ISBN barcode generator, free and print-ready.
Enter your ISBN-13 (or ISBN-10) and get a print-ready EAN-13 barcode as SVG, PNG or PDF: classic or in the European style with a coloured ISBN band, with your own lines for publisher or price, and an optional price add-on for the US market.
ISBN barcode generator: check digit, size and quiet zone
From ISBN to barcode
The barcode on books is an EAN-13: the same 13 digits as your ISBN-13, only machine-readable. It starts with 978 or 979.
The last digit is a check digit. You get it like this: multiply the first twelve digits alternately by 1 and 3 and add them up. The check digit is the difference to the next full ten. For 978-3-16-148410 the sum is 100, so the check digit is 0.
- ISBN-10: put 978 in front and recalculate the check digit. 3-16-148410-X becomes 978-3-16-148410-0.
- Most typos and swapped digits show up in the check digit. The generator reports an invalid ISBN before anything is printed.
Size and quiet zone of the barcode
The quiet zone is the empty margin beside the bars. If text, a pattern or the trim edge reaches into it, a scanner may fail to read the code.
| Size | Width × height | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 80 % | 1.17 × 0.82 in (29.83 × 20.74 mm) | smallest permitted size |
| 100 % | 1.47 × 1.02 in (37.29 × 25.93 mm) | standard, quiet zones included |
| 200 % | 2.94 × 2.04 in (74.58 × 51.86 mm) | largest permitted size |
EAN-13 dimensions per GS1 General Specifications 5.2: module 0.33 mm, 95 modules, quiet zone 11 modules on the left (3.63 mm) and 7 on the right (2.31 mm). Generator values, as of October 2026.
Barcode area at KDP and for bookstores
| Amazon KDP | Bookstores (print on demand) | |
|---|---|---|
| Without your own barcode | KDP adds one for free in a white box of 2 × 1.2 in (50.8 × 30.5 mm) at the bottom right | A barcode is required; leave at least 1.75 × 1 in (44.5 × 25.4 mm) free |
| Your own barcode | 2 × 1.2 in recommended, at least 1.4 × 0.8 in (35.56 × 20.3 mm) | do not scale the barcode from the template |
| Color | 100 % black on pure white | 100 % black on a white box |
Sources: KDP Help, “Barcodes”, and print specifications for bookstore printing (as of August 2026), retrieved October 2026.
Common ISBN barcode mistakes
- Using the ISBN of another edition, for example the paperback's on the hardcover.
- Placing the KDP barcode closer than 0.25 in (6.3 mm) to the spine or the trim line.
- Squeezing the barcode in width or shrinking it below 80 %.
- Colored or light bars: scanners read with red light, so such bars are invisible to them.
- Putting a pattern or an image behind the barcode, or cutting into the white box.
- Using a low-resolution bitmap instead of SVG or PDF. As a bitmap, KDP asks for 300 ppi.
- Not scanning the proof copy before the whole print run is ordered.
Next step: the cover
How large the cover will be and where the barcode sits is shown by the KDP cover calculator. For a sample or bonus material next to it, use the QR code generator.
How to use it
- Pick a preset European book with colour band, classic GS1, US/UK with price, or publisher and price.
- Enter your ISBN ISBN-13 or ISBN-10. The check digit is verified, an ISBN-10 is converted to ISBN-13.
- Adjust and download Choose style, colour, font and your own lines, download SVG, PNG or PDF and scan the proof copy.
At a glance
- At 100 % size an EAN-13 barcode is 37.29 mm wide and 25.93 mm high, quiet zones included (GS1).
- Every ISBN-13 starts with 978 or 979 and ends with a check digit.
- The EAN-5 price add-on is used in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. In the EU the price is printed as text.
How it is calculated
- An ISBN-13 is printed as an EAN-13 barcode. The last digit is a check digit, which the generator verifies.
- An ISBN-10 is converted by putting 978 in front and recalculating the check digit.
- The 5-digit add-on encodes the price for US retail: 5 for US dollars, then the price (51995 = $19.95); 90000 means no price.
- In the band style the “ISBN …” line sits in a coloured band above the bars. The bars and the white quiet zones stay unchanged, so scanners read the code as usual; our tests decode every style with a scanner library.
Questions
Do I need a barcode for KDP?
No. If you leave the space empty, KDP adds a barcode itself. You need your own for other printers or if you place it yourself.
Is the barcode valid with a free KDP ISBN?
Yes, a barcode is just your ISBN in machine-readable form. It does not matter where the ISBN comes from.
How big should it be?
At 100 % it is 37.29 × 25.93 mm; GS1 allows 80 % to 200 %. Do not squeeze it horizontally, and scan the proof.
What is the colour band style?
A modern look for the back cover: the ISBN line sits light on a coloured band above the bars. Only the band is coloured; bars and quiet zones stay black on white, which is what scanners need.
Do I need the 5-digit price add-on?
Only for retail in the US, the UK, Canada or Australia, where the price is often encoded in an EAN-5 add-on (51995 = $19.95, 90000 = no price). In Germany, Austria, Italy and the rest of the EU the price is printed as text, for example “14,99 € (D)”. Put it in the line below the barcode.
Can the bars be coloured?
No. Scanners read with red light, so red or light bars become invisible to them. The generator keeps the bars 100 % black; colour goes into the band and your text lines.
Can I make a barcode from an ISBN-10?
Yes. The generator puts 978 in front, recalculates the check digit and prints the barcode from the ISBN-13. 3-16-148410-X becomes 978-3-16-148410-0.
Do paperback and hardcover share one ISBN?
No. Every edition has its own ISBN, and the barcode must carry the ISBN of exactly that edition. For paperback and hardcover you create two barcodes.