Getting a barcode
I have my ISBNs. Where can I get the barcodes for free?
You can make them yourself at no cost: a book barcode is just your ISBN drawn as an EAN-13, and anyone may draw it. Barcode Rocket turns an ISBN into a print-ready vector PDF in 100% K black, free for up to 20 new barcodes a day.
Do I have to buy a barcode for my ISBN?
No. You buy (or are given) the ISBN; the barcode is that number drawn as bars, and you can make it yourself at no cost as long as it is drawn correctly. Some ISBN agencies and resellers offer barcodes for a fee, which is optional.
My designer asked me for the barcode. What do I send?
Send a vector PDF of the barcode, made from your ISBN (and price, if you want one), in 100% K black. Your designer places it on the back cover at 100% size, on a white box. If you prefer, send your designer just the ISBN and the price and let them make the file.
I am a designer. Can I make barcodes for my clients' books?
Yes. The free tool is for authors, designers and freelancers, including your clients' books. Barcodes you made are saved in your history and can be downloaded again for free.
Can I get the barcode without an ISBN?
Not for a book. A book barcode encodes the ISBN, so you need the ISBN first. You get it from the ISBN agency of the country where you, the publisher, are based.
Where do I get an ISBN?
From the official ISBN agency of your country: Bowker in the US, NielsenIQ BookData in the UK and Ireland, Library and Archives Canada (free for eligible Canadian publishers), Thorpe-Bowker in Australia. The International ISBN Agency lists every other country.
Is a barcode from a free generator good enough for print?
It depends on the file, not on the price. A print-ready barcode is vector, in one ink (100% K), at 80% to 200% of nominal size, with empty quiet zones, on white. Check that the file is vector and in CMYK black, not an RGB image, which printers may reject.
Can Claude make my barcode?
Yes. Add Barcode Rocket as a connector in Claude and ask for your book's barcode; Claude checks the ISBN and gives you a download link to the print-ready PDF.
Amazon KDP and IngramSpark
Do I need my own barcode on a KDP paperback?
No. If you leave the area empty, KDP places a barcode for you in a 2 x 1.2 in white box in the lower right of the back cover. Use your own when you want control over it, for example a price code or one cover for several printers.
What size should the barcode be for KDP?
KDP suggests 2 x 1.2 in (50.8 x 30.5 mm) and accepts down to 1.4 x 0.8 in, 100% black on white, at least 0.25 in from the spine and the trim.
What does IngramSpark need?
Black only (0/0/0/100) on white, about 1.75 x 1 in, vector or a high-quality raster. Its cover template already includes a barcode you can move but should not resize.
Can I use the same cover and barcode for KDP and IngramSpark?
Yes, if the ISBN is yours (not a free KDP ISBN) and the barcode meets both: black only on white, in the lower part of the back cover. Mind the sizes: KDP's box is 2 x 1.2 in, IngramSpark recommends 1.75 x 1 in.
Can I use KDP's free ISBN with IngramSpark or another printer?
No. A free KDP ISBN can only be used for distribution through KDP. To print the same book elsewhere, you need your own ISBN.
Why is there no price in my IngramSpark barcode?
The IngramSpark type is a plain ISBN barcode so it fits IngramSpark's 1.75 x 1 in area. A barcode with a price add-on is wider. If you need the price on IngramSpark, use ISBN + price and check the width, or use IngramSpark's own template barcode.
The price code (EAN-5)
What is the small second barcode next to the ISBN?
The EAN-5 price add-on. Under the US book industry rules it carries the US price: 51999 is US$19.99, 12999 is US$129.99, and 90000 means no price.
Should I put my price in the barcode?
Only if the price will not change. 90000 (no price) keeps the barcode correct when the price changes or the book is sold in several currencies. Some retailers want a price, so check with yours.
What does 90000 mean?
No price is encoded. It fills the price add-on without committing to a price.
How do I encode a price in pounds or Canadian dollars?
GBP starts with 0 and CAD with 6, followed by the price: £9.99 is 00999. Euro prices are not encoded, so use 90000.
Placing it on the cover
Where does the barcode go on the cover?
At the bottom of the back cover, usually lower right, on solid white, upright, at least 0.25 in from the spine and the trim. Place the file at 100% and do not stretch it.
My cover is dark. Can the barcode be white on black?
No. Put black bars on a white box. Scanners need dark bars on a light background, and a reversed barcode does not scan.
Can I make the barcode smaller to fit my design?
Only down to 80% of nominal size, and only proportionally. Never stretch it in one direction, never cut the quiet zones on the sides.
PDF, EPS or PNG: which file do I need?
A vector PDF is the safest: it stays sharp at any size and keeps 100% K black. KDP also accepts a 300 PPI image, but a vector file avoids blurry or rich black bars.
How do I put the barcode into InDesign, Affinity or Canva?
Place the PDF as a graphic at 100%, on a white box at the bottom of the back cover, and export the cover without converting colors so the bars stay 100% K.
Checking before print
How do I check my barcode is print-ready?
Zoom in: vector bars stay sharp. In Acrobat Pro, Output Preview, show only the Black plate: the barcode must be complete there. Then scan it with a phone app to check the number.
My printer rejected the barcode. Why?
Usually it is a black mixed from several inks (rich black), an RGB image, a barcode stretched or below 80%, or bars on a colored background. Make it again as 100% K vector and place it at 100% on white.
Formats and editions
Do I need a new barcode for the hardcover?
Yes. Each format (paperback, hardcover, large print) has its own ISBN, so each has its own barcode.
Does my ebook need a barcode?
No. An ebook has no printed cover to scan, so it does not carry a barcode, even when it has an ISBN.
Do books use UPC barcodes?
No. Books use the ISBN as an EAN-13 (Bookland EAN). A UPC is only for book-related products that are not books, and only when a retailer asks.
Products other than books
Can I make a UPC or EAN barcode for a product?
Yes, from a number you own. Product numbers (GTINs) come from GS1 in your country; we do not sell numbers. Type your 12-digit UPC or 13-digit EAN and download the vector PDF.
Can I make a barcode for shipping cartons?
Yes. Choose GS1-128 for logistics labels on shipping cartons: it carries your GTIN-14 with the application identifier (01). It needs a free account.
Volume
I have a series or many titles. Is there a faster way?
With a free account on barcoderocket.com you can make a list of up to 50 barcodes at once, as a ZIP of separate PDFs. Publishers with many titles can use the publisher API.
Can we get an ISBN barcode with our logo?
Yes, as a custom template for publishers: your logo, the ISBN barcode, the price add-on and a QR code in one print-ready vector PDF, the same layout for every title. Send us your logo and the space you have and we set it up.
What are the free limits?
20 new barcodes a day, one at a time; on barcoderocket.com this works without an account, while in an AI assistant the PDF needs a free account. Downloading a barcode you already made is always free. With a free account: lists of up to 50 at once, 50 new a week in lists.