Thousands of happy Irish customers | 3 Million+ Barcodes in circulation | 10,000+ daily scans
Which barcode do I need?
‘Which barcode do I need?’ is one of the most frequently asked question we get. Barcodes can be confusing at first. Hence, we have put together this table to help you determine which type of barcode you need.
| Product | Which barcode do I need? |
| Alcohol | EAN barcodes |
| Art books (includes illustrated books with a title page and/or text or captions) | ISBN |
| Asset tracking | Code 39 or code 128 barcodes |
| Artwork | EAN barcodes |
| Atlases | ISBN |
| Audiobooks | ISBN |
| Board games, jigsaws | EAN barcodes |
| Book – published (includes Braille, hardback, paperback, e-book) | ISBN |
| Book – non-published (includes colouring, crossword, sudoku) | EAN barcodes |
| Brochures and pamphlets | ISBN |
| Calendars | EAN barcodes |
| Compact discs (CDs) | EAN barcodes
ISBN if the CD is prose or educational |
| Clothing & Footwear | EAN barcodes |
| Comic books | ISBN |
| Cosmetics | EAN barcodes |
| Coupons | EAN barcodes – check with the retailer you wish the coupon to be used in |
| DVDs | EAN barcodes
ISBN if they are educational |
| Electronics | EAN barcodes |
| Electronic newsletters/e-zines | ISSN |
| Flashcards | EAN barcodes |
| Food | EAN barcodes |
| Garden products | EAN barcodes |
| Graphic novels | ISBN |
| Greeting cards | EAN barcodes |
| Historical documents | ISBN |
| Homewares | EAN barcodes |
| Journals and diaries | Non-published use EAN barcodes
Historical or published diaries use ISBN |
| Library systems | Code 39 or code 128 barcodes |
| Magazines | ISSN |
| Maps | ISBN |
| Medicines | EAN barcodes |
| Music (tracks or albums, not sheet music) | EAN barcodes |
| Pamphlets | ISBN |
| Pictures and photographs | EAN barcodes |
| Postcards | EAN barcodes |
| Posters and art prints | EAN barcodes |
| Serials (magazines, newspapers, periodicals, etc.) | ISSN |
| Serial annual publications (e.g. yearbooks and directories), monographs-in-series(publications that have an individual title and a common title that links them together in a series). | ISSN |
| Sheet music | ISMN |
| Software | EAN barcodes |
| Stationery items | EAN barcodes |
| Supplements & Vitamins | EAN barcodes |
| Tools | EAN barcodes |
| Toys, including stuffed animals | EAN barcodes |