ISBN Barcode Generator

How to use the ISBN barcode generator

1. Enter your ISBN. You need to own it already: the tool turns it into a barcode, but doesn't create or register ISBNs. An ISBN-10 is converted to its ISBN-13 first.
2. Choose a price add-on, the small barcode beside the main one. Leave it off, use 90000 for "no price", or encode a US price.
3. Set the size and background. 100% is the standard size; stay between 80% and 200%.
4. Download an SVG for design software, or a 300 dpi PNG.

What an ISBN barcode is

The barcode on the back of a book is an EAN-13 code: the same 13 digits as the ISBN-13, drawn as bars a scanner can read. It isn't an ISBN itself, and making a barcode doesn't register anything. The ISBN comes from your country's ISBN agency (Bowker in the US).

A book barcode usually has three parts:

• "ISBN" and the number printed above the bars.
• The main barcode, with the digits printed underneath.
• An optional 5-digit price add-on on the right. In the US, it starts with 5 for prices under $100 (51995 means $19.95), and 90000 means no price is encoded.

How to place it on your back cover

• Bottom right of the back cover is the usual spot. On a KDP paperback, keep it in the 2 x 1.2 in area at least 0.25 in from the spine and the trim. KDP adds its own barcode there if your cover doesn't have one.
• Keep it 100% black on a solid white box, with the white space either side of the bars. Scanners need the contrast.
• Don't squash or stretch it, and keep it between 80% and 200% of the standard size.
• Use vector (SVG) where you can, or a PNG at 300 dpi or more, placed at 100% in your layout.

For the full cover layout, the KDP cover template generator marks the barcode area for your book. To convert between ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 first, use the ISBN converter.