What ISBN barcodes are
The ISBN barcode renders a book's International Standard Book Number as an EAN-13 symbol (ISBN standardized as ISO 2108), optionally with an EAN-5 price add-on.
Generate it now
Type the hyphenated form now (e.g. 978-1-56581-231-4) -- a bare 13-digit string with no hyphens is rejected outright.
Valid input
Input must include the hyphens (e.g. "978-1-56581-231-4"): bwip-js rejects a bare, dash-free 13-digit string outright ("Incorrect number of dashes and digits for ISBN-10"/"ISBN-13 must be 15 or 17 characters including dashes"). A correctly hyphenated legacy 10-digit ISBN (e.g. "0-306-40615-2") is also accepted and rendered as its ISBN-13 equivalent automatically.
Key options
Supported options include includetext and guardwhitespace (extra light-margin indicator chevrons, not the mandatory quiet zone).
Output and printing
Export SVG for back-cover print artwork.
Common uses
ISBN barcodes appear on book back covers for retail point-of-sale scanning, with the optional 5-digit add-on encoding suggested price/currency.
Example
The seeded example, "978-1-56581-231-4 90000", is an ISBN-13 followed by a 5-digit EAN-5 add-on -- try leaving off the "90000" to see the price add-on disappear from the render while the ISBN itself still encodes correctly.
Size guidance
As an EAN-13-based symbol, it needs the same guard-bar whitespace EAN-13 requires.
Troubleshooting
A check-digit mismatch is the most common error; verify the 13-digit ISBN against its own Modulo-10 check digit.
Related formats
Related formats: ISSN (serials), ISMN (printed music), and plain EAN-13.
FAQ
Do I have to include the price add-on?
No -- the EAN-5 price/currency add-on after the space is optional; enter just the hyphenated ISBN to render the ISBN-13 symbol on its own.