The EAN (European Article Numbering) code is primarily used in supermarkets. EAN-8 is a shortened version of the EAN-13 code. It is a numeric-only code that includes a 2 or 3 digit country code, 4 or 5 data digits (depending on the length of the country code), and a checksum digit that is automatically added by Barcode Xpress.

Unlike the UPC-E symbol, which compresses data that could also be printed as a full-size UPC-A symbol by squeezing out zeros, the data digits in an EAN-8 symbol specifically identify a particular product and manufacturer. Since a limited number of EAN-8 codes are available in each country, they are issued only for products with insufficient space for a normal EAN-13 symbol.

An example: