As some of you know, a number of our books have a production barcode on the back cover. While this barcode can affect all trim sizes in both hardcover and softcover, it does not appear on all books. Some of our printers use these to track our books, while others use different methods.
Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee which books will get the barcode. Once you place an order and your book gets uploaded into our system, it gets routed to printers based on book size, hardcover or softcover, ship-to address, and capacity at individual printers. That means your book could go to any of our printers. So, even though you’re in Europe and you think your book prints at our non-barcode-using Netherlands facility, it’s best to plan for the barcode in case your book gets routed to another printer that requires one.
Confused? We can help. For those of you concerned about the barcode running into your ISBN or important content, here’s how to plan for it. We’ve created a diagram that outlines the safe area for adding your own ISBN onto your back cover; if you follow this guide you won’t have to worry about Blurb’s barcode overlapping your ISBN.
You can click on all of the images below for larger views.
In the diagram below, avoid the red area if you plan to add an ISBN or important content on the back of your book.
White box (inside red area) = Current Blurb barcode location
Red area = Unsafe area for ISBN and any important content
*Red area represents all trim sizes from midpoint to spine of book
This diagram shows the specific measurements of the barcode represented by the white box, and where it can fall on the back cover.
In the diagram below, green marks the safe area for your ISBN (or any other important information such as URLs, addresses, and the like).
White box = Current Blurb barcode location
Green area = No Blurb code placed here. Safe for user ISBN code
Grey box = Detailed measurements below
Although we confess this is not a perfect solution, we’re confident that you can safely avoid a collision with an ISBN and a printer barcode if you follow these suggestions.
Here are some examples of ISBN placement on back of traditional books:
I hope you find this helpful.
35 Comments
That’s nice but automated distributors want the ISBN where the BLURB barcode goes. Barnes and Noble for sure won’t sell a book with the blurb barcode in the ISBN location.
This is a timely article, but I have tried several times to position my barcode to no avail. I am using one of the standard softcover templates. I need more instruction and/or suggestions.
Ann,
In order to set your barcode in the above fashion, you will need to use a cover template that has a full bleed image container on it. If you intend to have an image on your back cover, you will need to integrate your barcode file into your image file. The easiest way to do that is to size your photoshop file to the exact size of the image container (see container rollover for that info) Then drop in your image file, and on top of that layer, drag in your barcode graphic. Make sure it has a white background square behind it if it does not. Next locate the barcode file left of the center line and at least 1/2 inch up from the bottom edge and no closer than 1 inch from the left hand edge (see above graphic). When you are happy with the placement, flatten your image and save it as a .jpeg file. Now drag your back cover image into the large image container.
I hope this follow up helps.
Thanks
Hi Sam,
We’ll certainly look into your comment about Barnes and Noble. We certainly want to make this process easy and workable for everyone especially for those wanting to go the full-on distribution route.
Thanks for your comments.
– Kathy
If you know what printers put on the bar code, would we be able to request NO BAR CODE ?
I really do not want a bar code on my books, they are for display and not for sale.
Thanks,
~Jette
Hi Jette,
If you’re in Europe, there’s a pretty good chance that your book will not have a barcode. That said, depending on your book size, hardcover or softcover preference, ship-to address, and capacity at individual printers, your book could go to any of our printers, so best to plan for it. Otherwise, at this time, you cannot request a no-barcode option.
– Kathy
Kathy-
when will you know about the process for those who want to do the full-on distribution? I’d like to arrange book signings locally.
Thanks-
Judith
Judith,
As I mentioned, we will look into it, so there’s no specific date I can give you. We are constantly reviewing priorities and figuring out new BookSmart and website features. That said, some of that figuring will necessitate some research into barcodes and distribution.
You might want to check out our Forums and post your question to see what others have done to work around this.
Hope this helps.
– Kathy
Hi -
I recently had several reprints done of a book I have had previously printed with no barcode - now the new ones have the barcode on it. I use these as books for wedding clients and they will find the barcode completely unacceptable. I had always been paired with a facility that didn’t do this so how do I get back to using this facility? I am also noticing that the printer that uses the barcodes also shows banding in the printing of solid image areas-
Customer service has been less than helpful with this issue - who do i need to speak to to have it taken care of?
Thanks,
Corbin
Hi Corbin,
As stated in this post, we cannot guarantee which printer prints your book, hence the need to prep your book for the barcode. It’s not a great solution, but it’s what we can offer at this time.
As for your banding problem, please contact Order Support and someone will get back to you on Monday. We make good on all manufacturing errors and cannot handle one-off customer support questions in the blog.
Hope that helps.
– Kathy
Hello-
I have an art gallery that wants to pick up my book to sell. Is there any way for them to get a discounted rate so they can order directly from blurb instead of having me to consign them? As it is now they will have to pay the full price plus shipping to get them…that does not allow them any mark up for profit. I am new to all of this so I need some help here. Thanks, Michelle
This info is helpful, but can you tell me how to keep the back cover the same solid background color as the front and insert my barcode over it or on it without any images on the back?
I’ve tried the photoshop instructions with Adobe Illustrator, because I was told the ISBN barcode is not to be used with Photoshop. I keep getting a white background or have to select a background color to keep the barcode from being altered if I just insert it on the cover.
I’m puzzled.
It seems to me you have two sets of people
(a) people who don’t want bar codes on their books
(b) people who want bar codes for ISBN numbers in the place where convention (ie the book shops such as Barnes and Noble) dictate they should be.
I don’t understand what’s the problem. Neilsen states “If you wish to sell your publication through major bookselling chains, or internet booksellers, they will require you to have an ISBN to assist their internal processing and ordering systems.”
An ISBN barcode has therefore got to take precedence over a printers tracking code surely? How is a printers tracking code helping the person paying for the book?
If, as suggested, the book distributors have a convention as to where the ISBN code goes then that’s where it has to go.
Are some of the printers you are using ones which don’t normally print books for distribution and sale? Again Neilsen states “Most bookshops have now installed electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems, which enable them to keep track of their sales and to re-order books by scanning the barcode. Some retailers refuse to accept books that are not bar coded. Although the barcode will be derived from the ISBN, the agency does not issue them. Probably the best person to speak to about bar coding is your printer, who may have the software required to convert the ISBN into a barcode.”
Why not just make sure that
- all the books that don’t want bar codes get routed to the printers who don’t print bar codes?
- all the people who do want their books to have bar codes have their books sent to printers who have the software to produce the bar code?
As a professional, dealing with clients and designing books for them, it would be nice to have the option to NOT have a barcode and not have the ‘blurb’ end page as well. Unless you come up with that option, I will probably not be able to use your books.
I like the comment by Katherine. You should give your customers a choice.
Hi Braedon,
We know that the barcode can be problematic for some of our customers, hence this post on a workaround. Katherine has some nice ideas, and if we could offer them right now, you better believe we would. We are constantly working with our print partners to help evolve POD and the production of our books. How we track books may very well change, but for now, if you follow the post, you can easily work around the barcode.
Also, you can change out the Blurb end page by using our Custom Logo Upgrade option. For a small fee, you can remove the logo and replace it with one of your own.
– Kathy
I agree the barcode needs to be addressed and made into an option to have it or not have it. I understood that it will either be on the back cover or the back inside page. It appeared on both places on my order. On the back cover it was more or less at the center bottom (which is different than depicted in your graphic) and on the inside back page on the far left, but turned vertically. This is very distracting and looks very unprofessional.
Also, we need to be able to get duplicate orders printed and not hope that they look the same on the next order.
This is an amazing fail! Blurb is such a brilliant idea, and is otherwise so well done, that it is sad to see it defeated by a stupid supply chain bug - a lack of communication with the vendors. You are printing some of the most beautiful books here, how did it not occur that some people might like to sell them at retail outlets?
As it stands, I want to print books for display only, and being forced to allow a lame barcode on the back cover of my book completely kills it, and therefore, prohibits me from using your service. And I’m not willing to just ‘gamble’ and hope that I get to be the lucky one without a barcode.
This is so sad, I was just about to start working with your software to produce some books, as it is, I will have to find another service. Here’s to hoping this issue can be resolved quickly, as I really did like the rest of your service!
It would be a nice courtesy to let your customers know, up front, that there may be a barcode printed on their book-even if they pay to have the Blurb logo removed. I paid the EXTRA MONEY thinking that I would get a clean back cover. I feel that I was mislead by Blurb now that I have received a book with a barcode on both the last page and back cover. If it had been mentioned in the software, when I had made the book and opted NOT to have anything on those pages, I would not had ordered from Blurb. Barcodes look horrendous on a wedding album!
I’ve got to agree with what I’ve just read here, specifically Tracy just above me. I just ordered my first Blurb book, and was extremely happy with the outcome, all until seeing the barcode on the back cover. I was just about to order a set of 10 of these books, but now I’m going to go look into other services. I too feel mislead by the fact that this wasnt ever mentioned in the ordering process. I was prepared for a back page with the Blurb logo, but to cut into my nice, full bleed, glossy back cover image with an unnecessary (at least to me) barcode is so silly.
TAKE CARE OF THE BAR CODE ISSUE ASAP!
Hi, I really would love to use Blurb to layout and print my books. However, I require consistency of print and the ISBN Barcode issue for me is an essential part of the print process and my business requires CONVENTIAL ISBN barcoding.
I am so dissapointed that this barcoding seems such a unworkable issue for Blurb to resolve, After all what good is a publishing tool if you can’t control the most fundamental part of the process… BOOK SALES.
If Blurb are happy for home users to have such professionally designed books for home coffee tables use only and NOT shelves in book shops, then, this I see as a great failing.
One solution to get around this printers code may be to print separate ISBN barcodes on sticky labels and affix over the print code? This dispense with the idea of integrating the code into the blurb book layout. A timely and unnecessary solution in my view but one that may be the most reliable in terms of getting the book to store.
It looks like I shall have to keep using Coreldraw X3 for laying out books, exporting PDF’s and working directly with one-off digital printers for my proofing. Great shame as the potential time saving with blurbs integrated design and print system would have been excellent.
Kenneth Martin
I just received my first Blurb book and was taken by complete surprise by the black text on white “tracking number” block on my black background photo-wrap book. No where in the software did it tell me to expect this.
The white box goes over some large font text that could have been positoned in the lower left-hand corner if I had been forewarned by a software symbol such as one finds when text does not fit into a text container.
From reading the comments in this forum (found when looking up a phone number to call…which I couldn’t find), this seems to be a problem that Blurb needs to fix and fix soon.
Larry McCracken
I am also disappointed by the lack of mention of this when laying out the book, or clearly marked in other places. It didn’t show up on the first books I ordered, so it seemed safe to assume it wouldn’t show up on the second ones. It did, and in odd places and sometimes twice. One of them is totally centered (which actually looks better, but isn’t in the area this says it would be in).
I’m very much looking forward to having a secure option between barcode and non-barcode printing.
I too am disappointed with being unable to request no barcode for my books. I just ordered 2 guest books and they arrived with barcodes both on the back of the book as well as on the last page. Wedding and portrait clients do not want an ugly barcode on their albums and guest books. I too will be looking for another printer unless you add the option to leave it off.
Canadian customers may be the exception to the rule at Blurb but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced lengthy unacceptable delays in receipt of their orders? I ordered four large format books which were produced and shipped apparently back on June 30th. I have been tracking the shipping progress since with USPS. Just today I have received a message that my order has only now crossed the border into Canada. That means it took USPS approximately fourteen days to get it from the Blurb manufacturing facility to the Canadian-US border.
I like the Blurb concept however I may have to find an alternative domestic Canadian source.
I’m following the remarks closely about the bar code issue. I have a few questions. First: Can I add an ISBN number and bar code at anytime i.e reconfigure the back page and reprint.. Or, for that matter, can I revise anything for future editions and upload it to replace a previous edition. And secondly: Can you comment on the suggestion that the ISBN number and bar code can be printed on a stickly label and placed over your barcode.
Thanks
I ordered two different books (engagement & maternity) andI was very happy with the quality of the book while flipping through the pages until I got to the last page and back of book to find the barcode (twice) and one of the books have the barcode placed crooked. This looks really tacky on a black background
I was surprised to find my first book to be bar coded without any warning. It is mostly for me but I would think that if they want your printing business and there is enough people wanting large volume along with the amount of people you host that it is simple. Removed the bar code or we don’t use you for printing our work. Business are slow right now I can’t see someone wanting to lose a print job like this because they won’t change. And you losing business because they won’t change, your customer have to change. Customers should not have to change or have to put up paying for something they don’t want. I love the layout but I have two other book makers that I can use, If I have to change because of it. Sorry!!!! Please change for us.
Why does the Blurb barcode have to go on the back cover when it’s printed on the end page as well?
So, how about it Blurb? Is this issue ever going to be resolved?
Hi Richard
We continually work with our print partners to streamline our POD process and, as Kathy mentioned, the way we track books may very well change. For now, however, the workaround — while far from perfect — is the most functional solution.
Reese
I want to be able to have an image on the front cover and an ISBN bar code image on the back along with the ISBN number. I don’t think there is a template that allows me to do that. Am I wrong?
I also would suggest making the “barcode issue” more visible for people before they order their books. I had no idea there would be a barcode placed on the back and it covered up our company contact information. I would have designed it differently if I had known this would be an issue!
This issue should be published on your main page instead of being buried in a blog. Allowing your customers to learn about barcodes on their books after the fact is just plain sad on your part. Luckily I stumbled across this issue prior to publishing my book. Until this issue is fixed, I cannot gamble with your service.
I too agree that Blurb should be upfront about the possibility of an unsightly barcode being printed on orders. Had I known that I wouldn’t have two completely unusable books due to the bar code covering up back page text. Had I known, I would have either designed around that in the first place or looked for an alternate printer. It would be nice to be offered a refund for these.
Additionally, my book has the bar code twice (back cover and last page). If it’s for tracking reasons why does it have to repeat? The back cover one is also smack in the middle bottom of the page (of my 7X7) making the above “design around” solution offered by Blurb, obsolete.
I too am sorry to learn of this problem only after placing my order. No where in the book set-up was it mentioned. Guess, I’ll just wait and see how mine turns out.