Free ISBN barcode generator with price add-on
Enter your ISBN and Codeshed draws the barcode for your book cover: the 13-digit book barcode (it starts 978 or 979), with an optional 5-digit price add-on beside it. Download SVG or PDF for your cover designer, free and with no account.
Where the ISBN comes from
An ISBN is issued by your country's ISBN agency, not by GS1 and not by a barcode generator. In the UK that is the UK ISBN Agency run by Nielsen; in the US it is Bowker; most countries have a national agency, listed by the International ISBN Agency. Some self-publishing platforms also give you a free ISBN that can only be used with their edition. Once you have the number, making the barcode is the easy part.
What Codeshed does with it
- ISBN-10 or ISBN-13: an old 10-digit ISBN is converted to its 13-digit form (978 plus the first nine digits, with a new check digit).
- Check digit: a 13-digit ISBN is checked, so a typing mistake shows up before it goes to print.
- Price add-on (optional): five digits printed to the right of the main barcode. In the common US convention the first digit is the currency (5 for US dollars) and the rest is the price, so 51299 means $12.99. Use 90000 if you do not want to print a price.
- The 13 digits are printed under the bars. Covers usually also show the ISBN as text above the barcode (for example ISBN 978-1-86197-876-9); your designer adds that line in the cover layout.
Getting it onto the cover
- Give your designer the SVG or PDF: both stay sharp at any size. Place the barcode on the back cover, usually near the bottom, on a white box.
- Keep the bars black on white and do not stretch them. Shrinking much below the standard size makes some shop scanners struggle, so test a print.
- Different editions (hardback, paperback, ebook) each have their own ISBN, so each printed edition needs its own barcode.
How to make one
- Open the book barcode in the studio.
- Type your ISBN, and the price add-on if you want one.
- Download SVG or PDF and send it with your cover files.
The barcode is made in your browser and is free to use on books you sell.
Read next
- EPC QR code generator (GiroCode) for SEPA bank transfers
Make a free EPC QR code for SEPA bank transfers: name, IBAN, amount and payment note in one scan. Made in your browser, nothing sent, never expires.
- Free EAN-13 barcode generator (and UPC-A)
Make EAN-13 product barcodes for free, with the check digit added for you. SVG and print-ready PDF, commercial use allowed, plus what GS1 numbers are.
- Free Google review QR code generator
Make a free QR code that opens your Google review form. Paste your review link or Place ID, add a “Leave a review” label and print it.
- Bulk QR code and barcode generator: coming soon
Codeshed’s batch maker for up to 1,000 QR codes or barcodes from a list, a spreadsheet or running numbers comes with Codeshed Plus, the app subscription.
Codeshed is a trading name of Third Coffee Studio Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 17517422.