ISBN-13 Bar Codes

UPCTools includes barcode fonts that print ISBN-13 barcodes.

Books are marked with Bookland barcodes, now known as ISBN-13 barcodes. Every book is assigned a unique ISBN (International Standard Book Number), obtained from Bowker, the standards body.

As of January 1, 2007, all books use the new 13-digit ISBN-13 bar codes instead of the older 10-digit ISBN's.

The change is not expected to be implemented overnight. There will be a transitional period, when both ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 coexist in the channel. Over time, ISBN-13 barcodes will emerge as the dominant barcode used on books.

Hear Jerry Whiting speak about the new ISBN-13 barcodes. The move to ISBN-13 barcodes on books brings the publishing world in line with GTIN (Global Trade Identification Number). Books are being assigned ISBN numbers that fit into a GTIN data structure, like all goods and products worldwide.

ISBN-13 barcodes are EAN-13 symbols with a mandatory 5-digit supplemental code to the right. The ISBN number is optionally printed above or below the barcode, usually in the OCR-A font.

ISBN numbers themselves include a mod 11 check digit. This is different than the standard EAN check digit calculation within ISBN-13 barcodes. Don't expect the two check digits to match.

UPCTools is barcode software from Azalea Software that prints ISBN-13 barcodes (Bookland barcodes), as well as UPC version A, UPC version E, EAN-13, EAN-8, and ISSN barcodes. UPCTools is available for Windows, the Macintosh, Linux, UNIX, and other platforms.