Toma Tomov
Writer and editor of Plain Barcode.
Toma Tomov runs Plain Barcode as an independent publisher based in Georgia, United States. Toma writes and edits the guides and maintains the site's free barcode tools.
What Toma covers
Practical barcode questions for small businesses and online sellers: where barcode numbers come from, which barcode type fits which job, how to print labels that scan, how to set up barcode-based inventory, and when a QR code is the better choice.
How Toma researches
The guides are built on published standards and official documentation, mainly from GS1, GS1 US, ISO and the makers of scanners and label printers. Sources are listed at the end of every guide. Drafts may be prepared with AI writing tools; Toma checks each guide against its sources and edits it before publication. The guides do not claim lab testing or industry credentials. Read the Editorial Policy for the full process.
Contact
Email [email protected] with corrections, questions or tool problems.
Guides by Toma (20)
- How to Get UPC Barcodes for Your Products, Step by Step — updated October 1, 2026
- How to Print Barcodes That Scan: Size, Quiet Zones, Color — updated October 1, 2026
- How to Set Up a Barcode Inventory System for a Small Business — updated October 1, 2026
- Which Barcode Type Do I Need? A Decision Guide by Job — updated October 1, 2026
- Asset Tags with Barcodes: Numbering, Materials and Placement — updated October 1, 2026
- Barcode Not Scanning? A Checklist From Most to Least Likely — updated October 1, 2026
- Barcodes in Excel and Google Sheets: Fonts and Formulas — updated October 1, 2026
- Code 128 Explained: Code Sets, Check Character and GS1-128 — updated October 1, 2026
- Code 39 vs. Code 128: Which to Use for Internal Labels — updated October 1, 2026
- Direct Thermal vs Thermal Transfer vs Sheet Labels for Barcodes — updated October 1, 2026
- Do QR Codes Expire? Static vs. Dynamic, and What Really Breaks — updated October 1, 2026
- How Barcode Scanners Work: Laser, Imager and Phone Camera — updated October 1, 2026
- How Check Digits Work: GS1 Mod-10 Worked Examples — updated October 1, 2026
- ITF-14 Barcodes for Shipping Cartons: When and How to Use Them — updated October 1, 2026
- QR Code Size and Error Correction: Print Rules That Scan — updated October 1, 2026
- QR Code vs. Barcode: Which One Does Your Product Need? — updated October 1, 2026
- SKU vs UPC vs ASIN vs FNSKU: What Each Number Is For — updated October 1, 2026
- UPC vs. EAN: What's the Difference and Which to Use? — updated October 1, 2026
- What Is a GTIN? GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13 and GTIN-14 Explained — updated October 1, 2026
- When Do You Need a New GTIN? The GS1 Rules in Plain English — updated October 1, 2026