ISBN Barcode Generator

How to Use the ISBN Barcode Generator

1. 1. Enter the ISBN. Type it as it appears on the copyright page, hyphens included, so they can be printed above the bars. An ISBN-10 is converted to its 978- form, because book barcodes always carry the thirteen-digit number.
2. 2. Choose a price add-on. None, a US dollar price, 90000 for no suggested price, or any other five-digit code your distributor gives you.
3. 3. Check the barcode. It redraws as you type. A wrong check digit or an impossible add-on is explained in plain words instead of being drawn.
4. 4. Download. Take the SVG for print — it is vector and sized for 100% — or the PNG for screens and documents.

How an ISBN Becomes Bars

A book barcode is an EAN-13 symbol whose thirteen digits are the ISBN-13. It is 95 modules wide — a module being the width of the thinnest bar — with light margins on both sides:

• Guard bars — 101 at each end and 01010 in the centre — frame the two halves and run down into the line of digits.
• The six left-hand digits each take seven modules, two bars and two spaces, drawn from set L or set G.
• The six right-hand digits all use set R, which swaps the bars and spaces of set L. The change of parity between the halves tells a scanner which way round it is reading.
• The first digit has no bars of its own. It is encoded by which left-hand digits use set G. Every ISBN starts with 9, which selects the pattern LGGLGL.

The Price Add-On

The small barcode to the right of the main one is an EAN-5 add-on: five more digits that the book trade uses for a suggested retail price. The first digit names the currency and the next four give the price. 5 means US dollars, so 51299 is $12.99; 90000 means no suggested price; and 59999 marks a price of $100 or more. Other first digits have been used for other currencies — 6 for Canadian dollars, 0 and 1 for pounds sterling — but practice varies by market, so use the code your distributor asks for.

The add-on's bars follow a checksum that is never printed: 3 × (first + third + fifth digit) + 9 × (second + fourth), and its last digit selects one of ten L/G patterns. For 51299 that is 3 × (5 + 2 + 9) + 9 × (1 + 9) = 138, which ends in 8, so the five digits use LGLLG.

Printing It

• Size. At 100%, with the standard 0.33 mm module, the barcode is 37.29 mm wide including its light margins, or 55.11 mm with a price add-on. GS1 allows 80% to 200%; stay inside that range and scale both directions together.
• Margins. Keep the white space beside the bars — 11 modules to the left of the main symbol and 7 to its right — free of artwork and trim.
• Colour. Print black bars on a white or light background. Red, orange and yellow bars are invisible to the red light most scanners use.
• File. Use the SVG for print; it is vector and already sized for 100%. The PNG is drawn at eight pixels per module, for screens, slides and documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a barcode for my ISBN?

Type the ISBN above. The generator checks it, converts an ISBN-10 to the 978- form, and draws the EAN-13 barcode with the digits below and ISBN 978-… above. Add a price add-on if your market expects one, then download the SVG for print.

Is an ISBN barcode the same as an EAN-13 barcode?

Yes. Since 2007 a book's ISBN-13 and its EAN-13 article number are the same thirteen digits, so its barcode is an ordinary EAN-13 symbol. The human-readable ISBN printed above the bars is the convention that marks it as an ISBN.

What do the five extra digits on a book barcode mean?

They are an EAN-5 add-on, usually the suggested retail price. The first digit is the currency — 5 for US dollars — and the other four are the price, so 54495 means $44.95. 90000 means there is no suggested price.

Do I need a price add-on?

Only if your market or retailer expects one. Trade booksellers in the United States traditionally use it, with 90000 when there is no set price; many other markets print the plain EAN-13. Ask your distributor.

Why are there no hyphens in the ISBN above the barcode?

Hyphen positions depend on the registration group and publisher prefix, which the generator does not look up. Type the ISBN with its hyphens exactly as on your copyright page and they are printed as you typed them.

Can I use the barcode on a printed book?

Yes — the SVG is a standard vector file sized for 100% print. Before a large print run, test the printed barcode with a scanner or ask your printer to verify it, especially if you resize it or print the bars in a colour other than black.