Choosing a barcode type for your product.
Determine which type of barcode you need. The vast majority of retail products require EAN barcodes which we supply for a one-off cost, yours to own for life. But there are some exceptions to this rule particularly for books and magazines.
We sell EAN and UPC retail barcodes, ITF-14 carton codes, QR codes, ISBN and ISSN images (books and magazines), GLN numbers and Code 39 and 128 (asset tracking) images.
| Product | Which barcode do I need? |
| Alcohol | EAN barcodes |
| Art books (includes illustrated books with a title page and/or text or captions) | ISBN barcode |
| Asset tracking | Code 39 or code 128 barcodes |
| Artwork | EAN barcodes |
| Atlases | ISBN barcode |
| Audiobooks | ISBN barcode |
| Board games, jigsaws | EAN barcodes |
| Book – published (includes Braille, hardback, paperback, e-book) | ISBN barcode |
| Book – non-published (includes colouring book, crossword, sudoku) | EAN or UPC barcodes |
| Brochures and pamphlets | ISBN barcode |
| Calendars | EAN barcodes |
| Compact discs (CDs) | EAN barcodes
ISBNs if the CD is prose or educational |
| Clothing & Footwear | EAN barcodes |
| Comic books | ISBN barcode |
| Cosmetics | EAN barcodes |
| Coupons | EAN barcodes – check with retailer you wish coupon to be used in |
| DVDs | EAN barcodes
ISBNs if they are educational |
| Electronics | EAN barcodes |
| Flash cards | EAN barcodes |
| Food | EAN barcodes |
| Garden products | EAN barcodes |
| Graphic novels | ISBN barcodes |
| Greeting cards | EAN barcodes |
| Historical documents | ISBN barcodes |
| Homewares | EAN or UPC barcodes |
| Journals and diaries | Non-published use EAN or UPC barcodes
Historical or published diaries use ISBN barcodes |
| Library systems | Code 39 or Code 128 barcodes |
| Magazines | ISSN barcodes |
| Maps | ISBN barcodes |
| Medicines | EAN barcodes |
| Music (tracks or albums, not sheet music) | EAN barcodes |
| Pamphlets | ISBN barcodes |
| Pictures and photographs | EAN barcodes |
| Postcards | EAN barcodes |
| Posters and art prints | EAN barcodes |
| Serials (magazines, periodicals, etc.) | ISSN barcodes |
| Serials (magazines, periodicals, etc.) if being sold as a one-off book | ISBN barcode |
| Software | EAN barcodes |
| Stationery items | EAN barcodes |
| Shipping containers/cartons containing retail product boxes | ITF-14 carton codes |
| Supplements & Vitamins | EAN barcodes |
| Tools | EAN barcodes |
| Toys, including stuffed animals | EAN barcodes |