GS1 Ireland offers different types and sizes of licences, as well as many services.
Barcode Licences
GCP 11 Artisan Barcode Licence - This licence is for those in the cottage industry with a very limited product range and a turnover under €1 million. This licence includes only 10 barcode numbers. It cannot be upgraded if more numbers are required in future - an additional licence will be required at the annual fee.
GCP 9 Standard Barcode Licence - This licence enables up to 1,000 unique barcode numbers to be generated for products and outer cases, as well as SSCCs (Serial Shipping Container Codes) for pallets.
GCP 7 Barcode Licence - This licence allows you to create up to 100,000 unique product/outer case identification numbers. This is a 7-digit company prefix (GCP 7) which can be used to create all GS1 identifiers including SSCCs & GRAIs.
UPC Licence - This licence is only needed when selling in store with a trading partner in North America who requires a UPC barcode as they can only take a 12-digit number in their systems. Before purchasing a UPC Licence, please check with your trading partner if they can accept a 13-digit number.
The current applicable licence fees are outlined on the GS1 Ireland website.
Barcode Symbols
Barcode Symbol Credits are used with Barcode Manager to create the symbols for your packaging. Each Credit allows you to create 1 symbol. You can purchase a single credit or bundles of 5, 10, 20, or 30. The Symbol Credit fee is a one-off cost and is not an annual fee like the licences.
Special Application Barcode Licences
Branded Variable Weight - This is an annual licence for a Branded Variable Weight (BVW) Prefix to identify products sold by weight at the point of sale e.g. branded cheese, meat, fish, fresh fruit/veg. The prefix must be programmed into a scale to be used. The structure of a Branded Variable Weight number in Ireland includes a 4-digit price field (€€cc), not the weight of the item.
Euro Coupon Prefix - There are 2 options for Euro Coupon Prefixes. The first allows you to create coupon values between 1 cent and €9.99. The second allows you to create coupon values between €10.0 and €99.9.
Sterling Coupon Prefix - This licence is used to generate coupon barcodes for promotions in Sterling.
GTIN 8 - This is a licence for a single 8-digit barcode number (GTIN 8) for very small products. Qualification criteria apply. Please contact the Helpdesk for more information.
EDI Location Code
A GLN, or Global Location Code, is a globally unique number used to identify your company for the purpose of sending and receiving messages such as orders or invoices. If a trading partner has requested you use EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), you will need to purchase a GLN licence.
Value Added Solutions
The Logistics Label Tool is an online tool that allows you to create logistics labels for pallets with an SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) in a GS1-128 barcode. You can also include other information such as Best Before date, Batch Number, etc.
This is a great tool if you don't currently have an SSCC solution within your own systems or with your trading partners.
Services
Barcode Verification - This service offers manufacturers, printers, and packaging designers reassurance that their barcode symbol images are of sufficient quality to ensure they scan first time, every time. Our team will check multiple factors including size, ink spread, reflectivity of the label, etc. Please visit the Barcode Verification page for more information.
Training - Our training team offers courses throughout the year on Barcoding and EDI, as well as seminars and workshops on various industry relevant topics. You can view what training is currently on offer in our Events Calendar or you can contact our Training Team to inquire about upcoming events or request more information.
fTrace - fTRACE is a software system that captures and records batch level traceability information about a product as it moves through the supply chain. This product information, subject to agreed permissions, can be shared with other trading partners, authorities, and consumers. If you are interested in exploring the benefits of fTrace, you can find more information on our website.