Free ISBN barcode generator
Type your book’s ISBN: the EAN-13 barcode for the back cover appears at once, at the standard size, ready to download.
The generator draws the barcode in your browser and needs JavaScript to do so. Turn it on to use the tool; you can read the rest of the page without JavaScript.
Hyphens from the ranges of the International ISBN Agency, read from its site.
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The PDF is vector, in 100 % black (C0 M0 Y0 K100): it is the one for the printer. The SVG goes into InDesign, Affinity or Illustrator; the PNG into Canva or Word. In all three the text is drawn: no font is needed.
The files are offered once the ISBN is valid and written with its hyphens.
How an ISBN barcode reads
ISBN 978-2-07-036822-8, as this generator draws it. Each number points to a part of the line above the bars.
- 978: The GS1 prefix: 978 or 979 for a book.
- 2: The registration group: a country, a region or a language area.
- 07: The publisher: the more titles it plans to publish, the shorter its number.
- 036822: The title: the particular edition of the book from that publisher.
- 8: The check digit, worked out from the twelve digits before it.
Before you start: getting an ISBN
This generator does not give you an ISBN: it draws the barcode of an ISBN you already have. An ISBN comes from the agency of the country where the publisher is established.
- In France, from AFNIL: €37 excl. VAT for a first request, with a standard processing time of three weeks.
- In Belgium, from AFNIL for publishers in Wallonia and Brussels, or from Meta4books for those in Flanders and Brussels.
- In Switzerland, from the Swiss ISBN agency, whose details the International ISBN Agency gives.
Size and margins
The standard size is GS1’s 100 %; it can be reduced to 80 % or enlarged to 200 %. Keep the bars at their full height: GS1 accepts a truncated barcode, with shortened bars, only when a full-size one cannot be printed, because it scans less well. An empty area must remain on each side of the bars: 11 modules on the left and 7 on the right. A module is the width of the narrowest bar. The generator includes these margins, with the “>” mark.
| Size | Module (X) | Symbol, with margins and digits |
|---|---|---|
| GS1, 80 % (minimum) | 0.264 mm | 29.83 × 20.74 mm |
| GS1, 100 % (standard) | 0.330 mm | 37.29 × 25.93 mm |
| GS1, 200 % (maximum) | 0.660 mm | 74.58 × 51.86 mm |
The “ISBN 978-…” line goes above the symbol, at 9 points or more.
Where to put it on the back cover
- At the lower right of the back cover, near the spine, as the ISBN Users’ Manual and GS1 ask.
- At least 8 mm from the nearest edge, where possible: GS1’s rule, and the tool’s preview keeps 8 mm from the bottom and the spine.
- With nothing over it: no picture or text on the bars or in their light margins.
The price: why not in the barcode in France
France’s law of 10 August 1981, the loi Lang, requires the publisher to set the retail price of each book and make it known to the public; a decree sets how it appears on the book.
That price does not go into the barcode: the ISBN Users’ Manual keeps the five-digit price add-on for books sold in the United States and Canada, and asks that it not carry a price elsewhere. Print it as text, under the barcode: the generator can add it.
Check before printing
- Scan the barcode, printed or on screen, with a scanner or a reader app: it must give back the 13 digits of the ISBN. To measure its quality, GS1 refers to ISO/IEC 15416.
- Choose black bars on a white background for the best contrast according to GS1. Other colours are possible if the contrast remains sufficient; check with your printer.
- Choose its size in the generator, and do not enlarge or reduce it afterwards in your software: GS1 lists a rescaled image among the causes of a barcode that scans badly.
Frequently asked questions
Does a book have to carry a barcode?
In France, the ISBN must appear on the book, but a barcode is not mandatory. For a book sold in bookshops, a barcode is nevertheless needed in practice: tills read the ISBN from its EAN-13 barcode, and GS1 specifies that the barcode should appear on the book’s cover for scanning at the till.
Does this generator give me an ISBN?
No: it draws the barcode of an ISBN already assigned; in France, an ISBN comes from AFNIL, €37 excl. VAT for a first request at the standard rate.
SourceAFNIL, prices
Do I have to buy the barcode from AFNIL?
No: AFNIL sells it for €9 excl. VAT, and this generator draws the same EAN-13 symbol from the same ISBN, free.
SourceAFNIL, prices
How big should the barcode be?
At the standard size the symbol measures 37.29 × 25.93 mm with its margins and digits; GS1 allows 80 % to 200 % of that size.
Where does the barcode go on the back cover?
At the lower right, near the spine, and at least 8 mm from the nearest edge where possible.
Should the price be in the barcode?
Not in France: the five-digit price add-on is kept for books sold in the United States and Canada, and the price is printed as text.
Does an e-book need a barcode?
No: the barcode is for the printed book, at the till. An e-book has its own ISBN, separate from the printed edition’s.
Having this book printed?
IN TEMPO finds the printer that suits your book, in France or elsewhere in Europe, and follows it from the file to the delivered book. A person answers.
Get in touch →
How it works
SourceGS1 General Specifications, Release 26.0, Table 5-44 ↗