Barcode errors on your print cover: KDP's barcode area and IngramSpark's 'Barcode is Not Formatted Correctly

The barcode on the back of a print book carries your ISBN so shops can scan it. Most printers will add one for you, free. Letting them is usually the easiest fix, as long as you leave them a clear space.

KDP

As at 4 October 2026, if you upload a cover without a barcode, KDP adds one to the back cover at no charge. The catch: KDP rejects covers with images or text in the spot where the barcode goes. Leave a clear white area 2 x 1.2 in, at least 0.25 in from the spine and from the bottom edge, in the lower right of the back cover (lower left for books that read right to left).

If you add your own barcode, these are the usual reasons it fails KDP's checks:

• It isn't 100% black. KDP means black ink only, not black made from RGB or CMYK colour, and not "registration" black.
• It's blurry, or smaller than the minimum of 1.4 x 0.8 in.
• It isn't on a solid white background.
• It's merged into the cover image instead of sitting on top as its own object.

KDP's barcode help also asks for it to be square and the right way up, at least 0.25 in from the spine and trim, and carrying exactly your book's ISBN. If you include a price, it must match your list price. Two-stage barcodes aren't supported.

IngramSpark

IngramSpark requires a barcode on every cover. Its free cover template includes one, which you can move within the safe area of the back cover but shouldn't resize.

"Barcode is Not Formatted Correctly" means the barcode wasn't 100% black, wasn't on white, or was resized. If you supply your own, it should be black only (0 cyan, 0 magenta, 0 yellow, 100 black) on a white box, usually 1.75 x 1 in. If you can't supply one, leave a clear 1.75 x 1 in space and IngramSpark places one in the lower right corner. IngramSpark notes that some big bookshop chains, Barnes & Noble for one, need the price built into the barcode for books stocked in their stores.

Lulu

If you upload your own cover, you add the barcode. Once your ISBN is assigned, Lulu gives you one to download as SVG, PNG or PDF. For retail distribution it should be 2 x 1.2 in, black on white, at least 0.25 in from any edge. Lulu recommends leaving the price off.

Barnes & Noble Press

B&N adds a barcode to the bottom right of the back cover itself, even if you've included one. It asks you to remove yours, because an existing barcode can get the cover rejected or printed with two. Keep that corner free of important content.

How to fix it in Word

Word can't guarantee black-only ink, so for KDP and IngramSpark the safest route is to let the platform add the barcode.

1. On the back cover, delete any barcode, text or decoration in the bottom corner by the spine.
2. If your background is a picture or colour, add a white box: Insert > Shapes > Rectangle, white fill, no outline. On the Shape Format tab, set its size to 2 x 1.2 in for KDP (1.75 x 1 in for IngramSpark), and position it 0.25 in from the spine and bottom edge.
3. For Lulu, use Insert > Pictures to add Lulu's barcode PNG. Keep its proportions (drag a corner, never a side) and place it on white, at least 0.25 in from the edges.
4. Save as PDF and upload without your own barcode where the platform adds one.

Using a designer, InDesign, Affinity or Canva? Leave the platform's barcode box empty, or use the template's barcode unchanged: never resize or recolour it, keep it 100% black on white, and keep it as its own object rather than merging it into the background.

Check before you upload

Bervet's free spine width calculator gives you a cover template for each printer, and its cover PDF check looks for artwork in the barcode area. The ISBN barcode generator makes a barcode from your ISBN. Both run in your browser and nothing is uploaded; checking a PDF needs a free Bervet account.