---
title: Why Now Is the Time to Prepare for GS1 Sunrise 2027
description: Learn how upgrading from BarTender 2021 can modernize barcode labeling, support GS1 Sunrise 2027 compliance, and prepare your business for 2D barcodes.
image: https://blog.barcodeduplicator.com/hubfs/barista%20scanning%20barcode.jpg
---
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[Symbology Enterprises](https://blog.barcodeduplicator.com/author/symbology-enterprises) October 4, 2026
# Why Now Is the Time to Prepare for GS1 Sunrise 2027
*BarTender 2021’s end of support is an opportunity to modernize your labeling environment while preparing for GS1 Sunrise 2027 and the shift to next-generation 2D barcodes. Learn how BarTender Cloud and Barcode Duplicator can simplify labeling, improve traceability, and help industries like food and beverage, healthcare, and horticulture get ahead of evolving GS1 requirements.*
If your organization is still using BarTender 2021, its approaching end of service is more than a reason to update your labeling software. It’s an opportunity to modernize your labeling environment and start preparing for one of the biggest changes in barcode technology in decades: **GS1 Sunrise 2027**.
Rather than treating these as two separate projects, businesses can use the transition to a modern BarTender environment to improve labeling operations today while building a stronger foundation for tomorrow’s 2D barcode requirements.
## **Why Upgrade from BarTender 2021?**
Labeling is often mission-critical infrastructure. When software reaches end of life, organizations can face increasing challenges around support, compatibility, security, and integration with newer technology.
Upgrading to **BarTender 12.1** helps keep your labeling environment aligned with modern IT standards, including support for SQL Server 2025 and Windows Server 2025.
But modernization goes beyond operating-system compatibility. BarTender 12.1 can help organizations connect teams, locations, data, and printing workflows with greater consistency and control. Improved automation and print-time flexibility can reduce manual intervention, while enhanced Hybrid Labeling combines cloud and on-premises capabilities for organizations operating across multiple facilities or environments.
The result is a labeling infrastructure that can more easily scale and adapt as business and compliance requirements change.
## **Why GS1 Sunrise 2027 Should Be on Your Radar Now**
For more than 50 years, traditional UPC barcodes have been the standard for identifying products at retail. That ecosystem is now evolving.
**GS1 Sunrise 2027** establishes [a milestone for retailers](https://blog.barcodeduplicator.com/gs1-sunrise-2027-what-upc-barcode-changes-mean-for-your-business) to be capable of processing next-generation 2D barcodes at the point of sale. These can include GS1 DataMatrix and QR Codes powered by GS1 standards.
Unlike a traditional UPC that primarily identifies a product, next-generation barcodes can support much richer data. Depending on the application, that can include information such as lot or batch numbers, expiration dates, serial numbers, and additional product information.
Traditional 1D barcodes aren't simply disappearing in 2027. But businesses should use the time before the transition to evaluate their printers, scanners, software, label designs, data, and workflows.
##  **Certain Industries Have Even More Reason to Prepare for GS1**
For industries such as food and beverage, horticulture, manufacturing, and healthcare (medical devices, drugs, etc.) GS1's evolution toward richer 2D barcodes can have significant operational benefits.
Imagine a barcode that doesn't just tell a system what the product is, but can also communicate information about its batch or lot and expiration date. That additional data can help manufacturers, distributors, grocers, restaurants, and other businesses improve **traceability, inventory management, expiration management, recall readiness, and supply-chain visibility**.
Better data at the product level can also help businesses respond more quickly when a recall occurs. Instead of treating every unit of a particular product the same, richer identification data can help organizations determine which specific lots or batches may be affected.
For companies managing perishable products, complex distribution networks, and increasingly demanding traceability requirements, that's a compelling reason to start planning now.
## **BarTender Cloud + Barcode Duplicator: Simplifying the Transition**
Preparing for GS1 doesn't have to mean making labeling more complicated.
Combining **BarTender Cloud with Barcode Duplicator** can provide a flexible approach to creating, managing, and printing labels across your organization.
BarTender Cloud can help centralize label templates and data while making labeling resources available across locations. Barcode Duplicator extends that flexibility to the point of printing, allowing users to quickly scan and print additional barcode labels without requiring a dedicated PC—the scanner and printer do the work.
Together, these capabilities can help organizations:
- Centralize and standardize label templates across locations
- Reduce manual data entry and labeling errors
- Simplify barcode printing for frontline teams
- Support distributed and mobile labeling workflows
- Adapt labeling processes as GS1 standards evolve
- Prepare for increased use of next-generation 2D barcodes
The goal isn't simply to become "GS1 compliant." It's to create a labeling environment capable of adapting as your customers, trading partners, retailers, and industry requirements evolve.
## **Why Your Printing Equipment Matters**
GS1 Sunrise 2027 may sound like a future deadline, but upgrading software, validating hardware, updating label templates, integrating data, and testing new barcode workflows takes time.
The approaching end of life of BarTender 2021 creates a natural opportunity to address both challenges at once.
By modernizing your BarTender environment now, you can improve today's labeling operations while putting the technology and processes in place to support tomorrow's barcode requirements.
[WATCH THE BARCODE BROS PODCAST ON GS1:](http://youtube.com/watch?v=tv06dvXB6JQ&feature=youtu.be)
## **We Can Help You Prepare for GS1**
Still wondering what GS1 Sunrise 2027 actually means for your business?
Tune in to the [Barcode Bros Podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv06dvXB6JQ) for a practical discussion about GS1 compliance, the evolution from traditional 1D barcodes to next-generation 2D barcodes, and what organizations should be doing now to prepare.
Whether you're responsible for labeling, manufacturing, warehousing, food and beverage, retail, or supply-chain operations, understanding these changes now can help you avoid a last-minute scramble later.
Ready to modernize your labeling environment? [Contact Barcode Duplicator](https://www.barcodeduplicator.com/contact) to talk with a labeling expert about upgrading BarTender, evaluating your barcode infrastructure, and preparing for GS1 Sunrise 2027.
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