GS1 Digital Link QR code generator

What a GS1 Digital Link is

A GS1 Digital Link is an ordinary web address with the product’s GS1 identifiers written into it in a fixed pattern, such as https://id.gs1.org/01/09520123456788. Put it in a QR code and a phone opens it like any link, while a 2D-capable checkout scanner can read the GTIN out of it. The rules are in the GS1 Digital Link Standard: URI Syntax, release 1.7.0, ratified in August 2026.

How the tool builds the link

• 14-digit GTIN. Since version 1.4 the standard expects the GTIN in 14 digits, so a GTIN-8, -12 or -13 gets leading zeros: UPC 614141123452 becomes 00614141123452.
• Fixed order. After /01/ and the GTIN come the key qualifiers in a set order: consumer product variant /22/, then batch or lot /10/, then serial number /21/. The standard does not allow /21/…/10/….
• Expiry in the query string. The expiration date, AI (17), is a data attribute, written ?17=YYMMDD.
• Percent-encoding. Batch and serial may use GS1’s 82-character set. In the URI the tool percent-encodes every character other than letters, digits, - . and _, so lot L/24+1 becomes L%2F24%2B1.
• Domain. GS1’s canonical form uses https://id.gs1.org with no trailing slash. The standard also lets a brand use its own domain, with or without folders before /01/; then your server must answer those addresses. The tool shows the canonical form next to yours.

The tool’s tests check its output against these examples from the standard. The same data as a GS1 element string is (01)09520123456788(17)180426(10)ABC1(21)12345, which is what a GS1 DataMatrix would carry.

Sunrise 2027, in GS1’s words

GS1’s 2D barcodes at retail point-of-sale guideline calls it Ambition 2027: the initial goal is for retail checkout scanning to read and process the GTIN from both today’s linear barcodes and 2D barcodes by the end of 2027. In the United States GS1 US calls this Sunrise 2027 and says it is a milestone: it is not necessary to have every 2D capability in place by then.

• The UPC stays for now. On its 2D barcodes page GS1 US says the UPC barcode isn’t going away and that shoppers may see a 2D barcode and a UPC together during the transition. GS1’s guideline says linear barcodes will coexist with 2D barcodes for as long as there are uses for them.
• Which 2D codes. For general retail products, GS1 lists GS1 DataMatrix, QR Code with a GS1 Digital Link URI and Data Matrix with a GS1 Digital Link URI as conformant options; the generator above makes all three. For healthcare products, GS1 DataMatrix is the 2D barcode of choice at point of sale.
• What brands do first. GS1 US advises brands to add 2D barcodes to existing packaging and to update existing QR codes to the GS1 Digital Link format with the product’s GTIN. Its roadmap for brands puts removing the UPC at the end, once retailers are fully 2D capable.
• Placement. Independent testing cited in GS1’s guideline found that the whole 2D barcode, quiet zone included, should be within 50 mm (1.97 in) of the linear barcode’s centre for checkouts to keep their pace.

What each setting does

• GTIN. The full number with its check digit; a wrong check digit is named. GS1’s Verified by GS1 shows who a GTIN belongs to, if you are unsure it is yours.
• Batch or lot, serial number. Optional; 1 to 20 characters each from GS1’s character set, no spaces.
• Expiration date. Optional; written YYMMDD. “Month only” writes 00 as the day, which GS1 reads as the last day of the month. Since 1 January 2025 GS1 does not allow day 00 on regulated healthcare products.
• Symbol. QR Code or Data Matrix carrying the URI, or GS1 DataMatrix carrying the element string.
• Module size. 0.495 mm to start: GS1’s target for 2D codes on retail packaging, within its 0.396–0.990 mm range (symbol specification table 1, addendum 2). The QR code gets a 4-module quiet zone, Data Matrix 1 module.

Common mistakes

• Using a short link or a QR service’s redirect instead. A checkout cannot read a GTIN out of https://example.short/x7k, and the link can stop working if the service or subscription ends. Our barcode checker flags documented redirect services.
• Writing a 12- or 13-digit GTIN in the path. Older systems may accept it, but the current standard expects 14 digits.
• Taking the UPC off the pack too early. Until every checkout you sell through scans 2D codes, the UPC or EAN is still the barcode they rely on.
• Pointing your own domain at nothing. If you choose your own domain, the addresses must lead somewhere useful, today and for the life of the package.

Worked example

1. Keep GTIN 09520123456788 (GS1’s demonstration number), batch ABC123 and expiry 2027-12-31.
2. The tool writes https://id.gs1.org/01/09520123456788/10/ABC123?17=271231 and the element string (01)09520123456788(17)271231(10)ABC123.
3. As a QR code at level M that is 33 × 33 modules; with the 4-module quiet zone, 41 × 0.495 = 20.3 mm square. A GTIN-only link fits in 29 × 29 modules, 18.3 mm.
4. For a 300 dpi label printer the PNG uses 6 dots per module, 0.500 mm. Print it within 50 mm of the UPC, and scan the printed pack with a phone and with your checkout scanner.

More background: GS1 Digital Link QR codes and Data Matrix vs QR code.

Sources

1. GS1: GS1 Digital Link Standard: URI Syntax (release 1.7.0) (accessed October 27, 2026)
2. GS1: GS1 General Specifications Standard (Release 26.0) (accessed October 27, 2026)
3. GS1: 2D Barcodes at Retail Point-of-Sale Implementation Guideline (release 1.1.0) (accessed October 27, 2026)
4. GS1 US: What is GS1 Sunrise 2027? (accessed October 27, 2026)
5. GS1 US: The World of 2D Barcodes (accessed October 27, 2026)
6. GS1 US: Getting Started with 2D Barcodes: Infrastructure Questions, Key Considerations, & Resources for Brands (accessed October 27, 2026)
7. GS1: Verified by GS1 (accessed October 27, 2026)