Barcode and spine labels for every copy
A catalogue tells you which titles you own. Labels tell you which copy is in your hand.
Try TitleEntryTitleEntry gives every copy in your library its own barcode and prints the labels for them. Barcode labels and spine labels come out as a PDF laid out for standard Letter and A4 label sheets, starting at any label on the sheet.
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Three things a library labels
Copy barcodes
An ISBN names a title, not a copy. A copy barcode names one physical book, so two copies of the same title can be told apart. TitleEntry numbers them from your own prefix, such as T000001, or keeps the numbers already on your books.
Barcode labels
A Code 128 barcode with the number printed under it, and the title above it on the larger labels. One label for each copy that has a barcode.
Spine labels
The call number in bold, split over up to four lines and sized to fit: "813.54 ALI 2019" prints as three. One label for each copy of a book with a call number.
How to label a library collection
Set your numbering
Choose a prefix, the next number and how many digits, and Settings shows the next barcode before you save. Labels already on your books can be typed in instead.
Give the copies barcodes
Select books on All Books and give every copy without a barcode its own number, oldest book first. A book with three copies gets three barcodes.
Print the labels
Choose barcode or spine labels, the sheet, and the label to start at, so a part-used sheet is not wasted. Download the PDF and print it at actual size (100%).
Scan them in a stock check
A stock check reads copy barcodes as well as ISBNs, with a scanner or the phone camera, so books with no ISBN are counted too.
Label sheet sizes
Two sheets for each paper size. Other sizes can be added when a library needs them.
US Letter
30 labels a sheet, 3 across and 10 down, each 2⅝ × 1 in. Or 80 small labels, 4 across and 20 down, each 1¾ × ½ in.
A4
21 labels a sheet, 3 across and 7 down, each 63.5 × 38.1 mm. Or 65 small labels, 5 across and 13 down, each 38.1 × 21.2 mm.
Print at actual size, never “fit to page”. Before a first run, print one page on plain paper and hold it behind a label sheet against the light.
Copy barcodes also go into the holdings of every MARC record you export, and into an AI shelf stock check. For the wider picture, see library inventory.
Frequently asked questions
Give each copy a barcode in TitleEntry, generated from your own prefix and numbering or typed from your existing labels, then select the books and print barcode labels as a PDF on a standard label sheet.
The book’s call number, such as a Dewey number with the author’s first letters and the year. TitleEntry prints it in bold over up to four lines. Books without a call number are skipped and counted.
On US Letter, sheets of 30 labels (2⅝ × 1 in) or 80 labels (1¾ × ½ in). On A4, sheets of 21 labels (63.5 × 38.1 mm) or 65 labels (38.1 × 21.2 mm). Print a test page on plain paper and hold it behind a sheet before using labels.
Yes. Type an existing number into any copy, up to 14 letters, digits or hyphens. Generated numbers skip any that are already taken.
Not yet. Titles print in English letters: accents are simplified and titles in other scripts are left off. The barcode and call number are not affected.
Library accounts. Get in touch and we will set one up for your library.