Sample ISBN Barcode Images

There are two kinds of book barcodes. Almost everyone needs the first one; it’s what we send automatically when you order.

Standard Barcode

This is the usual choice, and the one you’ll receive unless you ask for something else. It encodes your ISBN and nothing more.

• No price is built in. The retailer types your recommended price into their own system when they first scan the book.
• Change your price and the barcode still works. Nothing needs reprinting; the shop just amends the price in their system.
• Supplied at 38mm wide × 29mm high, and emailed to you automatically as soon as you order.

The technical name for this is an EAN-13 barcode, if your printer or designer asks.

Barcode with a price point

Some publishers and booksellers prefer a barcode with a five-digit add-on at the end encoding the retail price. Most self-publishers don’t need one, so check whether yours has actually asked for it.

It’s most useful if you’re selling into a specific overseas market: the add-on carries a currency as well as a price, so a US or Australian edition can carry the price its retailers expect to scan.

The price is built into the barcode. If you change your price, you’ll need a new barcode.

• One currency per barcode. Selling the same book at a set price in two markets means two barcodes.
• Supplied at 48mm wide × 29mm high.
• These are manually created, so allow 12–24 hours, Monday to Friday, rather than the instant delivery of a standard barcode.

To order one: put your retail price and currency in the “additional information” box at checkout. The format supports pounds, US dollars, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, and New Zealand dollars (those five and no others), so if you’re pricing in euros or anything else, use a standard barcode and let the retailer enter the price.

 

Putting the barcode on your cover

Place it in the bottom-right corner of the back cover, at least 30mm wide × 20mm high, and resize proportionally. The white margins on either side and the number printed below the bars are both part of the barcode, so cropping or stretching can prevent it from scanning. Full instructions on using your ISBN.

Need a barcode? It’s included in membership for printed books, or you can order an image on its own if you already have an ISBN. Book already printed? Self-adhesive labels save a reprint.