Books without a printed barcode, stationery with the maker's code missing, a box that should ring up as a box: BooksPOS prints labels the till can scan. It makes a PDF that prints on any printer, either on A4 label sheets or on a thermal label printer's roll. This guide covers what goes on a label and how to print one.
Checked on real hardware. The BooksPOS team has checked labels on a real label printer and the till with a real hand scanner, and every barcode is also decoded by software in BooksPOS's tests (rendered PDFs are read back at 300 and 203 dpi). Printers differ, so try a few labels on yours first.
What goes on a label
- The title, edition and publisher (or the brand, for stationery).
- The pack name on a pack's label, for example Box of 12.
- The price, if you tick Show the price.
- The barcode:
- a book with a valid ISBN (or an item with a valid EAN-13 or UPC-A) gets it as an EAN-13 barcode;
- every other item gets its SKU (for example BK-MAIN-000123) as a Code 128 barcode, which the till already scans.
"Books with a valid ISBN get it as an EAN-13 barcode; other items get their SKU as Code 128. The till scans both." BooksPOS never invents a barcode, and an ISBN with a wrong check digit is never drawn as EAN-13.
Labels for packs
A pack (a box, a dozen, a ream) is labelled only with its own barcode, because the SKU would ring up a single piece. "A pack needs its own barcode." If a pack has none, BooksPOS says so: "The … of … has no barcode of its own. Add one to the product, or print labels for single copies." Add the pack's barcode in Catalog › Edit › Units, prices and barcodes. See Units, packs, prices and barcodes.
How to print labels
- Open Catalog and choose Labels ("Print barcode labels").
- Choose the layout:
- A4 sheet, 24 labels (70 × 37 mm): "For any office printer, on 3 × 8 label sheets."
- Label printer roll (50 × 30 mm): "One label per page, for a thermal label printer."
- For a part-used A4 sheet, type how many labels are Already used on the sheet (0 to 23). Printing starts after them.
- Tick Show the price if you want it on the label.
- Add each item (Add an item: title, ISBN or SKU), choose the Unit (a copy or a pack) and how many Labels.
- Choose Make PDF and save the file. "12 label(s) saved to labels.pdf."
- Open the PDF and print it at actual size (100%), not "fit to page", so the barcodes keep their width.
You can print 1 to 500 labels per item, and up to 2,000 at a time.
Barcode labels. Labels for an A4 sheet of 24 or a 50 x 30 mm roll, with used positions skipped. Screenshot of the current build (28 Sep 2026), synthetic demo data.
Printing well
- On an A4 printer, use 3 × 8 label sheets of 70 × 37 mm.
- On a thermal label printer, set the printer's paper to 50 × 30 mm labels in Windows.
- Print one test label and scan it at the till before printing hundreds.
- Stick the label where it does not cover the book's own barcode or ISBN.
Who can print labels
Everyone who can see stock can make label PDFs, including cashiers.
Common questions
The book has its own barcode. Does it need a label?
No. If the book's barcode is its ISBN and the ISBN is on the item, the till already scans it.
Can I print labels with Urdu titles?
The label PDF uses Windows fonts for text it cannot draw itself, so print one label with an Urdu title first and check it on your printer.
Can I print shelf labels or price tags without a barcode?
Not as a separate layout. Every label carries a barcode.
Why does the scanner not read a label?
Check that the PDF was printed at 100% and that the printer is not low on ink or toner. Try the other layout. If it still fails, tell us the scanner and printer models through a support ticket.
Related guides
Last updated 30 September 2026. Still stuck? Contact us.