You’ve almost finished your next book’s layout and all you need to do is create a barcode to display the ISBN number?
Here are a few practical tips to follow when preparing your print files with Adobe tools, to create a barcode that will meet the requirements of any professional printer.
Generally Speaking
When adding a barcode to your files, you need to make sure it is 100% black on a white background.
Otherwise it will be printed using 4 colours, which will cause contrast problems and might make it unscannable.
Having a 100% black and white barcode is the best way to prevent scanning issues.
Barcode Generators
Here are some sites where you can generate barcodes:
- Paying generator: https://www.presentation-3d.com/products/barcode-generator.html
- Free generator: https://barcode.tec-it.com/en
- Adobe information: https://helpx.adobe.com/ca/acrobat/using/pdf-barcode-form-fields.html
How to Insert a Barcode in Your Adobe InDesign File
1. Once you have received your barcode in EPS, create a new CMYK file in Adobe Illustrator.
2. Copy the EPS you received and paste it into the new CMYK document.
3. Make sure you fill the digits and lines with 100% black.
4. Save your new barcode, that you can then insert directly in your Adobe InDesign file with a white background.
The same applies when doing the layout of your text inside your book: make sure to use 100% black instead of CMYK.
Select all your text in your InDesign document, and use 100% black:
Rapido's Resources
Discover all our video tutorials to help you create your next book:
- How to Create a Barcode?
- How to Set Up Bleed in InDesign?
- How to Create a Paperback Book Cover in InDesign?
- How to Create a Hardback Book Cover?