Barcodes

Pubblish generates print-ready ISBN barcodes for your book covers, including the optional price extension that retailers use. You can download a barcode as SVG (vector, for print) or PNG (raster).

The ISBN Barcode

The barcode on the back of a book is an EAN-13 barcode. It encodes the book’s 13-digit ISBN so retailers and distributors can scan and identify your book. Every edition with a different ISBN needs its own barcode.

The Price Extension

Most book barcodes include a smaller 5-digit price extension to the right of the main barcode. It encodes the suggested retail price.

The price extension is advisory. It tells the retailer what the publisher suggests, but point-of-sale systems use their own price database. It is not required, but physical retailers expect it.

How the Price Extension Works

The 5-digit code is [Currency digit][Price in cents, 4 digits]:

Supported Currencies

Only five currencies have defined prefix digits:

Digits 2, 7 and 8 are undefined. There is no prefix for the Euro, Yen or any other currency. If your currency is not listed above, use 90000 (no price).

Price Limits

The standard format supports prices up to $99.99, or the equivalent in other currencies. The first digit is the currency prefix. That leaves four digits for the price in cents.

US Dollar exception: The BISG (Book Industry Study Group) extended the range for USD only. For prices from $100.00 to $499.99, drop the currency prefix and use all five digits as the price in cents. For example, 14999 = US $149.99.

This BISG extension is US-only and can be ambiguous. For example, 14999 could mean US $149.99 (BISG) or GBP £49.99 (standard prefix 1).

• Pubblish applies the BISG range for USD automatically when you enter a price over $99.99.
• For USD prices above $499.99, Pubblish generates the barcode without the price extension and shows a message saying so.

The currency dropdown lists every currency in two groups.

• The five currencies in the Price extension available group can carry a price.
• The currencies in the No price extension group (the euro among them) have no barcode prefix. Any price in them produces a bare barcode with a message explaining why.

For GBP, CAD, AUD and NZD, prices above 99.99 cannot be encoded. If you enter a higher price, Pubblish generates the barcode without the price extension and shows a message explaining why. A barcode without the extension is still valid and scannable. To keep an extension on the barcode, do one of these:

• Choose No price (90000).
• Enter exactly 99.99 to get the special value x9999. It means “price is 99.99 or higher, consult publisher.”

Special Values

Do You Need a Price Extension?

A bare EAN-13 barcode (without the price extension) is valid and scannable. Many books are sold with just the ISBN barcode and no price supplement. However:

• Physical retail bookshops in the US and UK typically expect the price extension. Some distributors and wholesalers require it before they stock a book.
• Online retailers (Amazon, etc.) do not use the price extension. They set their own prices.
• Print-on-demand services like IngramSpark and KDP generally do not require the supplement. IngramSpark recommends it for books intended for brick-and-mortar distribution.

If your book will be sold in physical shops, add the price extension with your retail price. If you are unsure, use 90000 (no price). It tells retailers that no suggested price is encoded, so they refer to their own catalog. Using 90000 is always safe and is the most common choice worldwide.

A barcode without any supplement is fine for ebooks, direct sales and online-only distribution.

Generating a Barcode

You can generate barcodes in two places.

From the Barcode Generator Tool

The dedicated tool page offers the most options. In the sidebar, click Tools, then click the Barcode Generator card.

1. Choose how to pick the ISBN:
2. Pick an edition: select a title from your catalog, then choose an edition. The ISBN and currency fill in. So does the price, if the edition has one.
3. Any ISBN: switch to this tab to enter any ISBN-13 manually. Use it for ISBNs not yet in your catalog, or to generate barcodes for other publishers.
4. Choose your options:
5. Price extension: None (bare barcode), Price (enter currency and amount), or No price (90000)
6. ISBN header: Toggle to show the ISBN above the barcode, correctly hyphenated (e.g. “ISBN 978-0-14-143956-3”)
7. Click SVG for a vector file (best for print) or PNG for a raster image.

Your options are kept when you switch between tabs. Picking a different edition re-fills the price extension from that edition’s own price. Re-check the price options after you switch edition.

From the title editor

1. Open the title, click Edit title, then click the Editions tab.
2. Click the barcode icon in the Actions column. It appears only for editions with an ISBN.
3. A dialog opens with the same options: price extension, ISBN header, and SVG/PNG download.

Tips

• Barcodes are generated on the fly. Pubblish stores nothing, so you can generate as many variants as you need.
• Pubblish cleans ISBNs automatically. Paste an ISBN with hyphens, spaces or other separators, and Pubblish extracts the digits.
• Pubblish accepts both ISBN-13 and ISBN-10. It converts ISBN-10 to ISBN-13 automatically.
• The ISBN header text above the barcode is hyphenated using the official ISBN range tables from the International ISBN Agency.

Output Formats

SVG (Recommended for Print)

• Vector format: scales to any size without quality loss
• Transparent background: places cleanly on any cover color
• Precise physical dimensions in millimeters embedded in the file
• Compatible with InDesign, Affinity Publisher, Canva and all professional layout tools

PNG

• Raster format at 4x resolution: suitable for screen use and basic print
• White background: ready to use without further editing
• Trimmed to the barcode content with minimal padding

Placement on Your Cover

• Standard position: lower-right area of the back cover
• Ensure contrast: black bars on a white or very light background. If your cover is dark, place the barcode inside a white rectangle with at least 3mm margin on all sides.
• Do not resize below the minimum: the EAN-13 portion should be at least 25mm wide. Smaller barcodes may not scan reliably.
• Check with your printer or distributor: some have specific requirements for barcode size, placement or quiet zones (the blank space around the barcode).