Free ISBN barcode generator.

A free ISBN barcode generator for your book

This tool turns an ISBN you already own into an EAN-13 barcode, the black-and-white symbol that goes on the back cover of a book. There is no account to create, nothing to install, and no watermark on what you get.

What the free version gives you

A real barcode, drawn at three inches wide, shown on this page the moment you press the button. It is the genuine symbol with the human-readable digits, not a sample or a preview with something held back. For a great many writers that is the whole job done.

What the $10 package adds

Three things that matter once a book goes to a real printer. Vector artwork — EPS and PDF, which have no resolution at all and stay razor sharp at any size on any press; this is the format a professional printer or cover designer will ask you for. Every printed width from 2 to 8 inches as PNG and JPG, each tagged with its own resolution so it places at exactly that width. And the options — the five-digit price block, a caption line under the bars, a choice of six fonts for the digits, and the guard marks that tell a printer how much clear space to leave. Plus a fourth that is easy to overlook until you need it: for a year afterwards you can rebuild the set or recover it free, as many times as you like. Every file in the package is laid out here, with each option and font shown on its own, so you can open it in your own software before you spend anything.

Lose the files and you never pay us again

Buy the package once and the order stays open for a year. If the ZIP goes missing in a mail clear-out, or the designer who had it moves on, the link in your receipt rebuilds the whole set on the spot — no second payment, no support ticket, no account to log back into.

The same link changes the order. Wrong price in the add-on block, a typo in the caption, or a printer who wants the guard marks after all: adjust it and we redraw every file and email them again, free. The ISBN itself is fixed, because an order covers one book — if that is what is wrong, tell us and we will fix it by hand.

We can promise this because of how it is stored. We keep the few dozen bytes that describe your barcode, not a pile of image files, and redraw it on demand in about a second. Recovery costs us almost nothing, so it costs you nothing.

Why size matters more than people expect

The most common reason a book barcode fails at the till is that somebody stretched or shrank it after exporting. Pick the file that already matches the width you want and place it at 100%. Most back covers land somewhere between 1.75 and 2.5 inches. If you have the vector files you can stop worrying about this entirely.

What the numbers mean

The thirteen digits start with 978 or 979, and the tool draws them as an EAN-13 barcode, the same symbol used on nearly every book sold in a shop. The smaller barcode to the right holds the five-digit price add-on: enter the price as five digits with no decimal, so $18.95 becomes 01895, or enter 90000 to say there is no price encoded.

Frequently asked questions

Is the free barcode really free?

Yes. No sign-up, no account, no watermark, and it is the real scannable symbol. You choose a column before the button works, and choosing the free one costs nothing.

What exactly is in the $10 package?

A single ZIP containing vector EPS and PDF, a PNG at 600 dpi and a JPG at 300 dpi for each of the seven widths from 2 to 8 inches, a placement guide, and a plain-text README. Your price block, caption line, font and guard marks are baked into every file. You download it the moment the payment clears and it is emailed to you as well, so it is in two places from the start. Free rebuilds and free recovery for a year come with it. See the whole package, file by file, including a downloadable example ZIP.

Which fonts can I choose?

Six: Helvetica (the default), OCR-B, Times, Palatino, Bookman and Courier. The font is used for the ISBN line, the digits under the bars and the caption line; the bars themselves never change, and every choice scans identically. OCR-B is the typeface the EAN standard names for barcode digits. You pick the font before paying and see it in the preview, and you can change it later with a free rebuild. All six side by side.

Can I get a refund?

Not after delivery. The package is generated for your ISBN and handed over the moment PayPal confirms, so it cannot be returned, and it is a complete working product for anyone who has it. That is why we show you every file in the package before you buy, and why you click a statement accepting this before the PayPal button will work. In place of refunds you get free rebuilds and free recovery for a year, and a fix by hand if the ISBN itself was mistyped.

What if I lose the files?

Use the link in your receipt and we rebuild them, free, for a year from the day you ordered. There is no recovery fee and no second purchase. Keep the email and you are covered.

Can I change the price or the caption later?

Yes, free, from the same link. Change the price add-on, the caption line, the guard marks or the barcode style and we redraw every file and email the new set. The ISBN is fixed — an order covers one book — so if the number itself is wrong, contact us and we will correct it.

Where do I get an ISBN?

This tool does not assign ISBNs. You enter one you already own, and it draws the barcode. In the United States, ISBNs come from Bowker at myidentifiers.com; other countries have their own national agency.

Why should I care about vector files?

A vector file stores the bars as shapes rather than pixels, so it is exact at any size — a postage stamp or a shop window. Printers ask for EPS or PDF because it removes every question about resolution. If you are working with a designer, send them the vector.

What are the guard marks?

The small “>” marks at the edge of the symbol. They show where the barcode's clear space ends, so nobody crowds artwork against it on press. Trade printers like to see them.

Will this work for Amazon KDP?

KDP adds its own barcode to print books automatically, so you do not need to supply one there. You do need a barcode for most other printers and for selling through bookstores and the wider book trade.

Publishing a poetry or short-prose book and want it printed well? Prolific Press offers a chapbook printing service that handles layout, cover, and binding for you. Not sure you need an ISBN at all? Read Do You Need an ISBN for a Chapbook?, or see our other guides for chapbook writers.