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IDAutomation Free Code 39 Barcode Font 

Free Barcode Font, Code 39 TrueType Freeware Download; Print and scan Code 3 of 9 bar codes.

IDAutomation's Free Code 39 Barcode Font allows the ability to print letters, numbers and some symbols with the Code 3 of 9 symbology. This font is a fully functional freeware font - not a demo. TrueType and OpenType versions are provided.
Download the free bar code font now

This free bar code font may be used by individuals and organizations that have gross annual revenue of less than $500,000 USD or are classified as nonprofit for tax purposes excluding government and military organizations. This software may also be freely used if provided with an accompanying product provided by IDAutomation and educational organizations such as schools and universities. Any other use requires a purchase of the Code 39 Font Advantage Package to remain licensed. For details, please review the free product section of the License Agreement.

This font is supplied in only the M size (medium). If other heights are required or the Macintosh classic, PCL, laserjet soft font or PostScript formats are needed, a purchase of the Code 39 Font Advantage Package is required, which is supplied in 6 different bar code heights (XS, S, M, L, XL and XXL) and 4 different versions.


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Barcode Font Piracy Notice
In many cases, other barcode fonts distributed as "freeware" or fonts that are sold very cheap are illegal counterfeits. You and your organization may be held liable for using and/or distributing these illegal software products. Beware of companies that distribute "free" fonts from unverifiable sources with copyright notices from companies that do not exist. Learn more about how to identify and report illegal counterfeit barcode fonts.

To obtain the latest freeware barcode font, use one of the links below:

Installing the Free Code 3 of 9 Bar Code Font in Windows:

To install the TrueType font in Windows, run the INSTALL.EXE program in the ZIP file download or perform the following for manual installation: 

  • Click on Start, Select settings and click on Control Panel.
  • Click on Fonts, Click on File in the main tool bar, select Install New Font.
  • Select the folder where the Code 39 barcode font was placed.
  • The Code 39 barcode font will appear and look like this: IDAutomationHC39M (true type) - select this font and Click on OK.
  • Click Start and choose to shut down and restart the computer.
  • The font should be active when the computer is restarted.

Installing the Barcode Font on MAC OS X:

  • NOTE: Macintosh support for classic OS (7.1 - 9x) requires the Code 39 Font Advantage Package.
  • Drag or copy and paste the IDAutomationHC39M.TTF font file to the Library/Fonts folder.
  • To activate the fonts, restart the application - some applications may require a restart of the computer.
  • The font should now be active in the font menu of the application.

Using the Code-39 Bar-Code Font:

To create the correct output for the Code 39 barcode font, the data must be appended with an asterisk as the start and stop characters, for example *153969*. In Microsoft Word, the start and stop characters should be "!" instead of the asterisk because of a formatting issue. For example: !153969!. To suppress the asterisks from being visible below the barcode, use "(" and ")" instead at the beginning and ending of each barcode.

If the font is not viewable in font selection list of the application after installation, check the application settings. Most applications allow the ability to disable a feature that lists font names in their font. For example, in Microsoft Office if the font is not viewable in font selection list, follow these steps:

  1. In Microsoft Office, choose Customize on the Tools menu.
  2. On the Options tab, deselect the "list font names in their font" check box.
  3. Click close.

IDAutomation has included Microsoft Access, Excel and Word examples of use in the package. After installation, there will be icons to these examples in the Start - Programs - IDAutomation.com Code 39 Font program group. There are also several online implementation tutorials to help with integration of the font into the application.

If a more compact barcode type than Code 39 is required, consider Code 128 or a 2D symbology such as PDF417 or DataMatrix. If a barcode that can withstand damage is required, consider the PDF417 or DataMatrix. To see an evaluation of barcode sizes and types, refer to that section in the Barcoding for Beginners Tutorial

To learn more about using Code 39, refer to the Code 3 of 9 FAQ and Tutorial.


Reading and Scanning the Barcode Fonts:

IDAutomation offers several easy to use Barcode Readers. In addition, IDAutomation's own USB Barcode Scanners and Wands can be used on any computer with a USB port including Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems. The reader acts as an external keyboard so that anything scanned is entered in the computer as if it were typed from the keyboard. To use a bar code wand or scanner with the application, please read additional information about how to scan data into applications.


Other Barcode Products:

IDAutomation also has many other products to offer for barcoding purposes including:


Distributing the Free Font with an Application 

The Software may not be distributed with an application or an application's installation files. This type of distribution requires a Developers License to the Code 39 Font Advantage Package. Developers may also create a distributed application to access the IDAutomationHC39M font name and request that users download this free font only if they meet the license qualifications of the free font. If they do not meet the license qualifications, they must be instructed to purchase the Code 39 Font Advantage Package or the EZ Barcode Font Package which both include the IDAutomationHC39M font. Developers may also use IDAutomation's affiliate program to make a 30% commission on fonts that are purchased from IDAutomation for their programs. For more details, please review the license agreement.


Code 39 TrueType Font Specifications:

The X dimension (X is the width of the narrow bar) of the Code 39 font is listed below for various point sizes. The narrow to wide ratio is 3:1 which is recommended by international standards. 

Point Size

Approximate X dimension (1 mil = .001")

48 .102 cm 40 mil
36 .076 cm 30 mil
32 .069 cm 27 mil
30 .064 cm 25 mil
28 .058 cm 23 mil
24 .051 cm 20 mil
20 .043 cm 17 mil
18 .038 cm 15 mil
16 .033 cm 13 mil
12 .025 cm 10 mil
8 .018 cm 7 mil
6 .013 cm 5 mil

* To print at a different X dimension, find the point size that has the X dimension closest to what is needed and use this formula to find the point size needed:
12 * (X dimension needed) / (X dimension at 12 points) = (point size)
For example, to set an X dimension of 12 mils, print it at 14 points because:
12 * 12 / 10 = 14

NOTICE: 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...

In the free version of this font package, only the IDAutomationHC39M size is provided. However, in the Code 39 Font Advantage Package, 24 different versions of the Code 39 barcode fonts are provided to support human-readable versions and different width and height requirements. The last character in the Code 39 barcode font name determines the height of the barcode with the shortest being "XS" and the tallest being "XXL"

Font name Font height at 12 points*
Code 3 of 9 Fonts with text below the barcode:
IDAutomationHC39XS  .20" or .5 CM
IDAutomationHC39S  .35" or .9 CM
IDAutomationHC39M  .50" or 1.2 CM (provided in free version)
IDAutomationHC39L  .70" or 1.8 CM
IDAutomationHC39XL  .90" or 2.3 CM
IDAutomationHC39XXL  1.25" or 3.2 CM
Code 3 of 9 Fonts with 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

Technical Support:

Because this is a free product IDAutomation cannot offer any other support than what is documented at the website. If additional support is needed, please order the IDAutomation Code 39 Font Advantage Package and contact IDAutomation.

The following links may be helpful in solving problems:


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