | Australia Post 4-State Customer Barcode |
| IMB | IMB - Intelligent Mail Barcode - Onecode - USPS-B-3200 |
| IMBPRE | IMB - Intelligent Mail Barcode pre-processed |
Output Formats
- SVG image (file, inline code, or standalone document)
- PNG image (via GD or Imagick)
- GD image object
- HTML
divelements - Character grid string
- Array of bar coordinates
Width, height, padding, foreground and background color are set per barcode.
Requirements
- PHP 8.2 or later
- Extensions:
gd - Optional extensions:
bcmath(speeds up the arbitrary precision arithmetic used by the IMB and PDF417 types, a pure-PHP implementation is used when it is missing) - Composer
Installation
composer require tecnickcom/tc-lib-barcode
Quick Start
<?php
require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
$barcode = new \Com\Tecnick\Barcode\Barcode();
$bobj = $barcode->getBarcodeObj(
type: 'QRCODE,H',
code: 'https://tecnick.com',
width: -4,
height: -4,
color: 'black',
padding: [-2, -2, -2, -2],
)->setBackgroundColor('white');
echo $bobj->getInlineSvgCode();
For more formats and rendering options, see the example/ directory.
Development
make deps
make help
make qa
To preview the example app in a browser:
make server
Then open http://localhost:8000/ (served from the example/ directory).
To use a different port:
make server PORT=8080
Build artifacts and reports are generated in target/.
Packaging
make rpm
make deb
For system packages, bootstrap with:
require_once '/usr/share/php/Com/Tecnick/Barcode/autoload.php';
Identifiers issued by a registration body
The library encodes the data it is given. Several formats carry a number that only its registration body can issue, so a symbol is valid in its scheme only once that number has been obtained:
| Format | Issued by |
|---|---|
| EAN, UPC, ITF-14, GS1-128, SSCC-18, GS1-14, GS1 DataBar | a GS1 member organisation, which issues the company prefix |
| HIBC39, HIBC128, HIBCDM, HIBCQR, HIBCAZ | HIBCC, which assigns the Labeler Identification Code |
| MAILMARK | Royal Mail, which issues the Supply Chain ID carried in the barcode |
| PZN | IFA GmbH, which allocates the Pharmazentralnummer |
| IDENTCODE, LEITCODE | Deutsche Post DHL, which assigns the customer number and the street codes |
| C32 | AIFA, which assigns the Italian AIC number |
Trademarks
The names below identify the symbologies this library encodes and belong to their respective owners. They are used descriptively; no affiliation with or endorsement by their owners is claimed or implied.
| Name | Owner |
|---|---|
| QR Code | DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED |
| GS1, GS1-128, GS1 DataBar | GS1 AISBL |
| Mailmark | Royal Mail Group Ltd |
| Intelligent Mail | United States Postal Service |
| PHARMA-CODE | Laetus GmbH |
| Telepen | S.B. Electronic Systems Ltd |
| HIBC, HIBCC | Health Industry Business Communications Council |
| KIX | PostNL |
| Identcode, Leitcode | Deutsche Post DHL |
GS1 licenses the claims necessary to implement its standards under its IP Policy, to GS1 members and to the participants of the work group that developed the standard, rather than to the public at large.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome. Please read CONTRIBUTING.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, and SECURITY.md before submitting a pull request.