VectodeCode 128 barcodes in Adobe Illustrator
Code 128 is the general-purpose linear barcode for labels, inventory, shipping and internal tracking — it encodes letters, digits and punctuation in a compact symbol. Vectode places it on your Illustrator artboard as editable vector paths, with quiet zones and human-readable text built in.
How to insert it in Illustrator
- Open the Vectode panel (Window ▸ Extensions ▸ Vectode) or the standalone app.
- Choose Code 128 and type your text.
- Set the X-dimension (module width) and the bar height in millimetres, then click Insert.
What Vectode gets right
- Printable ASCII: letters, digits, space and punctuation — characters outside ASCII (such as accented letters) are refused with a clear message instead of being silently mis-encoded
- Automatic code set switching (A/B/C) for the shortest symbol — runs of digits are packed two per character
- Quiet zones of 10 modules on both sides included automatically
- X-dimension and bar height in millimetres; human-readable text in OCR-B, centred below the bars
- Need GTIN, SSCC, batch or dates? Use GS1-128 — the same bars plus FNC1 and GS1 Application Identifiers
Frequently asked questions
Code 128 or GS1-128 — what is the difference?
It is the same symbology. GS1-128 starts with a special FNC1 character and carries GS1 Application Identifiers such as (01) GTIN or (00) SSCC, which is what retail and logistics partners scan. Plain Code 128 is for your own internal data.
Which characters can I encode?
Any printable ASCII character: A–Z, a–z, 0–9, space and punctuation. Accented letters are not part of ASCII, so Vectode refuses them rather than producing a code that would scan as different text.
How big should a Code 128 barcode be?
Code 128 itself does not prescribe a size — your application or customer does. Keep the quiet zones clear, and test-scan the printed result when you go small.
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More codes in Vectode: EAN-13 & EAN-8 · UPC-A & UPC-E · GS1 DataMatrix · Data Matrix & Aztec · Pharma codes (PPN, SÚKL) · GS1-128 · ITF-14 · GS1 QR & Digital Link · all features →