Sequential asset tags with Code 39 barcodes, printed on Avery-compatible label sheets
Preview shows the first labels at relative scale. Print a test sheet on plain paper first and hold it over the label stock to check alignment.
| Sheet | Label Size | Per Sheet | Grid | Side / Top Margin | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5160 / 8160 | 2-5/8" × 1" | 30 | 3 × 10 | 3/16" / 1/2" | Default asset tags with barcode |
| 5163 / 8163 | 4" × 2" | 10 | 2 × 5 | 5/32" / 1/2" | Larger equipment, warehouse scanning |
| 5167 / 8167 | 1-3/4" × 1/2" | 80 | 4 × 20 | 9/32" / 1/2" | Small assets, text-only IDs |
5160 and 8160 are the same sheet — 5160 is the laser product number, 8160 the inkjet one. Any store brand marked "compatible with 5160" uses the same 30-up layout, and the PDF here matches those grids. Tiny printer feed differences are why the one-sheet test print is worth the paper.
Type a prefix, a starting number, and a quantity, and the generator builds one label per asset: the tag ID (like ACME-IT-0001) in bold, an optional second line, and — on the 30-up and 10-up sheets — a Code 39 barcode drawn to fit the label. The PDF lays each label onto the exact grid of the sheet you picked, so it prints straight onto Avery-compatible stock.
Code 39 encodes each character as nine elements (five bars, four spaces) with exactly three of them wide, plus a narrow gap between characters. Every symbol is 15 narrow modules wide plus one gap module, and the asterisk start/stop characters wrap the text invisibly at each end. The generator computes the narrow-bar width (X-dimension) so the whole barcode plus its quiet zones fits inside the label's safe print area, and never drops below the 0.0075-inch minimum that scanners can resolve.
Keep tag IDs short — under about 10 characters on the 30-up sheet — because Code 39 spends 16 modules per character. Fixed-width numbers (0042, not 42) keep your register sortable. Leave the second line off if the labels feel crowded; the 80-up sheet skips the barcode automatically since there isn't room to scan it reliably. The CSV export gives you the same tag list for your asset register or a barcode-printing service.
Say you're tagging 250 pieces of IT equipment as ACME-IT-0001 through ACME-IT-0250 on 5160 sheets. That's 250 ÷ 30 = 8.33 sheets, so 9 sheets with 270 positions and the last 20 left blank. The barcode for ACME-IT-0001 is 12 characters, or 14 symbols counting the start/stop asterisks: (14 × 15 + 13) = 223 modules plus 20 quiet-zone modules. On a 5160 label with a 0.09" safe margin each side, the printable width is 2.445", so the narrow bar works out to about 0.010" — a hair above the scanner minimum. On the 10-up sheet the same barcode gets a comfortable 0.0156" narrow bar, which is why big equipment usually gets 4" × 2" labels.
The most common sheet is the Avery 5160/8160 address label: 2-5/8 × 1 inch, 30 labels per page, which fits a Code 39 barcode plus the tag ID comfortably. Smaller assets often get 1-3/4 × 1/2 inch return-address labels (Avery 5167, 80 per sheet, usually without a barcode), and larger equipment gets 4 × 2 inch shipping labels (Avery 5163, 10 per sheet) for scannable barcodes at a distance.
Yes. Print a test sheet on plain paper first, hold it over a label sheet against the light, and check alignment before committing. Laser printers handle label sheets best; inkjet works but can smear on glossy label stock. For tags that survive handling, cleaning chemicals, or outdoors, polyester or foil labels outlast paper — a laminated polyester label from a print shop is the usual choice once equipment counts get into the hundreds.
Code 39 is the classic asset tag barcode: it encodes uppercase letters, digits, dash, period, space, and a few symbols, and almost every warehouse scanner reads it without configuration. It is not compact — each character takes 15 narrow modules — so keep tag IDs short. Code 128 is denser if you need long IDs, and QR codes are common when phones should do the scanning.
Pick a prefix per category and a fixed number of digits, then never reuse a number. A scheme like ACME-IT-0042 (company, department, serial) sorts cleanly, reads aloud unambiguously, and leaves room for more departments. Fixed-width numbers matter: 0042 rather than 42, so spreadsheets and scanners treat the ID as text and line up correctly.
30 on a 2-5/8 × 1 inch sheet (Avery 5160/8160), 10 on a 4 × 2 inch sheet (Avery 5163/8163), and 80 on a 1-3/4 × 1/2 inch sheet (Avery 5167/8167). So 250 tags take 9 sheets of 5160 (270 positions, 20 unused) or 4 sheets of 5167 (320 positions, 70 unused).