How To Get A Barcode On Your Product or Publication
Home > Barcode Basics > Retail Barcode FAQ

Do I need a barcode?

Although it is not law that you have a barcode on your retail product or publication, it is often required by re-sellers and distributors.  They use the barcode to efficiently keep active inventories and sales records.

What kind of barcode should I get?

Most small manufacturers or self-publishers are pursuing barcodes to meet some requirement of a re-seller or distributor.  This requirement should be specified by those re-sellers and distributors, and may differ from one to the next.  There are industry standards, which are most often the requirements.  Always check with your re-seller or distributor to make sure you meet their specifications.

For retail products, the standard symbology in the U.S.A. is UPC-A, or the Universal Product Code.   Internationally, the standard symbology is EAN-13 (European Article Numbering international retail product code).

For books, the international standard is the Bookland EAN symbology (ISBN barcode).

For periodicals, the international standard symbology is ISSN (International Standard Serial Numbering ).  In addition to the ISSN code, SISAC (International Standard Serial Numbering) codes are often found on serial publications.

Where do I get the data (the number) for the barcode?

For a UPC-A or an EAN-13 manufacturer number, contact
GS1 (formerly the UNIFORM CODE COUNCIL)
Princeton Pike Corporate Center
1009 Lenox Drive
Suite 202
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Telephone: 609-620-0200
Telefax: 609-620-1200
www.gs1.org
For manufacturers outside the USA, visit their website for local offices.

For an ISBN number in the U.S.A., contact
BOWKER/MARTINDALE-HUBBELL
121 Chanion Road
New Providence, NJ 07974
Telephone: (908) 665 - 6770
toll free:     (877) 310 - 7333
Telefax:     (908) 665 - 3502
www.isbn.org

For an ISSN number in the U.S.A., contact the
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
National Serials Data Program
Washington, D.C. 20540-4160
Telephone:     (202) 707-6452
Telefax:          (202) 707-6333
Email: issn@loc.gov
www.loc.gov/issn/

For an ISSN number outside the U.S.A., contact
ISSN INTERNATIONAL CENTRE
20 rue Bachaumont, 75002 Paris, FRANCE
Telephone:     +33 1 44 88 22 20
Telefax :          +33 1 40 26 32 43
E-mail: issnic@issn.org
www.issn.org

How do I get the barcodes on my product or publication?

After obtaining unique numbers for your product or publication, you are ready to translate them into barcodes.

Generally there are two ways to get a barcode on a product or publication.  Either print it directly on an item or item's packaging, or print labels and adhere them to an item.