DVD Barcodes

If you’re releasing a film on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K, you need a retail barcode on the back of the case. Shops, distributors and online stores all use it to identify your release.

It’s the standard retail barcode used on any product. There’s nothing special about a disc release, and nothing about the barcode is film-specific.

One barcode per format

A barcode identifies a product, not a title. If your film comes out on more than one format, each is a separate product with its own number.

• DVD → one barcode
• Blu-ray → a second barcode
• 4K UHD → a third
• Box set or special edition sold separately → its own barcode
• A DVD + Blu-ray combo pack → its own barcode again, because it’s a distinct item on the shelf

Same film, same artwork, same everything else. Different products as far as a retailer’s stock system is concerned.

A repress of the same edition keeps its original barcode. You only need a new number when the item on the shelf is genuinely different.

Region coding has nothing to do with it

Worth stating plainly, because it comes up.

Region coding is stored on the disc itself and controls which players can read it. Your barcode is printed on the packaging and identifies the product. The two are unrelated, and nothing in the barcode tells a player or a shop which region a disc is in.

Where it does matter: if you release a region-free edition and a region-locked edition as separate products, those need separate barcodes; not because of the region coding, but because they’re two different things being sold.

Where to put it on the case

Back cover, lower right, on a light background with clear space around it.

The standard size is about 38 mm × 25 mm, and you can reduce it to 80% if space is tight, but no further. Our barcode dimensions guide covers the limits.

Standard Amaray case — on the rear of the printed wrap, positioned so it isn’t lost in the spine fold or hidden under the clear overlay’s edge.

Slimline case — space is tighter, so plan the position into the artwork rather than dropping it in at the end.

Digipak or card sleeve — outer back panel only. A barcode on an inner flap can’t be scanned without opening the package, which shops won’t do.

Keep the bars dark on a light background, and don’t print over artwork. Scanners read contrast, not colour.

Before you send artwork to be replicated

Replication houses need final artwork with the barcode already in place. Getting the number first avoids a reprint or a delayed run.

Order it, drop the print-ready file into your back cover layout at the correct size, and send the whole thing across in one go. The images arrive within minutes, so it needn’t hold anything up.

What you get

The barcode number, print-ready images in PDF, PNG and SVG, a guarantee certificate showing you’re the legal owner, and free registration on the International Barcodes Database.

One payment. No annual fees. Emailed within minutes.

Also available: CD barcodes for music releases, book barcodes from ISBNs, and magazine barcodes from ISSNs.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a barcode to sell my DVD? For shops, distributors and most online stores, yes. Selling directly at screenings or from your own website, no.

Do I need a separate barcode for the Blu-ray? Yes. Each format is a separate product with its own number.

Does the barcode set the region code? No. Region coding is on the disc and controls playback. The barcode is on the packaging and identifies the product. They’re unrelated.

Will this work on Amazon? It’s a standard retail barcode. Amazon applies its own additional identifier rules. See what Amazon requires before listing there.

Do I need a new barcode if I change the cover art? No, as long as it’s the same edition. New artwork on the same product keeps the same number.

Can I get the barcode before my artwork is finished? Yes, and you should. Order it first so the print-ready image can be placed into the layout before it goes to replication.

How quickly will it arrive? Within minutes. The shop is automated, so your number and images are emailed as soon as payment clears.