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Although not required by the government, most resellers require products to have universal product codes (UPC) or ISBNs for
published items. These are displayed on packages in number and barcode form. |
| UPC | |
Universal product codes (UPC) are issued by the Uniform Code Council (UCC). Product manufacturers pay a fee ($750 to
$50,000) to become members of the UCC council. Manufacturers receive a company code and a series of numbers (Item Reference Numbers) that are placed at the end of their company code.
Each distinct product is assigned a number and it is registered on the UCC system. The company code and product number are placed on the product in number and bar code format.
This allows resellers to order products using these codes and scan the products when they are purchased for price accuracy and inventory control.
Anyone can become a member of the UCC council. Go to http://barcode.gs1us.org/
for an application. You can also call them at (937)435-3870 (Eastern Standard Time). The fee will depend on the number of items that require a code, the current or projected sales
revenue of your company, and the number of business locations you have.
The minimum fee is $750.
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| Publishing books, audio or videos? ISBN and ISSN | |
ISBN numbers were developed to create "Books in Print," a tool for book resellers to use to order
publications. ISBN numbers are placed on books, audio tapes, videos, and bibles. ISSNs are similar numbers, but are for recurring publications (serials)
that have years, months, or a sequence on their cover or title. Each publisher applies for their own ISBN prefix and a series of ending numbers. The fee is based on the number of
ISBN ending numbers that you want. The minimum is 10, for $225.
Before you obtain an ISBN number, talk to your publisher (if any) to determine whether they will get the ISBN number or you will. To obtain an ISBN
number, visit
http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/index.asp or call (877) 310-7333. Please note that
ISBN numbers are maintained by the Bowker agencies, so you may see that name on the website or emails. They are the
official, and only issuer of ISBN numbers.
If you are acting as your own publisher (who will accept orders and ship to resellers), you will also need an SAN number so that resellers know your
address and contact information. The SAN number can be obtained at the same website or phone number.
Finally, if you expect your book to be purchased by libraries, you or your publisher need to obtain a Library of Congress Number (LCCN).
Not all published books can obtain an LCCN number; the application must be approved. This can be done before a book is printed through the
Library's Pre-Assigned Control Number Program. For information, visit http://www.loc.gov/publish/pcn/ or call
(202) 707-5000.
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| Bar codes | |
Bar codes are just a specialized font that converts numbers into lines. Once you get a UPC or ISBN number, you can
get a bar code made for a small price ($10-25 is common). There are many bar code providers available through a web search. Some contact numbers are:
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