Library Spine Label Maker

A spine label tells readers and staff where a book belongs on the shelf. Writing labels by hand is slow and hard to read; most library software prints them, but classroom, church, club and home libraries often have no such system. This maker takes a list of call numbers, breaks each onto lines the way libraries do, and lays them out on standard label sheets as a PDF.

How call numbers go on a spine

A spine is narrow, so a call number is printed as a short column. In the Library of Congress system each part goes on its own line: the class letters, the class number, each Cutter number (a letter and digits for the author or topic) and the year. QA76.73.J38 S65 2020 becomes QA / 76.73 / .J38 / S65 / 2020. Dewey numbers keep the class number together, with any prefix such as REF or J on its own line and the author letters below: REF / 641.5 / SMI / 2019. Long decimals are broken after the point and then every three digits, as many libraries print them.

Choosing the scheme

Each line is checked automatically: three-digit numbers and prefixes such as FIC, J, YA, B and REF mean Dewey; one to three capital letters followed by a number mean LC. Force one scheme if your numbers are unusual, or choose “split at spaces” for local shelving codes.

Choosing the label sheet

Pick the sheet you will print on. Avery 5167 and 8167 (half an inch by one and three-quarter inches, 80 a sheet) are popular for spines; Avery 5160 address labels and 5161 suit wider labels or the inside cover; the A4 Avery L7651 is the common choice outside North America. Text is shrunk automatically so every line fits the label.

Partial sheets and copies

Label sheets are expensive, so set how many labels at the start of the sheet are already used and printing begins on the next free one. Set copies to print more than one label per call number, for multiple copies of a title or a spare for the inside cover.

Thin books and rotated text

On a very thin book, a label wraps around the spine and the text is unreadable. Rotate the text 90 degrees to print the call number along the label instead, reading from the bottom up as on most spines. Left alignment suits some library styles; centred is the default.

Printing so labels line up

Print at 100% or “Actual size”; “Fit to page” scales the layout and the labels drift. Print a test page first with outlines on, on plain paper, and hold it against a label sheet up to a window. If everything is offset by the same amount, adjust your printer’s margins rather than the file.

A worked example

The sample list mixes Dewey, LC and fiction labels. On Avery 5167 it fits one US Letter page, with labels reading QA / 76.73 / .J38 / S65 / 2020, 641.5 / SMI / 2019 and FIC / ROW.

Related tools

Print barcodes for circulation with the Barcode Generator, link a shelf to a catalogue page with the QR Code Generator, sort a call-number list with Sort Text Lines, or format a reading list with the Bibliography Formatter.