Every once in a while you realize you need a tool to do something unusual
and then you have a field day searching for it. Such was the case when I was
recently engaged to design a book cover for a print-on-demand offering. This
cover needed an ISBN bar code on the back cover. The publisher provided the
ISBN number, but the bar code had to be generated.
One of the things I learned in searching for the right tool was that there
is a quite business out there for both ISBN barcode generation software and
generation services. Some software packages fetch upwards of over $200.00 and
some services charge a pretty penny just to generate a single bar code. Why is
this so expensive and why is it so difficult?
I also found an open source solution that while it was free was overly
complicated to use. All I needed was a solution that would allow me to type in
an iSBN number and generate a barcode I could then save as JPG file and add to
my book cover design. Is that so freaking difficult?
Finally, I found this little company called Infoalp Technologies
that has a tool called Barcode
Label Maker. It's not exactly a snappy title, but so long as their
little tool solves my problems cheaply and easily, I am a happy camper.
Well, lo and behold, Barcode
Label Maker does exactly what it advertises and exactly what i needed.
You type in your ISBN number provided by the publisher and choose the type of
barcode you want to generate. Then with a click it generates the barcode
image. You can then change the alignment of the ISBN number in relationship to
the barcode if you want to.
You can also change the height and width to make the barcode
taller or wider. One of the cool things Barcode Lable Maker also does is
generate sheets of barcodes. One assumes this is useful for business people
who needs lots of barcodes. Me? All i needed was a barcode image for my cover
design.
I saved the barcode as a graphics file, imported it into the
design and, presto, everybody is happy -- the author, the publisher and me. So
if you ever find yourself having to create barcodes -- for labels or for book
cover designs -- use Barcode
Label Maker. To learn more, please click here.
Barcode Label Maker
