Getting started: practical next steps for a small brand

The move to 2D barcodes sounds bigger than it is. For a small brand with a manageable catalog, it comes down to six steps — most of which are decisions and data entry, not engineering. This page describes the general process, not any one vendor’s workflow.

1. Confirm your GTINs are in order

Every product you sell needs a GTIN — the number under your existing UPC or EAN barcode. If your products already scan at retail, you have GTINs and this step is just confirming they’re properly licensed to your company and recorded somewhere you can find them. If you’re launching new products, GTINs come from a GS1 member organization (GS1 US in the United States), either as a licensed company prefix or as individual GTINs for very small catalogs.

2. Decide what each code should do

A GS1 Digital Link can identify the product at checkout and send consumers to a destination. Decide what that destination should be per product: an existing product page, a landing page with ingredients and usage info, or lot-level data such as expiration dates and recall status. Also decide whether you want lot and date data encoded in the link itself — useful for traceability and recalls — or just the GTIN. Starting simple (GTIN plus one good destination) is a legitimate choice; you can enrich the links later without reprinting.

3. Choose how the links will resolve

A GS1 Digital Link is a URL, so something has to answer it. Your options, broadly:

• Host it yourself. Publish the link structure on your own domain and maintain pages or redirects for each product. Cheapest in cash, but you own the uptime, the correct URL structure, and every future change — and changes mean touching your website, not a dashboard.
• Use a resolver service. A service (OriginQR is one; there are others) issues links on its domain or yours, resolves scans to the right content, stores lot-level data, and lets you update destinations without developer time. This trades a subscription fee for not maintaining the plumbing yourself.

Either way, the deciding questions are the same: can you update where a printed code points without reprinting, and can the link carry the lot and date data you decided on in step 2?

4. Generate the 2D codes and test them

Once your links exist, generate a print-quality QR code for each one (SVG or high-resolution PNG — avoid re-saving small raster files, which blur at print size). See the print guide for minimum size, quiet zone, and contrast rules. Then test before anything goes to print:

• Scan with several phone cameras, not just your own.
• Confirm the destination loads and shows the right product.
• Print a proof at final size and scan the proof, not the screen.
• Keep the code’s contrast high (dark modules on a light background) and leave clear quiet space around it — your designer and printer will know the drill, but the code must survive their layout.

5. Update packaging artwork at the next print run

There’s no deadline that justifies an emergency reprint. The normal path is to add the 2D code to your artwork the next time labels or film are being reordered anyway. During the transition, the safe configuration is dual marking — keep the existing UPC on the package and add the 2D code alongside it, so the product scans at every checkout regardless of that store’s 2D readiness. Over time, as retailers confirm 2D scanning, a single code can take over both jobs.

6. Keep the data current

The long-term discipline is maintenance, and it’s the part that separates a useful code from a dead one:

• Update destinations when pages move or campaigns change.
• If your links carry lot data, record new lots and expiration dates as they’re produced, and flag recalled lots immediately so scans surface the notice.
• Re-confirm retailer requirements periodically — Sunrise 2027 is an evolving program, and your retail partners and GS1 US are the authoritative sources for current expectations.

Where OriginQR fits

OriginQR covers steps 3, 4, and 6 for small brands: it issues and resolves GS1 Digital Links, generates print-ready QR codes, stores lot codes and expiration dates, and shows a recall notice when a flagged lot is scanned — all from one dashboard. Steps 1, 2, and 5 (GTINs, content decisions, and artwork) are yours to make regardless of tooling, which is why this page is written to stand on its own. See how the product works, or keep reading the hub:

What is a GS1 Digital Link? · Sunrise 2027 explained · Glossary · FAQ