ISBN Barcode Generator
Convert your ISBN into the barcode for your book's back cover, with or without a price. Download it free as SVG, PDF, PNG or JPG, already at the standard print size. No signup needed.
Generate Your Barcode
Enter the price as it appears on the book
Don't have an ISBN yet?
You need an ISBN before you can generate a barcode. Our fast, affordable service starts at $19 per ISBN and gets your book retail-ready in minutes.Get yours here
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on where you sell. US bookstores expect the price add-on, and Barnes & Noble requires the real price before its stores stock a book. In the UK, books usually have no price in the barcode.
It's the add-on code for "no price in the barcode". Use it when your price isn't set yet or you don't want it encoded.
SVG or PDF for print and design apps, since they're vector and stay sharp at any size. PNG or JPG for apps that only take images.
Book barcodes use ISBN-13. Convert an ISBN-10 first with our free ISBN converter, then generate the barcode.
Yes, free for any book you sell. The barcodes follow the GS1 barcode standard and the BISG price rules.
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How an ISBN barcode works
The barcode on a book is an EAN-13, the same barcode standard used on retail products worldwide. Its 13 digits are your ISBN-13, so a scanner reads your ISBN straight from the bars.
Many books also carry a smaller 5-digit barcode to the right, the price add-on. The first digit is the currency and the other four are the price: 51999 means US$19.99. US prices from $100 to $499.99 use all five digits, so 25000 is $250.00. 90000 means no price is encoded.
With or without a price?
| Where your book sells | What to choose |
|---|---|
| US bookstores | With price add-on, using your US price. Barnes & Noble requires it, with the price also printed on the cover, before its stores stock a book. |
| US, price not set yet | With price add-on, then check No price yet |
| Canada | Follow the US advice. A Canadian dollar add-on exists but isn't widely used, so check with your retailers before choosing it. |
| United Kingdom | ISBN only. UK tills look the price up by ISBN, so a price in the barcode is only for books sold into the US. |
| Australia | ISBN only, or No price yet. There is no Australian dollar code. |
| Online only | Either works. Choose the add-on if the book may reach US stores later. |
Do you need this generator?
If you print through Amazon KDP, KDP adds a barcode to your paperback or hardcover cover for free when it doesn't have one. Keep the lower right corner of the back cover clear, because KDP rejects covers with text or images there. IngramSpark's cover template generator also includes a free barcode. If those are your only printers, you may not need this tool.
You do need it when:
- you design the full cover yourself and want to place the barcode exactly
- you print with a local or offset printer
- your printer or distributor asks for the barcode in the cover file
Bowker, the US ISBN agency, sells barcodes for $25 each. This generator makes a standard EAN-13 barcode for free.
How to print your barcode
- Size: The files come at the standard size: 38.6 × 30.2 mm (1.5 × 1.2 in), or 57.1 mm (2.25 in) wide with a price. You can scale them between 80% and 200%. Below 80%, scanners may struggle.
- Scale evenly: Never stretch or squash the barcode in one direction, because that changes the bar widths.
- Keep the white space: The files include the blank margin scanners need on both sides. Don't crop it or let artwork run into it.
- Black on white: Keep the bars black on a white box, even on a dark cover. Never print the bars red, orange, pink or yellow: scanners read with red light, so to them those colors look white.
- Placement: On the back cover, usually in the lower right corner (next to the spine on a full-wrap cover), at least 1/4 inch (6 mm) from the spine and the trim.
- Format: Use SVG or PDF for InDesign, Illustrator, Affinity and most printers. PNG and JPG are for apps that don't take vector files; they're high resolution (616 dpi at full size).