Free Code 39 Barcode Font

Free Code 39 Barcode Font

The free Code 39 font may be used for personal use, educational purposes, and by organizations that have a gross annual revenue of less than $500,000 USD or are classified as nonprofit for tax purposes. For complete license details, review the free product section of the Software License Agreement. The free Code 39 barcode font is only supplied in one size, with the 3:1 ratio, and without product support; if more sizes or support are needed consider the licensed version of the Code 39 Barcode Font Package.

Benefits of the Licensed Version:

  • Multiple sizes are provided; this free font is only provided in one size.
  • Narrow 2:1 ratio versions are provided to reduce the width of the symbol.
  • Shorter S and XS versions are provided to reduce the height of the symbol.
  • Fonts without text interpretation are provided in each size.
  • Font encoders with MOD43 calculation capability.
  • Includes a special set of TrueType fonts to encode the space without a substitution character and Extended Code 39 Fonts to easily encode lowercase letters.
  • Free lifetime product support and 1 incident of priority support within 30 days.
  • Purchase the Licensed Version.

Download Now Code 39 FAQ How to Use Buy Now Free Products

IDAutomation also offers Free Barcode Label Software, an easy way to print your labels. If a scanning device is needed, consider these barcode scanners.

Using the Free Code 39 Barcode Font

To generate a Code 39 barcode from a font, the data to encode is to be surrounded by asterisks as the start and stop characters, i.e. *153969*. To hide the asterisks from appearing in the human-readable below the barcode, use the parenthesis surrounding the data, i.e. (12345). If the font is not in the font selection list of the application after installation, check the application settings. Most applications allow the ability to disable a feature that lists the font names in the fonts list. For example, if the font is not in the Microsoft Office fonts list, follow these steps:

  1. Select Customize from the Tools menu.
  2. In the Options tab, unselect the "list font names in their font" check box.
  3. Click close.

Code 39 Font Implementation Tutorials

If a higher-density barcode is required, consider Code 128 or a 2D barcode such as QR Code or DataMatrix for something that can withstand damage and still scan correctly. The licensed version of the Code 39 font also includes fonts with a 2:1 ratio of width to make the symbol narrower.

Scanning Code 39 Barcodes

Code 39 is one of the most common barcodes in use today, and thus virtually every barcode scanner will be capable of reading Code 39. When using a printer with less than 600 DPI, the following point sizes should be used to create accurate barcodes:

203 DPI Printer (thermal printer) 300 DPI Printer
6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36... 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36...

The free Code 39 barcode font is only supplied in one size. In the Licensed Code 39 Font Package, several versions of the fonts are provided to support human-readable versions in addition to different height and width requirements, including a narrow 2:1 ratio version. The last character in the font name determines the height of the barcode with the shortest being "XS" and the tallest being "XXL".

Font Name Font Height at 12pt
Code 39 Fonts (text below the barcode)
IDAutomationHC39XS  .20" or .5 CM
IDAutomationHC39S  .35" or .9 CM
IDAutomationHC39M (This is the only font provided in the free version)  .50" or 1.2 CM
IDAutomationHC39L  .70" or 1.8 CM
IDAutomationHC39XL  .90" or 2.3 CM
IDAutomationHC39XXL  1.25" or 3.2 CM
Code 39 Fonts (no text below the barcode)
IDAutomationC39XS  .20" or .5 CM
IDAutomationC39S  .35" or .9 CM
IDAutomationC39M  .50" or 1.2 CM
IDAutomationC39L  .70" or 1.8 CM
IDAutomationC39XL  .90" or 2.3 CM
IDAutomationC39XXL  1.25" or 3.2 CM