Document Library: Standards: ISBN-13

ISBN-13: Book Labeling

What the Back of Your Books Should Look Like

ISBNs are displayed on the outside back cover (Cover 4) of most books and additionally on the inside front cover (Cover 2) of most mass market paperback books in 9 point or larger font. Please see Section 8 of ISO's ISBN Users' Manual, Location and Display of the ISBN on Publications, for additional information.

• Book Labeling Until January 1, 2007

• Book Labeling After January 1, 2007

• Dual Numbering

• ISBN Hyphenation

• Marking Co-publications

Book Labeling Until January 1, 2007
The ISBN-10 is printed in human-readable form, 9 point or larger font, above the EAN-13 bar code. The EAN-13 is displayed below (and encoded within) the bar code.

Printing only the ISBN-10 above the bar code is appropriate for titles printed before January 1, 2007.

Book Labeling After January 1, 2007
The ISBN-13 is printed in human-readable form, 9 point or larger font, above the EAN-13 bar code. There is no change to the EAN-13 bar code itself and the EAN-13 is still displayed below (and encoded within) it.

Printing only the ISBN-13 above the bar code is recommended for titles printed after January 1, 2007 (either as reprints or as first editions).

Dual Numbering - Printing Both ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 Above Bar Code
If they choose, publishers may display both the ISBN-10 and the ISBN-13 above the bar code, in 9 point or larger font, during the transition to ISBN-13. While printing only the ISBN-13 above the bar is recommended after January 2007, publishers may continue dual numbering until the marketplace fully completes the transition to ISBN-13.

Dual numbering allows trading partners to identify books using both an ISBN-10 and an ISBN-13.

• Dual numbering is valid only for ISBN-13s that begin with '978'.

• There is no dual numbering for ISBNs that begin with '979'.

• When displaying dual ISBNs above the bar code, publishers may display the ISBNs in the sequence they prefer (i.e., ISBN-13 above ISBN-10 - as shown in the example above - or ISBN-10 above ISBN-13 - not shown).

• If dual numbering is used above the bar code, it should also be used everywhere else the book's identifier is referenced (i.e., the copyright page, catalogues, order forms, etc.).