ISBN barcodes for books

ISBN barcodes: what they are and how to make one for your book

By Marko Markovic, prepress specialist · Updated 10 October 2026 · 6 min read

The barcode is your ISBN, nothing more

Since 2007 every ISBN has 13 digits and starts with 978 or 979. That was not an accident: the 13-digit ISBN was designed to be a valid EAN-13 number, so the book trade could use the same scanners as every other shop. The 978 and 979 prefixes are reserved for books (people in the trade still call this "Bookland"), so a book needs no separate product number.

So the barcode does not add any information. It does not register your book anywhere, it does not contain your title or price list, and nobody issues it. It is a drawing of your ISBN. Whoever draws it correctly gives you a correct barcode. That is why you never need to buy a barcode from an ISBN agency if you can make it yourself, and why we tell you plainly: we do not sell ISBNs, only turn the one you own into a print-ready file. If you do not have an ISBN yet, read where to get an ISBN.

The parts of an ISBN barcode

• The ISBN line on top. The word ISBN and the number with hyphens. The hyphens split the number into prefix, registration group, registrant (publisher), publication and check digit. They are not encoded in the bars; they are there for people. The US book industry guidelines ask for this line directly above the barcode so a cashier can type it if the scan fails.
• The bars. An EAN-13 symbol as defined in ISO/IEC 15420 and the GS1 General Specifications. Each digit is seven narrow units (modules) wide, built from two bars and two spaces.
• The digits under the bars. The same 13 digits without hyphens. The first digit sits outside the bars on the left.
• The check digit. The last digit is calculated from the other twelve. If you mistype your ISBN, the check digit almost always stops being right, which is how a generator can warn you before you print a wrong number.
• The quiet zones. The empty white space left and right of the bars. A scanner needs it to find where the symbol starts. GS1 sets it at 11 modules on the left and 7 on the right for EAN-13. Nothing may be printed there, not even a frame.
• The price add-on (optional). The small five-digit barcode on the right, the EAN-5. In the US it carries the price, for example 51999 for US$19.99, or 90000 for "no price encoded". The full story is in the EAN-5 price add-on guide.

ISBN or ISBN + price: which one do you need?

90000 is a valid add-on that means "no price here" and does not go out of date when your price changes. For books going into US bookstores, ask your distributor first, since some retailers require a price. What 90000 means.

What makes an ISBN barcode print right

A barcode that is mathematically correct can still fail on paper. Printers and print-on-demand platforms check a few things, and they are the same things a prepress operator checks by hand:

1. Pure black, one ink. C0 M0 Y0 K100, not a black mixed from several inks. Both KDP and IngramSpark ask for it. Why 100% K matters.
2. Sharp bars. Vector is recommended; KDP also accepts raster at 300 PPI. Low-resolution images are what print soft. How to check if a barcode is vector.
3. Dark bars on a light background. Barcodes on dark covers.
4. The right size, 80% to 200% of nominal. Barcode size and magnification.
5. The right place, lower part of the back cover. Where to put the barcode.

How to make an ISBN barcode with Barcode Rocket

1. Open the ISBN barcode generator. Choose ISBN for a plain barcode, or ISBN + price to add the EAN-5.
2. Type your 13-digit ISBN. Hyphens and spaces are fine. The tool checks the length, the 978 or 979 prefix and the check digit, and tells you what is wrong if something is.
3. Look at the preview. It shows exactly the number you typed.
4. Download the PDF. It is a vector file in 100% K black, with the hyphenated ISBN line on top, named after your ISBN so you can find it later.
5. Place it on your back cover in InDesign, Affinity Publisher, Illustrator or any layout program that places PDFs, at 100% size.

If you publish with Amazon KDP or IngramSpark, there are layouts sized for each platform. See barcodes for KDP and IngramSpark. Publishers who want an ISBN barcode with their logo can use a publisher barcode template.

Common mistakes

• Using the ISBN-10. The barcode always uses the 13-digit form. If you only have an old 10-digit ISBN, the 13-digit version is 978 plus the first nine digits plus a new check digit; your agency account shows it.
• Reusing one ISBN for two formats. The ISBN standard (ISO 2108) gives each product form its own number. Your paperback and hardcover each need their own ISBN, and so each gets its own barcode. (An eBook may or may not have an ISBN, depending on the store; KDP makes it optional for Kindle eBooks. It never has a barcode.)
• A barcode with a price that no longer matches. If you put a price in the add-on and later change the list price, the barcode is wrong. KDP says a price code, if present, should match the list price.
• Scaling the barcode to fit a design. Shrinking it below 80% or stretching it only in height or width can stop it scanning. Move it, do not squeeze it.
• Rasterizing the whole cover. KDP specifically says the barcode must not be flattened into the main cover image.